Win for Ryanair passengers as airlines lose EU baggage battle
Airlines will not be able to charge passengers extra fees for carry-on bags after a ten-year battle between the EU and the aviation sector, writes Garreth MacNamee.
Both the European Council and the European Parliament have agreed that budget airlines such as Ryanair, WizzAir and Easyjet will not be allowed to charge additional fees for bringing a larger carry-on bag on board.
Instead, it is expected that the charges will now be incorporated into the one fare.
The rules are due to kick in at the start of 2027.
Passengers will now be allowed to bring a free personal item measuring 40cm x 30cm x 15cm, as well as a small wheeled bag with a maximum combined dimension of 100cm and a weight limit of seven kilograms.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has been outspoken on the luggage issue and has repeatedly claimed there is not enough space in the overhead lockers to accommodate every passenger who wants to travel with a wheelie bag.
Speaking last summer about the issue, he said: “There’s not room on largely full aircraft for one small carry-on bag and one large trolley bag.
“About 50% of the passengers can bring a trolley bag and we do that using the priority boarding service.
“Any rules that would alter that would be infringing EU rules guaranteeing the freedom of airlines to set pricing and policies, and we don’t believe that will happen.”
He added: “We can only allow about half the passengers to bring a wheelie bag on board.”
Ryanair was contacted for comment last night.
There is also more good news for travellers as the EU compensation scheme for passengers delayed through no fault of their own is set to remain, despite opposition from several member states. People flying in the EU are already entitled to cash compensation if they land three hours later than the stated time or if their flight is cancelled.
The amount of cash you can receive is between €250 and €600 depending on the distance of your travel.
The luggage issue is a fresh headache for Ryanair after it emerged last week that an investigation had been launched by the UK consumer watchdog regarding parent and child seats on flights.
Michael O'Leary, group CEO of Ryanair. (Pic: Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The Competition and Markets Authority confirmed it was examining whether parents being charged to sit next to their children was “unfair”.
The Mandatory Family Seat comes at a cost of between €6 and €10.50.
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