EU to abolish extra fees for cabin bags: What this means for Czechia

Czechia’s most-used foreign airline, the low-cost Ryanair carrier, has announced this week it is increasing its free cabin baggage allowance in a move set to benefit millions of passengers. The move comes as European lawmakers have voted to ban airlines from charging extra fees for hand luggage.

However, airlines have warned in response that the ruling will cause flight tickets to become more expensive. Here’s everything you need to know.

Europe’s largest low-cost airline has said it will soon permit passengers to bring slightly larger personal bags on board. 

Ryanair’s current free allowance of 40 x 25 x 20 centimeters (cm)—about 20 liters—will expand to 40 x 30 x 20 cm, offering roughly 24 liters of space.

The change will be implemented over the coming weeks while the airline's airport bag sizers are adjusted, a Ryanair spokesperson confirmed.

The move coincides with a European Parliament vote in late June to mandate airlines to allow passengers to bring two pieces of cabin baggage without additional charges: a personal item and a hand luggage piece of up to seven kilograms.

“Today’s vote marks an important step toward fairer and more transparent travel,” said Matteo Ricci, vice president of the EU Committee on Transport and Tourism and the bill’s lead sponsor. 

“Clearly defined rules for free hand luggage are a fundamental right to avoid unjustified extra costs,” he added.

Under the new rules, personal bags must not exceed 40 x 30 x 15 cm, while hand luggage items may measure up to 100 cm in combined dimensions and weigh no more than 7 kilograms.

While consumer groups have long criticized budget airlines for hand luggage fees they deem unfair, some carriers argue the changes could drive up fares for all passengers.

“Unfortunately, this [ruling] is overshadowed by the Committee using this vote to add air travel specific amendments by the backdoor that remove choice from passengers and their ability to decide what services they want to pay for and, most importantly, what service they don’t,” a spokesperson for Airlines for Europe (A4E) said.

The latest legislation builds on a 2014 European Court of Justice ruling that determined airlines cannot charge for reasonable-sized hand luggage, provided it complies with safety requirements.

The measure forms part of broader reforms to EU passenger rights, which also seek to require airlines to disclose total flight costs earlier in the booking process and clarify compensation rules.