EU Hand Luggage Reform: Don’t Count on Free Cabin Bags Just Yet!

Top EU officials are currently discussing hand luggage reform, proposing that airline passengers in Europe be allowed two free cabin bags.

Many consumer organisations and passengers across Europe are already celebrating, even though any harmonisation of hand luggage allowances in the European Union (EU) is still far from becoming law.

Moreover, any European hand luggage reform could easily backfire on passengers, with flight ticket prices likely to rise and airlines introducing other workarounds that may negate the positive effects.

EU hand luggage reform: What is going on?

Passengers and consumer organisations across Europe have long complained that airline hand luggage rules are too complicated, with each airline having different free baggage allowances and varying definitions of cabin bag size.

Most low-cost airlines in Europe, such as Ryanair and Wizz Air, only allow passengers to bring a small bag, like a rucksack or laptop bag, on board for free, while larger cabin bags such as trolleys incur an extra charge.

That’s why EU politicians and officials are discussing hand luggage reform, aiming to unify standards across European aviation and make buying plane tickets more transparent for consumers.

The latest update comes from the European Parliament’s Transport Committee, which has taken the position that passengers should be allowed to bring two free pieces of cabin luggage on a flight: one large trolley bag and a smaller personal item, such as a laptop bag.

Haven’t courts already ruled passengers have the right to free hand luggage?

In recent years, some Spanish courts have ruled that passengers have the right to bring a free cabin bag on board within Europe, with some airlines even fined millions of euros over their “abusive hand luggage practices” by the Spanish government.

Ryanair was even ordered to refund a passenger’s hand luggage charge, with the judge ruling that a free cabin bag “is an indispensable element of passenger transportation” and therefore “cannot be subject to a price supplement”.

However, airlines like Ryanair have appealed these court decisions and are likely to take the matter to the highest European courts if necessary.

It is therefore highly unlikely that court cases alone will lead to hand luggage reform.

With the European Union now addressing the issue through formal political consultations and legislation, any changes are more likely to come from there than from an activist Spanish judge.

What will happen next with the hand luggage reform proposal?

So, with the European Parliament’s Transport Committee now stating that airline passengers should be allowed two pieces of personal luggage at no extra cost, will this become the new standard on flights across Europe?

Not yet – there is still a long way to go in the legislative process, and changes to the current proposal are likely.

First of all, the entire European Parliament will need to vote on the Transport Committee’s proposal, which is expected to take place towards the end of this year.

Even if the European Parliament votes in favour of the hand luggage reform, that does not guarantee the legislation will be adopted into law or come into effect immediately.

What follows next is a so-called Trilogue, an informal negotiation between representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission.

The aim of a Trilogue is to reach an agreement on a legislative proposal that is acceptable to all parties involved, which must then be formally adopted by all three institutions before it can become law.

Trilogue challenges

Some representatives of the Council of the European Union are likely to strongly oppose certain parts of the EU hand luggage reform during a Trilogue.

The Council of the EU is where national ministers from each member state meet to negotiate and adopt EU laws, so in the case of airline hand luggage reform, it will be the Transport Ministers from each individual country who have a say.

While countries like Spain are expected to support the proposal, others such as Hungary and Ireland, home to Wizz Air and Ryanair respectively, are likely to oppose it and push for a compromise that could significantly weaken some of its provisions.

Even if a compromise is reached quickly during a Trilogue, it can still take several months or even years before the proposal is established as EU law.

So, don’t expect free cabin bags to appear anytime soon on European low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air, as the EU legislative process moves slowly.

Practical consequences of EU hand luggage reform

In the discussion around EU hand luggage reform, it’s also important to consider the practical consequences of allowing free cabin bags on intra-European flights, as this would bring several challenges.

There are reasons why low-cost airlines have stricter hand luggage rules than full-service carriers, particularly those offering connecting flights to destinations worldwide.

A big part of this relates to the low-cost model, as airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air earn most of their revenue from ancillary charges such as fees for large cabin bags or checked luggage, which helps keep the advertised ticket price low.

It’s not just the ancillary fees low-cost airlines will lose, as any extra luggage carried free of charge will make the plane heavier, increasing fuel consumption and costs.

Both airlines have warned that any EU hand luggage reform will lead to higher flight prices for European passengers.

A Wizz Air representative said the proposed plan would “make flying more expensive for millions of travellers” and would force “passengers to pay for services they may not use”.

Luggage space on board

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary raised another practical concern: there simply isn’t enough space on board if all passengers are allowed to bring a large trolley bag for free.

While this is not an issue for airlines like Air France and Lufthansa, whose business models focus on long-haul flights with widebody planes offering plenty of space for two pieces of hand luggage per passenger, the same cannot be said for low-cost carriers that only operate narrow-body aircraft.

Mr O’Leary said that Ryanair can “only allow about half the passengers to bring a wheelie bag on board” as “there isn’t space on board the aircraft for any more bags”.

Wizz Air warned that introducing free cabin luggage would significantly slow down boarding, with an airline representative stating it would “undermine the operational efficiency and low-cost model that make affordable air travel possible in Europe”.

The business model of low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air relies heavily on quick turnaround times at airports, so any extra minutes spent rearranging bags or forcing passengers to gate-check their luggage would significantly disrupt their operations.

This could mean that aircraft operated by Ryanair or Wizz Air would be able to run fewer flights each day than they do now, indirectly leading to higher ticket prices as the airlines would need to make up for the lost revenue elsewhere.

However, it’s not only low-cost airlines that will be affected, as European carriers operating planes smaller than a standard Airbus A320/321 or Boeing 737 will also struggle to accommodate a large cabin bag for every passenger on board.

Think, for example, of LOT Polish Airlines with their Embraer fleet or Greece’s Sky Express flying turboprops on intra-island routes to airports with small runways.

Workarounds

Even if legislation grants European passengers the right to bring a free cabin bag on board, airlines are likely to develop countermeasures to maintain smooth flight operations.

As is already the case, airlines have the right to gate-check hand luggage if there is insufficient space on board, regardless of whether your ticket includes a free cabin bag.

Expect airlines to gate-check bags more rigorously once any free cabin luggage proposal becomes EU law, as there simply isn’t enough space for every passenger to bring a trolley bag on board.

Similarly, more airlines will likely allow passengers to check in their hand luggage free of charge to prevent delays during boarding.

A silver lining for low-cost airlines is that any EU proposal for free cabin bags will also create a huge opportunity for them to sell additional add-ons to passengers.

Most low-cost airlines already earn significant revenue by selling “priority boarding,” which often includes a larger hand luggage allowance.

Combined with the near-guarantee of overhead luggage space to store a trolley bag, this is the main reason why passengers on low-cost flights buy this add-on.

With overhead locker space becoming more limited if all passengers are allowed free cabin bags, and with more rigorous gate-checking of cabin bags, low-cost airlines are likely to significantly raise the price of priority boarding.

EU luggage reform may therefore create a situation where your cabin bag is technically free, but without paying extra, there’s no guarantee you’ll be allowed to take it into the cabin with you.

The reality will be that for many passengers, a free cabin bag will simply end up being free hand luggage that is gate-checked into the plane’s hold.

Although the harmonisation of hand luggage dimensions will be a welcome step, it remains to be seen whether EU luggage reform will truly benefit consumers, as it may also come with significant drawbacks compared to the current situation.