New EU Luggage Laws

I assume law only applies to intra-Europe flights, not to flights to/from the US. I never use them.

Mr. E, if you read beyond that article, you can find out what the new law actually says. There was a link in there that goes into more detail, including the following language regarding dimensions of the free personal item:

The rules also clarify the cabin baggage fee policy allowed in the EU. Passengers will still be entitled to a free personal item measuring 40cm by 30cm by 15cm.

And keep in mind that I'm sure the exact language of the legislation will go into much more detail than the news carriers are going to print. So I wouldn't be condemning it until you've seen what the actual law really says.

Good that this law will be in effect. My carry-on is too big , will certainly fit under the seat. This EU gives me the incentive to get and use a smaller carry-on that actually fits under the seat.

If you look at the new law carefully, you will see that it actually does very little but sounds as if the politicians did a lot for travelers.

Euronews.com's article contains quite a few inaccuracies.

Just one example.
During the early stages of the draft legislation, there was talk of a universal EU standard for carry-on luggage (maximum 7 kg and a total circumference of 100 cm). However, the final, published regulation does not include this strict European standard size for large carry-on luggage.

For those who wish to read the official text (available in 17 different languages)
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2026/2202/oj/eng

(42)
It is not always clear to passengers which baggage they are allowed to take on board an aircraft, in terms of dimensions, weight or number of items permitted. In order to ensure that passengers are fully aware of the baggage allowances included in their ticket, both for unchecked and checked baggage, air carriers should clearly indicate these allowances at the time of booking and at the airport. Personal items constituting a necessary aspect of the carriage of passengers are understood to be those items that are essential for the duration of the journey and may include passports and other travel do

(44)
Greater clarity should be provided regarding requests related to a personal item or hand baggage being left behind or lost in the aircraft cabin in order to facilitate the handling of such requests, ensuring a streamlined process and preventing any additional burden on passengers or miscommunication with passengers.
(45)
Passengers should be informed at the time of booking of the maximum dimensions and weight of the baggage they can bring with them into the cabin. Without prejudice to the freedom of pricing principle, pursuant to Article 22 of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (16), air carriers should define a reasonable policy in terms of dimensions of hand baggage which enables passengers to take a piece of hand baggage into the cabin, subject to the capacity of the aircraft cabin, provided that the hand baggage complies with applicable operational, safety and security requirements. Given the diversity of the air carriers’ policies, it is appropriate that in the review of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008, the feasibility of setting up uniform minimal rules for hand baggage should be assessed

I cannot find where the law spells out the dimensions/weights that must be allowed.
Seems mostly aimed at making the airlines being more transparent about sizes and pricing, than actually legislating the size

Note that the next to last line of my post is “I will accept that modern journalism is so poor that none of this is accurate.”

Mardee, no, the actual law [kindly provided by Windyram] is less detailed. The headline of your link includes “European Parliament approves free cabin luggage …” which is presenting a parliamentary bait and switch game as reality. As for the minimum sizes for luggage, the wording is that it doesn’t change the pre-existing size in previous legislation. In other words, we did nothing on that front. But I have no idea if that legislation exists. Probably so.

I used Windyram’s link and skimmed the full text. joe32F thanks for posting the excerpts. My comments deal mostly with discount airlines. I suspect that perceptions of booking on discount airlines have driven a lot of this legislation. If you haven’t booked on a discount airline you need to know that the base ticket only allows a personal item and not a carry-on bag and that drives a lot of the legislation. The last time I booked Lufthansa I noticed that they now do the same thing, and I suspect other flag airlines do as well.

Changes based on what joe32F found and one additional paragraph that I found.

Paragraph 42: requires no change from Wizzair and Ryanair will have to add dimensions to the luggage descriptions on the second screen. No changes to current Personal Item policy. For the flag carriers it might be a little more involved as many are a bit cryptic on size and weight for carry-on. You have to go hunting for it sometimes. It does have some pretty scarry text (scarry for the passenger):

“Personal items constituting a necessary aspect of the carriage of passengers are understood to be those items that are essential for the duration of the journey and may include passports and other travel documents, essential medicines, personal devices and reading materials as well as food and beverage appropriate to the duration of the flight.”

Which maybe gives airlines the latitude to deny everything else. Mardee’s link implies that there is earlier legislation with a 30x40x15 (15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches) size allowance. But I don’t know about that. Not in this legislation. Most airlines (except Lufthansa for instance) permit larger than that size.

