In an industry that’s no stranger to slapping arbitrary prices on travel essentials, travellers now routinely face average charges of 49,4 euros for the privilege of bringing a small amount of luggage with them on many budget airlines. The Enforcement of Passenger Rights Regulation is the place to stamp out this unfair and illegal practice and make things better for travellers.

The fight for fair and lawful hand luggage

Euroconsumers have carried the fight for fair and lawful baggage allowances since this spurious practice emerged.

Euroconsumers’ ‘Not Without My Hand Luggage’ campaign last summer called on airlines to stop charging for hand luggage and refund consumers who’ve been unfairly and illegally charged. 

This followed two developments:  first, the EU Court of Justice ruling in 2014 that a reasonably sized piece of hand luggage is simply part of the basic service offered by providers and can’t be subject to additional charges.

Secondly, a complaint by Euroconsumers’ Spanish member OCU led to their national consumer authority finding budget airlines Vueling, EasyJet, RyanAir and Volotea a total of €150 million for these illegal charges.

But so far, budget airlines seem unfazed by legal rulings and regulatory sanctions, and are sticking to their unfair and unlawful strategy – which will cost consumers millions this summer alone.

Nine in ten consumers want hand luggage included in the ticket price

Consumers firmly reject the industry claims that such enable ‘choice’.  In June 2025, Euroconsumers asked around 4,000 consumers across Belgium, Italy, Spain and Portugal what they thought – and almost three quarters (73%) believe luggage fees are used by airlines to mislead passengers and boost profits.  

Their demands for change could not be clearer:

Now, with passenger rights reform underway, we are pleased to see proposals that will make it easier to enforce travellers’ rights to hand luggage. 

The trilogue discussions will begin in Autumn 2025.  On the table will be proposals from the Transport and Tourism Committee, endorsed by the European Parliament in July 2025 to: 

We also want an end to unfair, on-the-spot fees charged if consumers get tripped up by the complex baggage rules.

Empower consumers with simple, stress free travel rules

At Euroconsumers, we think travel should be smooth and simple and not shrouded in stressful rules, terms and conditions. 

It’s obvious that hand luggage is a necessity not a luxury. Every passenger should be able to carry their hand luggage onboard without having to decode complex rules or be hit with a surprise fee at the boarding gate.

We urge the EU institutions to back consumers and swiftly approve and implement these measures. It’s time to end the patchwork of rules and restore clarity and fairness to European air travel, and stop punishing consumers for making travel plans.

Survey methodology

The survey was conducted simultaneously in Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Spain between the 26th of June and the 2nd of July 2025. A total of 3, 843 consumers aged between 25 to 79 years were surveyed. The results were weighted to reflect the distribution of the national population in each country, in terms of age, gender, region, and education level.