In late May, European Union officials gave budget air travelers a reason to celebrate. The bloc’s largest consumer organization announced it would investigate onerous carry-on bag fees popular with low-cost airlines.
The issue concerns low-cost carriers’ practice of charging travelers hefty fees to gate check their luggage when their carry-on bags are deemed too big to fly in the overhead bin. A group of 17 consumer advocate groups requested that the E.U. Commission investigate the practice, which they say has already been declared illegal within the E.U.
The investigation will likely result in a win for E.U. consumers, so is it something U.S. officials could potentially replicate? It doesn’t seem likely, according to one airline consumer expert.
“I know most airline passengers hate carry-on bag fees, but unfortunately I do think they'll continue to proliferate because it is not just low fare airlines that charge such fees,” says William McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project. “For example, United charges for carry-ons in Basic Economy. Also, fees are a tremendous source of revenue for airlines and they're not eager to turn off that spigot.”
Indeed, baggage fees are one of the most lucrative charges for U.S. airlines. In 2024, U.S. carriers made close to $7.3 billion collectively on fees for carry-on and checked bags, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In fact, more airlines are getting in on the cash cow, with Southwest starting to charge for checked bags for the first time in its more than 50-year history.
On the whole, U.S. low-cost carriers are more upfront about their fees than their E.U. counterparts. “Although the low fare airlines led the way in unbundling fares and charging fees, they actually do a much better job at being transparent about those fees,” says McGee. “On their website homepages they offer clear links to decipher pricing, such as Spirit 101, Frontier's Bundle & Save, and How to Allegiant.”
Indeed, each U.S. low-cost carrier has a page on its site dedicated to breaking down its various fees and surcharges. That’s not true for many of the mainline airlines, according to McGee.
“Conversely, the major carriers are quite opaque about making consumers jump through hoops to determine the price of fees in advance of booking,” he says. “In fact, several large airlines actually sued the US Department of Transportation after former Secretary Buttigieg introduced a new regulation calling for transparency of fees. The current administration has not stated if the DOT will continue fighting that lawsuit.”
Additional regulations in the U.S. just took effect May 12 to bring more transparency to fees during the travel booking process. Those regulations mean that extra charges such as resort fees and vacation rental cleaning fees must be included in the base price at the time of booking. But even with these improvements in regulating fees, McGee isn’t hopeful the U.S. will rein in airline baggage fees anytime soon.
Meanwhile across the pond, E.U. transportation officials proposed on June 5 that all airline passengers be allowed one free personal item that measures up to 40x30x15 centimeters (about 16x12x6 inches) including the wheels and handles, according to the BBC. But consumer groups say this doesn’t go far enough and even “legitimises charging for reasonably sized hand luggage” that fits in the overhead bin, according to a statement from BEUC, the E.U.’s largest consumer organization. The group is pushing for officials to define what a reasonable size and weight for overhead bin bags would be—not just personal items that fit under the seat—to avoid any surprise charges at the airport.
Until then, travelers flying in the E.U. will need to pack their carry-ons, measure them, and cross their fingers when they get to their gate.
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