The EU is fighting for the right of passengers to carry free hand luggage of a “reasonable” weight and size. According to several parliamentarians, airlines deliberately do not immediately include baggage allowance in the ticket price so that their offer looks more profitable.
Carry-on baggage fees may soon become a thing of the past as the European Union seeks to simplify airfare pricing.
The European Parliament’s Petitions Committee unanimously adopted a resolution calling on airlines to guarantee passengers the opportunity to carry hand luggage free of charge.
The resolution calls on the 27 EU member states to implement the decision of the European Court, taken back in 2014.
The fateful vote for millions of passengers will take place in the European Parliament in October.
Will it be illegal to charge extra for hand luggage?
Brussels is looking to tackle two main problems: inconsistent airline rules on hand luggage that are confusing passengers. Plus unclear advertising hides the real baggage conditions when purchasing a ticket.
In 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that hand luggage that meets “reasonable” size and weight requirements is an integral part of air travel. The court ruled that passengers should not pay extra for baggage transportation, however, this decision was never implemented.
The new resolution recommends exempting passengers from additional fees for carrying hand luggage. In addition, the document put to the vote proposes to clarify what exactly constitutes a “reasonable” size and weight.
Carry-on baggage requirements vary greatly. This creates additional problems for passengers connecting to flights on different airlines.
The EU is also calling on airlines to be more transparent with passengers when providing information about additional costs such as seat selection fees.
Airlines “play with prices and deceive passengers”
The potential ban on hand luggage fees is part of a wider campaign to simplify ticket sales across the EU.
Earlier this year, Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs launched an investigation into several low-cost airlines over hand luggage tariffs. The agency said that artificially separating these fees from ticket prices means carriers can differentiate themselves from competitors by offering cheap fares that do not reflect the true price.