European Union cracks down on carry-on baggage dimensions and fees

If you’ve got a European trip planned for the future, it may become easier and cheaper to board flights with hand luggage.

The world of carry-on luggage can be a bit of a Wild West, with every airline setting its own restrictions on measurements, and steep fees if you get them wrong.

However, on October 4, the European Parliament voted in support of a resolution to get rid of fees and standardise dimensions for carry-on bags.

EU-wide rules around carry-on bags do already exist and have since 2014, when the European Court of Justice ruled that cabin bags were an “essential part of travel” granted they met certain size and weight requirements.

As a right, passengers should then not be charged for these hand luggage items. As travellers who have flown with budget European airlines know, these rules may exist but they aren’t strictly enforced by airlines or EU member states.

Now, the European Parliament wants to change this to ensure it is enforced.

“Different airline rules on hand luggage create hidden fees and make it more difficult to compare prices,” read a statement from the European Parliament. “EU legislation on air passenger rights should be revised to provide a solution.”

The goal, according to the statement, is to ensure “passengers who fly with different airlines or need to alter their plans do not encounter confusing and inconsistent rules regarding hand luggage fees”.

The resolution aims to standardise baggage size restrictions and improve airline transparency about pricing and additional costs.

The European Parliament will vote on the resolution in October.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions (PETI) said deception around prices and luggage size must stop.

“Low-cost companies are doing business with the price of tickets by hiding the supplement for carrying cabin luggage until the end of purchase,” said the committee.

“Europe has already spoken out on the matter, and even so, member states continue to allow airlines to play with prices and deceive travelers. This must end.”

This follows the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs investigation into low-cost carriers’ hand luggage fees and additional costs, two months ago.

Facua, a Spanish consumer rights organisation, said they have received many complaints about carry-on bag charges from low-cost airlines such as easyJet, Eurowings and Ryanair.

Carry-on restrictions in New Zealand

In New Zealand, carry-on bag dimensions for economy passengers are relatively similar for Jetstar and Air New Zealand.

Both airlines allow you to take one carry-on bag and one small personal item, which cannot weigh more than 7kg combined.

On Jetstar, your main item must be no larger than 56cm x 36 cm x 23 cm and your small item must fit under the seat in front of you.

On Air New Zealand, your main carry-on bag’s length, width and height (including wheels) must total 118cm or less. This is very similar to Jetstar’s dimesons, which total 115cm.