The days of being charged additional fees for your hand luggage on flights could soon be a thing of the past – at least in the EU
UK holidaymakers have been warned of a significant change to hand luggage rules on flights to Europe. The BBC has highlighted a considerable shift in hand luggage regulations for European Union flights. The era of being slapped with extra charges for your cabin baggage on flights may soon be over – at least within the EU.
On June 24, 2025, legislators voted in favour of a proposal that would allow passengers to bring a small carry-on bag weighing up to 7kg (15.4lbs) onto their flight free of charge, even on budget airlines. This development comes as Ryanair’s chief, Michael O’Leary, has fired back at ‘unimplementable’ proposals that could permit each plane passenger to bring two free cabin bags on board.
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This development comes as Ryanair’s chief, Michael O’Leary, has fired back at ‘unimplementable’ proposals that could permit each plane passenger to bring two free cabin bags on board, reports Birmingham Live.
During Ryanair’s earnings call for the first quarter of 2026, its CEO vehemently criticised the ‘impractical’ move. As per Travel Weekly, he stated: “The idea that everyone is entitled to two free bags on board is unimplementable – they don’t fit in the aircraft.
“There’s not room on largely full aircraft for one small carry-on bag and one large trolley bag. About 50 per cent 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.”
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Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines For Europe, Europe’s largest airline association, expressed her concern: “Europe’s airline market is built on choice. Forcing a mandatory trolley bag strips passengers of that choice and obliges passengers to pay for services they may not want or need,”.
She further questioned: “What’s next? Mandatory popcorn and drinks as part of your cinema ticket? The European Parliament should let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don’t.”
Meanwhile, Mr O’Leary announced his consideration to increase the incentive to “eliminate the scourge of passengers with excess baggage. I think it’s unlikely to play out but there’s clearly going to be some kind of negotiation between the parliament and the commission on passenger rights.”
By eliminating carry-on baggage fees, airlines will make travelling abroad easier. Even better, it will save them from spending hundreds of pounds to send off a small piece of luggage.