Paragraph 43: requires that the first price that pops up on GoogleFlights and the other search engines as well as on the airline website will have to be the price that includes the carry-on. Right now, on Wizzair and Ryanair that price is the first price you see on the second booking screen that you see. This is great for Americans that travel heavy and this is great for wealthier Europeans that also tend to travel heavier. This isn’t so good for the market segment being targeted by the discount airline. If you have ever flown one, because of the boarding protocol, you can see that the majority are traveling with only a personal item. So, most of the customers will have to do a few more mouse clicks to see what they want. For the flag carriers, some will benefit because their prices will look more competitive. Just more work for the average discount passenger.

Paragraph 44: lots of should be, could be and would be. I cant find the law in it. But its not a common situation.

Paragraph 45: Essentially, it requires that the airlines allow you to bring a carry-on onto the plane if you are willing to pay for it. That changes nothing in current policy for Ryanair or Wizzair or any other carrier.

Mardee’s link implies that there is earlier legislation with a 30x40x15 (15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches) size allowance. But I don’t know about that. Not in this legislation. Most airlines (except Lufthansa for instance) permit larger than that size.

There is no currently enforced EU-wide size for cabin luggage, as baggage limits are still set individually by each airline.
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/carry/luggage-restrictions/index_en.htm

You just gotta love journalism. The luggage component of the law shouldn’t change ticket prices by much if any. The payout for delays I suspect will, but the largest impact may be the cost of the lawyers to ensure compliance and to fight off all of the lawsuits the complexity of the law will bring.

I think you should write to your MEP about it.

How does one get a MEP? Awhile back I was intent on learning French so I could become a French citizen so that I could more effectively boycott Ryanair but alas my abilities to learn a new language at my advanced age proved challenging so, yeah, my progress is very slow. Given that, how else can I get a MEP? Because once I have one I’d like to hear from them on this subject. Right now I am confused because the explanations I am seeing here seem to be filled with opinion rather than objective information. Do you think the Irish would take me? Or do they too screen applicants for being annoying? Also, do I have to learn an Irish accent? That too may prove challenging for me. Old people! We learn slower!

Happy travels!

You just gotta love journalism

I can only resignedly note that the vast majority of Americans rely on Euronews for their European news coverage.

Of course, we live in a free world (well, at least in Europe), so you can’t really blame them. Europeans themselves, of course, are absolutely not satisfied with their coverage. Euronews is the least reliable source here.

Euronews was founded in 1993 by European public broadcasters as an independent counterweight to American networks such as CNN.

However, in July 2022, the Portuguese investment fund Alpac Capital officially acquired a majority stake (88%) in Euronews. Alpac Capital had particularly strong ties to the then-Hungarian Prime Minister and rogue politician Viktor Orbán. Pedro Vargas David, who also became chairman of the board of Euronews, had strong personal and business ties to Budapest. His father, the Portuguese politician Mário David, had been a personal friend and close advisor to Viktor Orbán for many years.

The company was penalized for “failing to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.”
Following the acquisition of Euronews, the European Commission quietly scaled back its funding for this news organization, reducing it from 23 million euros to 11 million euros per year.

In October 2024, German Claus Strunz was appointed CEO and editorial director of Euronews. His appointment met with resistance due to his outspoken right-wing populist views and public support for the positions of the German party AfD.

In 2026, investigations (including by Euractiv) revealed that Euronews had accepted millions of euros through commercial deals with (sometimes authoritarian) foreign regimes.
https://www.brusselstimes.com/1963512/euronews-accused-of-taking-money-from-authoritarian-regimes

If you’re looking for objective information on European affairs, I recommend that you completely ignore Euronews and focus on Arte, France 24, or Deutsche Welle (DW). And of course—though I’m aware of our small size and thus our difficult position on the world stage—the Belgian newspaper De Standaard (even though, naturally, European issues play out right here in our small country).

Mardee, no, the actual law [kindly provided by Windyram] is less detailed.

Mr. E, I don't think you or Windyram scrolled down far enough. Scroll down towards the end and you will find legal definitions. One of those states the definition of a "personal item". Here is the text below, or see link above to the specific text on the website:

“personal item” means a piece of unchecked baggage, which complies with security and safety requirements, and either with maximum dimensions of 40 x 30 x 15 cm or on the condition that it fits under the seat in front of the seat in which the passenger is sitting;

You're right, Mardee; I didn't express myself clearly.
The "personal item" is indeed defined by a minimum size, or larger depending on the available space under a seat.

