Air passengers are on to something good as the European Parliament will vote on a resolution to end charges on carry-on luggage.
The Parliament’s Committee on Petitions (PETI) draft resolution is calling on the European Commission to list hand luggage as an “indispensable item”. MEPs recognize that different airline rules on allowed luggage create hidden fees and make it more difficult to transparently compare prices.
This means that, if the vote passes in plenary, airlines will no longer be able to charge for items that can be carried in the cabin and can be transported without causing a security or space problem for other passengers.
This decision, which was adopted unanimously with 25 votes in favour, comes after a disastrous month of August in Spain, with several companies fined for charging for these items. Ryanair, Vueling, Easyjet and Volotea were subject of numerous complaints for charging passengers for hand luggage, according to complaints by consumer rights body Facua.
In 2014, the EU Court of Justice ruled that hand luggage must be free of charge, but until now airlines have not complied with this requirement and are now imposing more and more restrictions. The Parliament wants the weight and measurements for luggage to be standard for all airlines, thus putting an end to the rules of each airline regarding what they consider to be allowed hand luggage.
They will also have to change their practice with regard to the information given to passengers when providing data such as the price or time of the flight, with the EU asking airlines to be more transparent in this regard.
The resolution will be put to vote in a future plenary of the European Parliament.
