European Parliament presses air passenger carry-on baggage fees revolution

BRUSSELS — Parliamentarians from the transport committee on Tuesday approved an amendment on air passenger rights that gives people the right to travel with carry-on hand baggage weighing up to 7 kilograms without paying extra charges.

If the rule is confirmed in negotiations with EU governments, the 7 kg baggage would be permitted for free in addition to one smaller personal item that can fit under a seat.

The new right is strongly opposed by airline lobbies, which warn the rule would force carriers to increase ticket costs, even for people flying with minimal baggage.

“What’s next? Mandatory popcorn and drinks as part of your cinema ticket?” said Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of the lobby Airlines for Europe (A4E). 

“The European Parliament should let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don’t,” she said in a statement before Tuesday's vote.

But the idea of easing rules for carry-on baggage was backed by a broad coalition of political groups. The amendment proposed by Matteo Ricci of the Socialists and Democrats, the lead MEP on the legislation, is now part of the European Parliament’s position on a 2023 proposal aimed at strengthening the enforcement of air passenger rights.

The final text will be negotiated with the Council of the EU. So far Spain has indicated it favors the change.

According to lawmakers, the new right is based on a 2014 Court of Justice ruling which established that hand baggage is a “necessary aspect” of passenger transport, as long as the bags meet “reasonable requirements” in terms of weight and dimensions.

After years of discussions among airlines and experts about reasonable requirements, the Parliament decided to step in and mandate a common standard. Besides the 7 kg weight limit, the norm states that hand baggage must be “within the maximum dimensions of 100 cm (sum of length, width, and height).”

Low-cost airlines are expected to be impacted the most by the measure, which would hit their pricing policies that permit only a small bag fitting under a seat to be carried for free and charge passengers for larger bags, even if they fit in the overhead bin.

According to Ryanair’s most recent annual results, ancillary revenues, including fees for hand baggage and extra services such as seat selection and priority boarding, amounted to €4.7 billion out of total revenues of €13.95 billion.

In addition to profits, airlines are concerned that allowing all passengers to bring a 7 kg bag on board will cause problems during boarding and lead to extra delays if bags do not fit in the cabin.

In a letter sent to parliamentarians ahead of the vote, A4E complained that “aircraft do not have space to accommodate one trolley bag per passenger” because “typical aircraft cabin offers 180 seats but has space for only 90 trolleys in the overhead lockers.”

But the amendment leaves no room for excuses and permits the hand baggage to be stored “either in the aircraft cabin (as carry-on baggage) or in the aircraft hold, as checked baggage.”

Airlines may only refuse to allow hand baggage on board “only on grounds of security” in relation to its weight, size, or the characteristics of the aircraft, says the norm.

Steven Berger, senior legal officer at the European Consumer Organization, welcomed the “unequivocal position on hand luggage,” saying that it satisfied “a fundamental consumer expectation” to carry both a personal item and hand baggage at no extra cost.