What I should have specified is that there is no European regulation governing the dimensions of carry-on luggage (the personal item is not considered "carry-on luggage").

Windyram, read this and tell me where I am wrong. I am not a lawyer, but I dont think there is a minimum size in the law, but there a maximum size in the definition.

Mardee, you will note that I didn’t say you were wrong. I did as you suggested and … first keep in mind that I am no attorney … the reference you provided is the definition of what the term Personal Item refers to when used in the Law, but it is not the legislation itself. It says;

(ah) “personal item” means a piece of unchecked baggage, which complies with security and safety requirements, and either with *maximum dimensions** of 40 x 30 x 15 cm or on the condition that it fits under the seat in front of the seat in which the passenger is sitting;*
(ai) " “hand baggage” means a piece of unchecked baggage which is not a personal item and which complies with security and safety requirements."

So it is telling us that if it is larger than 40x30x15 then it is not a Personal Item as the term is used in the legislation. It is hand baggage. Let’s just work with the 40x 30x15 maximum and assume it will fit under the seat. A few airlines, like Lufthansa, do limit the Personal Item to that size. Discount airlines generally have larger maximum sizes.

Now return to paragraph 42 for the legislation.

Personal items constituting a necessary aspect of the carriage of passengers are understood to be those *items that are essential for the duration of the journey** and may include passports and other travel documents, essential medicines, personal devices and reading materials as well as food and beverage appropriate to the duration of the flight.*

So, the airline can require a smaller size than the 40x30x15 if they can demonstrate the intent of the law is met For a 1:15 hour flight from Budapest to Podgorica the intent of the law is maybe no more than a Passport, 5 sheets of A4 paper, drugs (let’s say 5 pill bottles), a power bank (LOL), your phone, a paperback book (Period: you don’t need food in a 75 minute flight). What size is that? Well, it’s one of these: https://rukminim2.flixcart.com/image/2880/2880/xif0q/file-folder/z/d/q/glossy-horizontal-folder-2pcs-multi-file-folder-karp-original-imahfxgpgkhgs9wb.jpeg?q=90 Which is 27 x 37 x 6 and therefore within the definition.

Wizz will let me carry as my Personal Item my backpack. Their maximum is 30 x 40 x 20. So, the law that was negotiated over 13 years gives Wizzair justification to charge more for a larger Personal Item than the minimum that meets the intent of the law. In my backpack I put wading boots, hip waders, fishing reel, flies, warm socks, cutters and hook pullers and sunglasses and a few things the skip my mind right now. None of which are protected by the law. I suspect very little of what is carried in personal items is protected.

The New European Regulations won't just affect baggage.

A summary of the new rules as presented by a French consumer rights association:

• Free Seating for Companions

  Airlines will no longer be able to charge passengers accompanying a child or a person with reduced mobility to sit next to them. If adjacent seats are unavailable, the airline must find a solution.

  Parents will be allowed to use their strollers all the way to the aircraft door or boarding gate and retrieve them immediately upon exiting the plane, at no extra charge.

• Name Changes on Tickets

  Any request to correct a typo in a passenger's name made more than 4 hours before departure will be free of charge.

• Boarding Passes

  Airlines can no longer deny boarding to a passenger presenting a paper-printed boarding pass, as long as it is legible. They will also be prohibited from requiring users to create an account just to print a boarding pass.

  Passengers can request that their boarding pass be printed at the airline's airport ticket counter free of charge.

• Denial of Boarding on Return Flights

  A passenger who did not use their outbound flight can no longer be denied boarding on their return flight solely for that reason.

• Carry-On Baggage

  Handbags and backpacks intended to be stowed under the seat must not exceed 40 × 30 × 15 cm. Airlines may no longer charge extra fees for such personal items.

  However, airlines remain free to set their own prices and size limits for baggage intended for overhead compartments.
  Nevertheless, they are now required to display these charges from the very beginning of the booking process.

Thanks to JoLui for sharing all that info- all very positive changes (and will even impact us here since our airlines all fly to/within the EU so will have to comply).

JoLui, correct, but not the topic. Too much for one thread.

Carry-On Baggage

Handbags and backpacks intended to be stowed under the seat must not
exceed 40 × 30 × 15 cm. Airlines may no longer charge extra fees for
such personal items.

Airlines never did charge for personal items, and they can be larger than what you quote, and most airlines will permit larger. Net effect of new legislation if I understand it correctly = 0.

However, airlines remain free to set their own prices and size limits
for baggage intended for overhead compartments.

