Finding a flight for 20 or 30 euros and discovering just before paying that the real price is much higher after adding carry-on luggage is something that many travelers have experienced at some point. Each airline uses its own rates and that makes comparing two seemingly identical flights not always easy.
Well, after endless negotiations, the European Union has finally managed to agree to review the rules on the rights of air passengers. The European Commission says that this pact is the first review of these rules in more than two decades and among its main novelties appears precisely the transparency of fees related to luggage, especially the highly controversial price of carry-on suitcases.
The new rules will begin to apply in 2027. The right to carry a free personal item that can be placed under the front seat, with reference dimensions of 40 x 30 x 15 centimeters, will be maintained. Some measures that some companies like Ryanair were forced to change to anticipate the European regulations that established the aforementioned standard measures.
Now, there is an important detail apart from the measures and that is that these changes do not mean that all airlines have to allow a free large cabin bag.
The price of luggage must be known from the beginning
Here is really one of the great news.
The European Commission literally notes that “the agreement strengthens the transparency and comparability of air fares, including carry-on baggage fees.”
The goal is for passengers to know how much they are really going to pay before choosing a flight and to be able to better compare offers between companies and booking platforms.
Of course, Brussels also makes it clear that “airline companies retain the freedom to determine their own pricing structures.”
That is, companies may continue charging for certain packages when their rate contemplates it. What changes is that this supplement must be shown transparently.
As La Razón clarifies, “the recently confirmed rules do not imply that passengers can automatically fly with a larger suitcase and without extra costs.” They also do not mean more free packages per person.
What is intended to be avoided is that a flight appears to cost a certain amount and that, when practically reaching the last step of the purchase, the luggage costs suddenly appear.
The Commission itself summarizes the goal by saying that travelers will be “better equipped to compare offers between airlines and booking platforms, allowing for more informed choices.”
They will not be able to cancel your return because you have not used the outbound flight
All this great change also incorporates other rights that directly affect those who travel by plane.
One of the most important ends the so-called “no-show” policy. Until now, certain companies could cause problems to use the return flight if the passenger had not previously used the outbound leg included in the same reservation.
The European Commission expressly notes that “no-show policies for return flights are prohibited.”
He continues: “This means that passengers who do not make the outbound trip cannot be denied boarding on the return flight. Airlines cannot charge a fee for allowing passengers to board the return flight.”
The current compensation system for cancellations or delays of three hours is also maintained. The amount will be 250 euros for flights of less than 1,500 kilometers, 400 euros for those between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers and 600 euros for those greater than 3,500 kilometers.
Furthermore, when there is an incident, companies must proactively inform the passenger within 96 hours about their rights and the procedure to request compensation.
As for which flights will be protected, the official text maintains the current scope: “all flights departing from the European Union are covered, while flights to the EU continue to be covered when operated by EU airlines.”
Therefore, in the case of the United Kingdom after Brexit, not only the nationality of the passenger matters. We will have to look at where the flight departs from and what company operates it.
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After their adoption and final publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, the new rules will begin to apply twelve months later.