Your next flight within the European Union might be a little more affordable, thanks to a new action by consumer advocates against unfair baggage fees.
A group of 17 European consumer organizations have requested that the E.U. Commission investigate whether budget airlines should be allowed to charge extra fees for carry-on bags.
At issue is the trend of low-cost carriers charging additional fees when passengers’ carry-on bags don’t meet the airlines’ specific guidelines—a practice which has already been declared illegal in the E.U., according to BEUC, a European consumer rights organization that coordinated the action.
“Haven’t we all experienced the fear of our hand baggage not fitting in the airline’s sizers and being charged extra fees?” said Agustín Reyna, director general of BEUC. Reyna said that these policies are “exploiting consumers” and that the airlines charging the fees are “ignoring the EU top court who ruled that charging reasonably sized hand baggage is illegal.”
In 2014, the E.U. Court of Justice did indeed rule on the matter, stating that the “carriage of hand baggage cannot be made subject to a price supplement, provided that it meets reasonable requirements in terms of its weight and dimensions and complies with applicable security requirements.”
In fact, courts in Spain recently fined five airlines €179 million for similar “abusive hand baggage practices” in late 2024. Those fines “made clear that passengers can bring their reasonably sized hand baggage onboard at no additional cost,” Reyna said.
The groups have requested investigation into carry-on baggage policies at seven E.U.-based budget airlines, including: Easyjet, Norwegian Airlines, Ryainair, Volotea, Vueling, Transavia, and Wizzair.
All of the carriers have similar policies that charge passengers a penalty for bringing larger carry-ons. Under Irish carrier Ryanair’s policy, for example, fliers can add a carry-on to put in the overhead bin, starting at £6. But if the bag is declared too big, passengers must pay a whopping £75 to check it in the cargo hold. The amount airlines charge can vary widely, depending on the carrier, route, and other factors.
In addition to requesting an investigation, the call to action also asks policymakers to tell the airlines to immediately end these policies, as well as formally define a reasonable size and weight for carry-on bags to eliminate the possibility of passengers being surprised at their gate. Reyna also said that this is the “the perfect opportunity” for regulators to clarify what charges should be included in airlines’ basic ticket prices. “Our data shows that consumers expect to see a small item and a piece of hand luggage when buying basic tickets,” he said.
The filing, which was submitted to the E.U. Commission in Brussels on May 21 and signed by groups in 12 countries, comes as the United States has also begun cracking down on which travel fees should be included in the base price at booking. Those new rules, which went into effect in the U.S. on May 12, mean that additional charges like resort fees or vacation rental cleaning fees must be included in the base price at the time of booking.
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