Budget airline Ryanair has announced it will increase the size of its free cabin bag allowance by 20 per cent.
It comes after European lawmakers voted to adopt a proposal that will regulate the dimensions of hand luggage that air passengers can take on board at no additional cost.
Under the new rules, travellers taking a flight in the EU would have the right to carry a personal bag, such as a handbag or rucksack, and a small hand luggage item on board at no extra cost.
It standardises the maximum dimensions of personal bags to 40 x 30 x 15 centimetres, and hand luggage items to a maximum size of 100cm and a weight of 7kg.
The proposed law still needs to get approval from 55 per cent of EU member states, which may see modifications made to the ruling. If it is adopted following negotiations starting this month, the new rules would extend to all flights within the EU.
Airlines, however, are already preparing to meet the new requirements.
Ryanair increases free cabin baggage allowance
Ryanair has said it will bring in the new free cabin baggage allowance “over the coming weeks”.
The current dimensions for a free personal item are 40 x 25 x 20cm – a volume of 20 litres.
The airline is now aligning itself with the new hand luggage proposal by increasing the bag width from 25 to 30cm.
This will make the new dimensions 40 x 30 x 20cm – a volume of 24 litres.
This is larger than the European Parliament’s measurements to allow passengers who already have a “Ryanair-compatible” cabin bag to continue using it.
“This change will be implemented over the coming weeks, as our airport bag sizers are adjusted,” a spokesperson for Ryanair said.
Airlines to bring in new cabin bag dimensions by the end of the summer
Industry association Airlines for Europe (A4E) has also confirmed that its member airlines have started applying the proposed new set of dimensions for a personal item.
“All A4E airlines will roll out the guaranteed dimensions and have them in place by the end of the 2025 summer season,” the association said in a statement.
“Carriers will continue to permit larger personal items at their discretion, as is already the case for many A4E airlines today.”
Advocates of the new measure say it will ensure fairer and more transparent pricing for travellers.
Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of A4E, said the decision to align members with the proposal will “bring more clarity to passengers across Europe”.
“From city-hoppers to family travellers, everyone will benefit from the same clear rule across our members’ networks,” she said.
For most carriers, this still means continuing with their current cabin bag dimensions. British Airways, Jet2 and easyJet all have allowances that already exceed the new guaranteed dimensions.
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