Passengers flying through EU airlines may immediately enjoy the perks of carrying their handbags up to 7kg without any additional charges if new laws considered are passed.
The EU Parliament's Transportation Committee on Tuesday gave a thumbs up on amendments to make small carry-on bag bills a thing of the past.
Several airlines, including Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizz Air, charge large cabin bags (one for overhead lockers) as part of their standard fares. These airlines only include small seat bags with basic ticket prices. Other airlines such as British Airways and Jet2 include large cabin bags on standard fares.
Officials say passengers should be entitled to one free cabin bag that can not exceed 100cm, up to 7kg, and another small personal item that fits under the seat. This potential policy also applies to all flights between the EU and the UK, covering routes between the EU and the UK.
The overwhelming majority of MEPs voted in favor of amending the EU's passenger rights law, earning 38 votes, two and two abstentions, and adopted a new passenger rights bill position.
The finer details are open to debate by individual EU member states before they are finalized, but Spain shows a positive stance on the revision. Still, there is concern in the aviation industry that this change in rules could lead to increased fares for everyone, even travelers.
Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of European airlines, has highlighted the need to select passengers for paid services, saying, “The European Parliament must decide what services travelers should pay, which services they should pay, and, importantly, which services they should not provide.”
European airlines have informed members of the EU Transportation Commission that aircraft, which normally sits with 180 passengers, can only accommodate around 90 trolley bags in their overhead lockers, indicating that it is difficult to comply with the new regulations. The EU Transportation Commission says airlines should not charge fees to select seats.
For children up to age 12, we would like to introduce a general form for compensation and refund requests.
The European consumer rights group Beuc welcomed the committee's “clear stance” in support of allowing passengers to bring both personal items and baggage for free. Steven Berger, Senior Legal Officer at Beuc, said: “This is a basic consumer expectation and is perfectly consistent with the Court of Justice ruling that reasonable sized baggage is not subject to additional charges.”
In May, Beuc filed a complaint with the European Commission and consumer protection authorities asking them to investigate EasyJet, Norwegian Airlines, Ryanair, Volotea, Vueling, Transavia and Wizz Air, claiming baggage pricing was illegal.
The Transport Commission has agreed to move directly to final negotiations with the central government.