Net effect of legislation = 0.

Nevertheless, they are now required to display these charges from the
very beginning of the booking process.

Oh, beyond that. The search engines are now required to display the price with hand luggage included ... even if most of the discount ticket buyers purchase tickets without hand luggage. Net effect of legislation (if it am correct about who buys what ...) = more work for most discount airline passengers when booking.

and will even impact us here since our airlines all fly to/within the
EU so will have to comply

Anyone care to comment on that?

• Flights Departing from the EU: If a US airline (such as Delta, United, or American Airlines) departs from an airport located in the European Union, it is subject to EU passenger rights rules (like EU Regulation 261/2004) regarding cancellations, denied boarding, and significant delays.
• Flights Arriving into the EU: Standard EU delay and cancellation compensation rules do not apply to non-EU carriers (including US airlines) on flights inbound to the EU from outside the EU. (Inbound rules only apply to EU-based carriers).
• Baggage and New 2027 Overhaul Rules: The updated EU passenger rights legislation (taking full effect starting in mid-to-late 2027, such as Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 regarding free personal items/carry-ons and transparent pricing) applies to all flights departing from EU airports, meaning US carriers operating out of Europe will have to comply with those departure-based rules.

I really don't get why you're so against measures to protect consumers.

The vast majority of Europeans and EU citizens would support measures to make sure that they get what they pay for.

Flogging this "muh big gubmint" idea to constantly bash the EU any time they introduce legislation to help people rather than corporations is tiresome.

These American conservative ideas about European societies and the role government should take in them are misplaced. People by and large like to pay a decent rate of tax in return for government advocacy against businesses that would rip them off if they had the chance.

I was only half joking when I said you should write to your MEP. If you feel so strongly about how the EU should be run, make it so you can vote. Hungary's an EU member. Channel your energies into either leaving the EU, or campaigning against the wrongs you are so enthused by.

I only mentioned the other provisions of this new law just to point out that it doesn't only apply to luggage.

Indeed, there isn't much new regarding luggage, except for a harmonization of max sizes . At present, the dimensions allowed by a few airlines are different, to name just 4 (three of which are low-cost):

Air France: 40 x 30 x 15 cm

EasyJet: 45 x 36 x 20 cm

Ryanair: 40 x 20 x 20 cm

Transavia: 40 x 30 x 20 cm

Volotea: 40 x 30 x 20 cm

JoLui, sorry if I sounded abrupt. I enjoy all the input. Its how I learn. Mardee for instance didn't agree with much but her comments made me dig deeper and learn.

Yes. They may have fixed other issues, consumer rights issues. But nothing on personal items and hand luggage. What happens to the airlines on that subject someday will be their own fault. They have a good trade organization that could make policy before it gets taken out of their hands by the government.

Hello, friend- I live in the United Kingdom- if you can’t tell from my location ☺️ I mostly fly easyJet who will need to comply with this legislation as the majority of their flights are to/from/within the EU. So will RyanAir and Wizz. Thus I am happy for the changes.

Good to know that the vast majority of EU citizens support these new EU rule and very good news re: paper boarding pass holders,

That's what I always use and it is given to me at check-in with Basic Economy and my boarding Group number indicated, either 4 or 5.

I think there has been some confusion- I said I was glad the legislation would impact airlines operating here, as in the UK. You responded to me to say, no it won’t impact US based airlines. I then clarified I live in the UK (so was not referencing US based airlines). I also note that tho easyJet is a UK based airline they also have a legal entity registered in Austria so they must follow EU legislation. In terms of what I like about this legislation- I particularly like the fact they can no longer split up parents and children or change extra for printing boarding passes. I also appreciate the clarification about carry on luggage. I hope that has clarified things!

"The vast majority of Europeans and EU citizens would support measures to make sure that they get what they pay for."

Gerry,

Good point. I look forward to seeing these new consumer protections roll out and I hope the EU strengthens them since I believe it will benefit travelers-- be they from the EU or elsewhere.

Happy travels.

"The vast majority of Europeans and EU citizens would support measures to make sure that they get what they pay for."

Don't hold me to that quote! I'm guessing. I think it's fair to say people generally like consumer rights and protections though.

Cat VH

Sorry, its late, I missed that. Aplogies. Even with US airlines, whatever they can adopt in house that wont cost them money they will adopt even if they dont have to. Its hard to have one set of rules flying over and another when flying back. So the legislation will be further reaching than what is implied by legal restructions. So I agree with you, it will impact you and Americans as well.

