EU Lawmakers Push to Ban Airline Fees for Cabin Baggage, Sparking Industry Debate

European deputies are working to eliminate fees for hand luggage. On Tuesday, they called for a ban on airlines charging passengers for small hand luggage, reports Air Journal, adding that the European Parliament’s Transport Committee has adopted a proposal that would allow air passengers to carry a personal item, such as a handbag or backpack, as well as another piece of luggage weighing up to seven kilograms, free of charge in the cabin, as part of a set of amendments to the rules on passenger rights proposed by the European Commission. The measure aims to spare passengers "unjustified additional costs," said Social Democratic MEP Matteo Ricci, one of the initiators of the text.

This initiative does not receive the approval of many low-cost airlines. According to the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association, representing the sector, the proposal by MEPs would lead to an increase in ticket prices for people traveling light. "This vote is overshadowed by the fact that the commission is using this vote to surreptitiously add amendments specific to air transport, thus depriving passengers of choice and their ability to decide which services they wish to pay for and, above all, which they do not wish to pay for," it said.

Consumer advocacy groups, on the other hand, should be rubbing their hands. They had filed complaints against the charging of hand luggage. In May, UFC-Que Choisir and CLCV for France, and 14 other member organizations of the European Bureau of Consumer Unions (BEUC), had denounced the commercial practices of seven airlines - Ryanair, Easyjet, Norvegian, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling, Wizzair - that charge fees to travelers for their hand luggage. Reacting to these denunciations, Ryanair had stated that its "pricing and bag policies are fully compliant with European Union legislation".

The ban on airlines charging passengers for small hand luggage would apply to all flights to or from the European Union. In addition to this measure, the Transport Committee also voted in favor of the introduction of a common form for compensation and refund requests and approved a list of exceptional circumstances - such as natural disasters or wars - allowing companies to refuse these compensations.

The possible entry into force of these proposals will take place after a plenary vote and negotiations with the Member States.