The European Union wants to eliminate surcharges for hand luggage. Officials suggest that airlines adhere to uniform rules regarding the dimensions and weight of passengers’ backpacks and bags.
The European Parliament’s Petitions Committee unanimously adopted a resolution calling on air carriers to guarantee their customers the opportunity to take hand luggage into the cabin without additional charges. Thus, Brussels intends to solve two problems at once.
Firstly, uniform requirements will make traveling on connecting flights much easier for passengers. Secondly, this will help get rid of the hidden costs for overweight, which tourists often find out about at the last moment.
Back in 2014, the European Court clarified that hand luggage of “reasonable” dimensions must be an integral part of air travel. However, the decision was only advisory, so the airlines did not listen to the authority.
Now attention has been paid to the situation again. The authors of the resolution propose to define those same “reasonable limits” and call on all 27 EU member countries to adopt uniform rules.
For now, each carrier sets its standards for hand luggage, which you can take on board for free. As a rule, the cheaper the ticket, the more you will have to pay for the excess limit. Typically, European low-cost airlines follow this practice. However, passengers often find out about the amount of the surcharge only at the check-in counter. The proposal of the initiators will be considered in October.