I just ran across a few articles about the luggage that i didnt think were accurate so i figured if I posted one, I would be proven right or wrong ... and learn. One headline said the airline could no longer charge for Carry-on bags for instance and stated personal item sizes standards. Another made is sound like finally you could have a personal item.

The forum members found the legislation and linked it, we read it and sifted through it and figured it out (I think ... still open to correction). Still one narrow topic. Hand luggage.

You have always been reasonable, even in disagreement, But I did touch a few nerves by questioning luggage rules? Thats almost funny if it were not sad. There are some people who cant smell the flowers until the first check if the flower is leaning right or left. Thats a sad life.

Its a travel forum and what you can or can not carry on the plane is real to the forum topic and as was just pointed out, if it affects Europe it will affect the US when traveling to Europe; so I thought it appropriate to question the new stories (which by the way for them most part were not accurate representations of what the legislation says for the hand luggage).

And if nothing else, for me there are great learning experiences. Keeps my mind young(er).

YES EDITED a bit.

Ehhhh... fair enough. I'm not trying to insult you I promise! It just happens in the course of discussion.

Your viewpoint does seem to be shaped by a pretty solid disdain for the EU and what it represents though. Am I totally off the mark?

I'm not trying to insult you by mentioning conservative American politics. It's just I think that a lot of the things that work in Texas as far as governance, the relationship between the people and corporations, economics etc .etc. don't work so well in the EU.

Apologies Mr. E for extending the topic further, but as I had also forgotten to mention flight delays or cancellations, here they are, though I believe there have been no changes:

Compensation:

• €250 for delays of 3 hours or more on flights of 1,500 km or less.

• €400 for delays of 3 hours or more on intra-EU flights of more than 1,500 km, and on all other flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km.

• €600 for delays of 3 hours or more on flights outside the European Union of more than 3,500 km.

• Compensation may be reduced by 50% for longer journeys, provided that the delay upon arrival does not exceed 4 hours.

Airlines are exempt from any obligation to provide compensation if the delay or cancellation results from events beyond their control. The new rules provide a non-exhaustive list of such "extraordinary circumstances," which include natural disasters, armed conflicts, weather conditions, inappropriate passenger behavior, or strikes involving airport staff, air navigation services, or ground handling service providers.

Even if a circumstance is legitimately "extraordinary," an airline is only exempt from the obligation to pay compensation if it can provide the following evidence:

1. Proof of the event itself and its direct causal link to the delay or cancellation.

2. Proof that "reasonable measures" were taken: the airline must demonstrate that it did everything in its power to avoid the consequences of these extraordinary circumstances.

Air carriers are required to provide care to passengers facing travel disruptions. This includes offering refreshments every two hours while waiting, a meal after three hours, and, in the event of a prolonged delay, accommodation for up to three nights, provided the disruption is beyond the airline's control.

• Passengers who opt for a refund instead of re-routing will receive that refund automatically.

• Passengers affected by travel disruptions will receive clear instructions on how to file a claim for compensation, within four days of the end of their journey.

• Passengers will not be required to have a user account or a specific app to access this information.

GerryM

It was a very narrow question. Did the the new legislation on carryon luggage result in any benefit to the consumer? The answer could be subjective, but it this case since nothing changed its hard to see much beyond black and white facts.

If you want to discuss the rest of the law, start your own thread. I might agree with some of it. Dont know. Havent read much on the rest of the law. Dont care much because I have never been in a posistion in 45 years of flying where I would collect on any of the delay payments. Dont have kids either so family so I havent studied that issue. The bit on charging to print boarding passes was a stupid move by the airlines. Charging to change names, also a stupid mover by the airlines.

As I said above someplace, the airlines brought all this on themselves by not self regulating. I dont feel sorry for them. But that wasnt the topic. The topic was, do we really get a free carryon like the news article says? Heck no, its a bait and switch. The price they have to show you first because of the new law includes the carry on, but two steps down you can choose a cheaper ticket and with Ryan and Wizz and leave the carry on at home. Most will choose to leave the carry on at home for the cheaper (original) ticket price, so what was the purpose?

Why did i bring it up? Because I thought the news media was selling a false narrative related to the subject of the forum; travel. I wasnt sure if i was reading it correctly so I turned it over to the forum and they pulled up the evidence of what the new situation would be. Not me. I just summarized it. But I said a dozen times I was open to correction; and there were some, and i appreciated them.

The one thing I will give you is that when you get past your .... what ever it is .... you will stand up and have the conversation, like now. That is sort of rare and commendable. And appreciated.

