Fight against airlines charging extra fees for hand luggage
Social media is flooded with scenes of passengers either trying to get around strict carry-on luggage rules, or blowing up when they're busted doing as much.
If anything, the instances of grumpy travellers being charged extra for a piece of hand luggage has increased, as more and more airlines adjust their pricing structure adding fees for items that many consider should be free.
But now lawmakers in the EU are leading a fight back against hand luggage fees, voting this week to ban airlines from charging passengers for small carry-on luggage.
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Some airlines will only allow a small cabin bag for free. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Passengers travelling in Europe should be able to carry on board one personal item, such as a handbag, backpack or laptop, and one small hand luggage without having to pay additional fees, members of the European Parliament transport committee concluded, as reported by local media.
The measure would apply to all flights departing or arriving within the 27-nation European Union.
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Currently many low-cost airlines allow passengers to only take one small on-board item for free and charge extra for other hand baggage. The rules vary between airlines and different countries.
For example, Irish budget airline Ryanair will only allow you to carry a small bag that fits under the seat in front of you for free. If you want to take a bigger bag or suitcase to go in the overhead locker that will cost you from £6 ($13).
Other European airlines that now have similar charges for hand luggage are Easyjet, Norwegian Airlines, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling, and Wizzair.
If you want to bring a small suitcase many airlines will charge extra. Getty Images/iStockphoto
The vote came after pan-European consumer group BEUC (The European Consumer Organisation) last month filed a complaint with the European Commission.
The group cited a judgement made by the European Court of justice, which ruled back in 2014 that the "carrying of hand baggage cannot be made subject to a price supplement, provided that it meets reasonable requirements in terms of its weight and dimensions and complies with applicable security requirements".
The goal is to bring that ruling into actual EU law.
However, airlines were unsurprisingly not on board, pointing out the rule would limit "consumer choice" and result in "higher costs" for passengers who don't need the extra hand luggage when travelling.
Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E), the group representing major air carriers at the EU level, Ourania Georgoutsakou said: "What's next? Mandatory popcorn and drinks as part of your cinema ticket? The European Parliament should let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don't."
The extra fees for luggage are making airlines billions. Getty
Extra fees are big business for airlines. The BBC reported the overall global cost of all airline extra fees, from luggage to seat selection, buying wifi access, lounge access, upgrades, and food and drink, is expected to reach $145bn this year.
This compares with $137bn last year, according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents the industry.
Even politicians in the US are catching on to those numbers with a Democrat senator recently calling them "junk fees".
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he thinks the federal government should review and perhaps fine the airlines for their use of these fees.
In an exclusive Nine poll we actually asked our readers the question "would you pay an airline for carry on luggage?"
Only seven per cent of respondents said "yes" they would be willing to pay an additional fee for carry-on.
An overwhelming 80 per cent of respondents said they would not pay any extra to take hand luggage on board. A small number of respondents (13 per cent) said they were "unsure".
