Consumer advocates complain: airlines are focusing on hand luggage rip-offs!

Consumer advocates complain: airlines are focusing on hand luggage rip-offs!

The discussion about hand luggage fees for European airlines is becoming more intense. The European consumer protection association BEUC filed a complaint with the EU Commission against seven airlines, including Ryanair, Easyjet and Wizz Air, on May 22, 2025. The accusation: These airlines are exploiting restrictive hand luggage regulations to charge additional fees and thus unnecessarily burden consumers. The initiative is supported in particular by the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations in Germany, which has also submitted national complaints.

Current regulations allow passengers to carry only one small piece of hand luggage free of charge, which must fit under the seat. Fees must be paid for anything beyond that. Consumer advocates argue that these practices are inappropriate and illegal. They are referring to a ruling by the European Court of Justice from 2014, which states that no additional fees may be charged for hand luggage as long as appropriate requirements for size and weight are defined. But it is precisely this definition that is currently missing from EU law.

Demands for clear regulations

BEUC Director General Agustin Reyna regularly criticizes the impossibility of packing everything necessary for a multi-day trip into a small bag. Consumer advocates are therefore calling on the EU to introduce clear and uniform regulations for hand luggage size and the services included in a flight ticket. Another point is the ongoing reform of the Air Passenger Rights Regulation, which is seen as an opportunity to create clear rules. The EU Parliament had already commissioned the Commission to define precise definitions in 2023, but these suggestions were referred back to the airlines.

Ryanair, on the other hand, rejects the allegations as unfounded and emphasizes that their practices comply with EU law. The airline argues that a mandatory regulation would increase ticket prices for all passengers, which certainly cannot be in the interests of customers.

Context and passenger rights

In addition to hand luggage issues, the issue of flight annoyance plays a major role. The EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation regulates the rights of airline customers and, under certain circumstances, provides for compensation of between 125 and 600 euros. Passengers are entitled to assistance if there is a long stay at the airport or destination. This regulation applies to all flights from an EU airport, regardless of the airline. This illustrates how important it is to ensure that airlines respect passengers' rights.

The discussions on reforming the Air Passenger Rights Regulation could be decisive in determining whether consumers will receive better protection against non-transparent hand luggage fees in the future or whether airlines will be able to continue to enforce their restrictive fee models.

The controversial hand luggage regulations and their legal framework are being closely monitored by both consumer advocates and the EU Commission. The coming months will be crucial in determining whether reformed regulations will come into force.