Hand luggage - free for everyone: the European Parliament is preparing revolutionary changes for air passengers

The European Parliament may ban airlines from charging for bags weighing up to 7 kilograms. The proposal has been approved for now, but the reform is promised to be promoted further.

Transmits UNN with reference to Politico and Reisereporter.

Details

The Transport Committee of the European Parliament approved an amendment on air passenger rights on Tuesday. This refers to the right to travel with hand luggage weighing up to 7 kilograms without paying additional fees.

The plans are that if the reform is successfully promoted, 7-kilogram baggage will be allowed to be transported on flights free of charge.

Context

Hand luggage rules vary significantly among different airlines:

• some airlines include a trolley and a bag in the ticket price;
• others may only allow a small backpack;
• there are also airlines that even have different hand luggage rules depending on the ticket class.

All this diversifies, but also introduces complexities. Therefore, in recent years, the adoption of a pan-European standardization, which would correct the situation, has been discussed.

For now, there are only preliminary developments, the changes have not yet entered into force. However, a discussion is emerging. If the new initiative regarding luggage for travelers looks attractive, a number of airlines seem to have criticized the initiative.

The Airlines for Europe (A4E) association, whose members include Ryanair, Lufthansa, EasyJet, and Air France-KLM, sharply criticized the parliament's proposal in a press release on June 19.

According to their conclusions, the hand luggage proposal "will limit consumer choice" and introduce "a mandatory hand luggage size" for all passengers.

What's next? "Mandatory popcorn and drinks included in your movie ticket?" says Urania Georgoutsakou, managing director of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) lobby.

The European Parliament should allow travelers to decide what services they want, what services to pay for, and, importantly, what services they do not want

However, the easing of hand luggage rules is supported by a broad coalition of political groups. Now the proposed amendment is part of the European Parliament's position aimed at strengthening the enforcement of air passenger rights.

Recall

North American and European airlines canceled flights to the Persian Gulf after US strikes on Iran, which led to the closure of airspace and increased security concerns.

In the spring of 2025, UNN reported: Wizz Air, Ryanair, and AirBaltic plan to resume flights to Ukraine. Several airlines have expressed interest in resuming flights to Ukraine after the opening of Ukrainian skies. In particular, Wizz developed a plan to open 100 routes in the first six months after the resumption of air traffic.