Fees imposed on carry-on baggage may soon be abolished following the European Union’s plans to simplify ticket pricing for air travel.
Last month, the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament (PETI) passed a motion which, among others, urged airlines operating within the EU to ensure travellers would be eligible to bring hand luggage into the cabin without being subject to additional expenses.
Low-cost companies are doing business with the price of tickets by hiding the supplement for carrying cabin luggage until the end of purchase. Europe has already spoken out on the matter, and even so, Member States continue to allow airlines to play with prices and deceive travellers. This must end.
In the past few years, a large number of low-cost airlines introduced strict baggage rules and also charged travellers for carrying a suitcase onto the plane, according to Healthplan Magazine. At present, Ryanair permits only a small handbag or backpack for free. As for wheeled luggage, travellers are subject to an extra fee.
Previously, Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs opened a file against several budget carriers related to their hand luggage policies.
The EU Court of Justice has once again reiterated that hand luggage should be considered an essential travel aspect as soon as it meets specific conditions related to its weight and dimensions.
Therefore, the EU countries have urged to ensure compliance with this ruling and to achieve transparency on fees charged for hand luggage.
According to a report from Yahoo, the EU aims to solve two major problems: airlines’ inconsistent policies for hand luggage and unclear advertising that could lead to hidden baggage fees when planning to buy a ticket.
Back in 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that cabin baggage, which follows reasonable requirements for size and weight, is an essential part of air travel. In addition, it was also decided by the court that travellers should not be permitted to pay extra; however, the decision was not implemented.
Weight as well as size standards can change between different airlines. This causes problems for travellers with connecting flights on different airlines that apply different standards, thus increasing the opportunity they have to pay extra fees at the boarding gate.
The bloc is also calling on the airlines to become more straightforward with travellers when it comes to information such as additional costs and flight timing, among others.
