EU lawmakers vote to ban airlines from charging fees for hand luggage

Passengers travelling in Europe should be able to carry on board one personal item, such as a handbag, backpack or laptop and one small hand luggage without having to pay additional fees, members of the European Parliament transport committee concluded on Tuesday.

The position aims to bring into EU law a judgement made by the European Court of justice, which ruled back in 2014 that the “carrying 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”.

Currently many low-cost airlines allow passengers to only take one small on-board item for free and charge extra for other hand baggage. The rules vary between airlines and different countries.

Tuesday’s vote appears to be good news for passengers but it is not final.

The change will still have to be endorsed by all MEPs in the full parliament and green lighted by European governments in the EU Council.

Airlines against the move

Last year the Spanish Ministry of Social Rights and Consumption fined five airlines €179 million for such practices following a complaint by the Spanish consumer organisation OCU (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios).

Consumer groups also lodged a complaint with the European Commission arguing that the EU top court recognised hand luggage as “an essential aspect of passengers’ carriage,” said European consumer organisation BEUC.

But airlines condemned Tuesday’s vote as a limit to “consumer choice” that will result in “higher costs for millions of passengers who neither need nor use an extra trolley bag.”

Airlines for Europe (A4E), the group representing major air carriers at the EU level, said that “travelling light is the choice for hundreds of millions of European passengers”.

In Spain, for instance, over 50 million passengers “didn’t need an additional piece of cabin baggage last year and had the choice not to have this included as part of their airfare," A4E said.

A4E Managing Director Ourania Georgoutsakou said: “What’s next? Mandatory popcorn and drinks as part of your cinema ticket? The European Parliament should let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don’t.”

The measure would apply to all flights departing or arriving within the 27-nation European Union.

Children must be seated next to accompanying passengers

The proposed change to hand luggage fees was part of a package of amendments to passenger rights when travelling by air, rail, sea, coach and inland waterways put forward by the European Commission in 203.

The committee also voted to ensure that children under 12 years old are seated next to their accompanying passenger free of charge.

People accompanying passengers with reduced mobility should also travel with them for free, and there should be compensation rights in case of loss or damage to their equipment or injury to assistance animals, MEPs said.

Italian MEP Matteo Ricci, who is in charge of the file, said the new rules aim to “protect all passengers, with special attention to persons with disabilities and reduced mobility” and clarify the definition of free hand luggage “up to a maximum size of 100cm.”

Rules for intermediaries

New rules also aim to clarify the role of intermediaries, such as ticket vendors or travel agencies, in the reimbursement of air passengers for cancellations, delays or denied boarding.

According to the parliament transport committee, these companies should inform passengers at the time of booking about the full cost of the air ticket, intermediation or service fees, and the reimbursement process.

This should not take longer than 14 days or, past the deadline, it will be for the air carrier to process the reimbursement within 7 days.

Multimodal journey

In a separate vote, MEPs also backed the proposal to introduce compensation for disruptions in journeys involving at least two modes of transport, for example plane and bus, or train, ferry and plane.

If a customer buys a single contract involving multiple transport modes from one operator, and a missed connection results in a delay of 60 minutes or more, the passenger should be offered meals, refreshment and a hotel stay free of charge.

“Switching between transport modes should not mean losing protection against missed connections and assistance”, MEPs said.

“Our proposals are intended to strengthen passenger confidence and encourage companies to develop more attractive multimodal offers,” said German MEP Jens Gieseke, who leads on this part.

Question on compensation

In parallel, the European Parliament and Council are discussing a revision of compensation rules in case of flight delays or cancellations.

On Tuesday, MEPs also voted in favour of a common reimbursement form in case of travel disruption, with airlines requested to send passengers the pre-filled form within 48 hours following the problem - “or activate alternative automatic communication channels”.

They also voted on a well a defined list of extraordinary circumstances, such as natural disasters or war, under which airlines can avoid having to pay compensation.