EU may widen carry‑on rules

EU may widen carry-on rules The next time a budget airline agent asks you to jam your backpack into a metal cage, European lawmakers may be on the verge of changing the rules behind that moment. A proposal now moving through the European Union would require airlines to include more cabin baggage in the basic ticket price, including one personal item and one small carry-on bag free of charge. (europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu); euronews.com(euronews.com)) That sounds small until you look at how low-cost flying works in Europe. Airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet often sell the cheapest fare with only one under-seat personal item included, then charge extra for a second cabin bag, priority boarding, or both. (euroweeklynews.com(euroweeklynews.com); euronews.com(euronews.com)) The European Parliament has now taken a clear side in that fight. On January 21, 2026, lawmakers adopted their position on revised air passenger rights by 632 votes to 15, with nine abstentions, and the baggage provision was part of that package. (europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu); europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu)) Under Parliament’s version, a traveler would be entitled to bring one personal item, such as a handbag, backpack, or laptop bag, plus one small piece of hand luggage at no extra charge. The small carry-on bag would be capped at 100 centimeters when length, width, and height are added together, and it could weigh up to seven kilograms. (europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu); bta.bg(bta.bg)) In plain terms, that would turn today’s “one free bag” on many basic fares into “two free items,” as long as the second one stays within the new size and weight limits. The change is aimed at standardizing what counts as reasonable hand luggage instead of leaving each airline to draw its own line and charge around it. (euronews.com(euronews.com); euroweeklynews.com(euroweeklynews.com)) This did not come out of nowhere. The broader air passenger rights file began with a European Commission proposal in 2013, Parliament adopted a first-reading position in 2014, and the issue then sat largely stuck until the Council of the European Union revived it in 2025. (europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu); europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu)) That long delay helps explain why baggage fees became such a visible flashpoint. Europe’s air market was liberalized in stages and fully opened by April 1, 1997, which helped push fares down and route choices up, but it also created a market where airlines increasingly separated the ticket into a base fare and a menu of add-on charges. (europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu)) Passenger traffic kept growing as that model spread. The European Parliamentary Research Service said the number of air passengers in the European Union area topped 1.1 billion in 2024, above pre-pandemic levels, which made disputes over delays, cancellations, lost bags, and extra fees harder to ignore. (europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu)) Consumer groups have backed the baggage move, arguing that a normal cabin bag is not a luxury extra. The European Consumers’ Organisation said the proposal matches a Court of Justice ruling that hand luggage of a reasonable size should not be subject to additional charges. (euronews.com(euronews.com)) Airlines see it differently because baggage fees are part of how low fares are built and advertised. Airlines for Europe, an industry group cited during the debate, argued that forcing more baggage into the ticket price would reduce passenger choice by making everyone pay for a service some travelers do not use. (euronews.com(euronews.com); brusselstimes.com(brusselstimes.com)) That disagreement is why nothing changes at the airport yet. Parliament has adopted its position, but the proposal still needs agreement with the Council, which represents the governments of the European Union’s member states and has previously supported a softer line that would still let airlines charge for hand luggage if the terms were clearly disclosed. (euroweeklynews.com(euroweeklynews.com); euronews.com(euronews.com)) The gap between those two positions is the whole story. Parliament is trying to turn baggage into a standard right bundled into the fare, while member states have been more open to letting airlines keep charging as long as the fee is shown clearly before purchase. (europarl.europa.eu(europarl.europa.eu); euronews.com(euronews.com)) If Parliament’s version survives the final negotiations, the most obvious winners would be travelers on short trips who now pay extra just to bring a small wheelie case into the cabin. The most obvious losers would be the airlines that built a business around advertising the lowest possible fare first and adding the second bag later. (euroweeklynews.com(