EasyJet Hand Luggage Policy Changes: No More Free Large Cabin Bag
EasyJet will change its cabin baggage policy from 10th February 2021 as large pieces of hand luggage such as trolleys can no longer be taken on board for free.
Policy change
EasyJet’s new baggage policy will come into effect on 10th February 2021 – and for most passengers it will mean a downgrade! While large cabin bags such as the ubiquitous trolley bags can now be brought into the aircraft for free, this will no longer be possible in the future.
On its website, easyJet has outlined the changes which are about to come.
Old cabin baggage rules
For those travelling on the British low-cost carrier before 10th of February 2021 the current cabin bag policy would still apply.
This means that depending on your ticket, all passengers can bring one cabin bag on board with a maximum size of 56 x 45 x 25 cm, which should include most trolley bags.
Passengers who reserved an up-front or extra legroom seat, easyJet Plus cardholders, as well as passengers on flexi fares, can bring up to two pieces of hand luggage on board.
One of these two bags can be a large cabin bag, while the other must be a smaller bag (like a laptop bag or handbag) with a maximum size of 45 x 36 x 20cm.
How does the new policy look like?
When it comes to flights taking place after 10th February 2021, the seat you have booked will determine what bags you are able to bring on board.
All passengers can only take one small cabin bag per person on board with a maximum size 45 x 36 x 20cm, including any handles or wheels. These bags must fit under the seat in front of you, which means that most trolley bags cannot be taken on board for free.
For these bags, there will be no weight limit, although you must be able to carry and lift the bag yourself without requiring assistance.
If you want to bring a large cabin bag such as a trolley bag on board, you must book an up-front or extra legroom seat. Only then will you be able to bring an additional large cabin bag on board (maximum size 56 x 45 x 25 cm, including handles or wheels).
Passengers who booked a ‘flexi’ ticket, as well as easyJet Plus cardholders, can bring a large cabin bag on board regardless of the seat they choose.
EasyJet has outlined the new policy in a simple to understand graphic, which you can find below.
Adding luggage
If you have already booked a flight with easyJet for travel after 10th February, you can simply click on ‘manage booking’ and assign yourself a front row or extra legroom seat if you still want to bring a large cabin bag.
It depends on the length of your flight how much extra you now have to pay for such a premium seat or flexi fare. For example, on an Amsterdam to Belfast flight, the cheapest option seems to be an up-front seat for 18.99 EUR.
Flexi fares (which allow for flexible date/route changes to your booking, free seat selection, checked bag and other perks) are likely to be much more expensive.
The easyJet seat map which you see during the booking process will clearly mention whether or not you can bring a large cabin bag with you for the seat you choose.
While a random Amsterdam to Belfast flight on 3rd March 2021 would set us back just 24.49 EUR (with an additional 18.99 EUR for an up-front seat in order to bring a large cabin bag), the flexi fare for the same flight is much higher at 88.99 EUR.
Competitors
The changes to easyJet’s luggage policy don’t really come as a surprise to me. Most of easyJet’s low-cost competitors already made similar changes years ago.
The new easyJet cabin luggage policy is now quite similar to that of the main European competitors such as Ryanair and Wizz Air, which already made passengers pay for a large cabin bag.
That said, the way how easyJet implemented the changes are quite novel, as both Ryanair and Wizz Air have the rule that you must add priority boarding to your booking in order to bring a large cabin bag on board, which in my opinion is much more clear.
In short
EasyJet has changed its hand luggage policy, with the new rules coming into effect on all flights from 10th February 2021 onward. If you have booked a flight after this date with easyJet, you better check your booking how this new change will impact your flight if you plan to bring a large cabin bag on board.
For most passengers, the new changes will likely mean a minimum 20 EUR surcharge per flight in order to bring a checked bag on board.
Although this is of course unwelcome news to most travellers, it is not at all surprising at all. With all main competitors charging for a large cabin bag, easyJet was simply one of the last few European budget airlines which did not set any limits to hand luggage.