JoLui, no thats fine. When we all discuss without shouting out dogma we all get to share ideas and thats the strength of the forum. I have known GerryM long enough now to know its a well meaning passion, i just get a bit thin skinned sometimes.

What you posted is helpful and interesting. Its another mission for me to see what the results are in actual practice. But I leared my lesson and unless I can jump up and down with joy, I will keep it to myself.

I just told GerryM that I have been flying for about 45 years and not once been in a posistion where I would have a claim under the old EU or US laws. How is that possible? Mostly because in the two instances that come to mind the airlines stepped up and took care of me. Thats the way things should be.

This is where i get very disapointed in the industry. They have a very good trade organization in the IATA that could have established all the rules for everything being discussed but they chose not to. For instance they set the standards for the power banks that the governments have adopted as their own. But in the case of the issues in the new legislation they did nothing, so now its up to the governments. Thats rarely the best answer.

JoLui is describing the common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights.

You can find these in Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/261/oj/eng

This original legislative text from 2004 does not include a mechanism for periodically adjusting the amounts based on the consumer price index (as is the case, for example, under the Montreal Convention for baggage and personal injury claims).
Until a new amendment to the law is officially adopted by the European Parliament and the Council and enters into force, the original base amounts from 2004 will continue to apply.

When we all discuss without shouting out dogma

I didn't see anyone shouting out dogma.

I just told GerryM that I have been flying for about 45 years and not once been in a posistion where I would have a claim under the old EU or US laws. How is that possible? Mostly because in the two instances that come to mind the airlines stepped up and took care of me. Thats the way things should be.

I didn't see you telling me that.

Good for you though. That's great.

No worries, and no offense taken :)

The flight delay and compensation rules here have benefited me personally a few times, so I appreciate them. In one instance, our flight was cancelled and we were put on a flight the next day. We were given free accommodation for the night with dinner. The next day our new flight was severely delayed. The amount we received in compensation from that delayed flight actually exceeded what we paid for the flights for our trip. So even tho we got home a day later than planned (and thankfully it was a Sunday so we didn't have any issues missing work), we actually wound up coming out ahead.

GerryM: some one posted between your comments and my answer, so maybe you didnt realize I was talking to you. I put your name on it now

Cat VH, okay, I will be fair. The last time I missed a connection on one ticket was because the US was bombing Iran and the flight I was on leaving Istanbul was to fly right over Iran on the way to Australia. So maybe Turkish Air wasn’t responsible because of the act of war exemption. Well, we left Istanbul so none of it’s under the EU legislation. We got off about 2 and half hours late and took a different route and ended up in Malaysia about 3 hours late and missed the connection to Sydney. Turkish air was waiting for us. An escort through expedited passport control and some nice MB Vans to a 5-star resort hotel. There we got a free dinner and free breakfast the next morning. Then the vans returned and took us back to the airport were we were escorted through security and to the gate for our flight. I don’t know how much Turkish or Malaysian law required. Never crossed my mind.

The first was Athens to Cairo but that was pre EU. Same sort of care and attention.

That’s it in 45 years. If this stuff adds even $1 to a ticket cost over my 45 years, I pay more than I could ever get in the worst situation. It’s like all insurance; it never works in the long run but can pay off for the infrequent traveler. If it is what the masses want, and I sort of think it’s a good idea, then they should have it. No complaints.

For me this is all interesting stuff. When ever someone makes a claim about most anything that might affect my life or society or ... ? I make a puzzle game out of determining if the claim is legitimate. That’s a nice way of saying I believe very little of what i read until I prove it to myself.

The price they have to show you first because of the new law includes the carry on, but two steps down you can choose a cheaper ticket and with Ryan and Wizz and leave the carry on at home.

Surely this is just another example of the absolute piss-taking that we're dealing with with the budget airlines? Does it not make a case for EU legislation?

As far as the IATA regulating themselves, we remember that thread from a while back with the joke of a press release about how hard done by they are. There's too much money involved for the airlines to regulate themselves as far as the add-ons and extras go. It's in their interest to obfuscate and confuse. This idea of honourable corporations regulating themselves is fantasy.

Surely this is just another example of the absolute piss-taking that
we're dealing with the budget airlines? Does it not make a case for EU
legislation?

Why? Ryanair claims its principal market to be Europeans who are taking short duration trips for pleasure or business. Well, if that’s true, the rather large personal item that Ryanair permits is probably adequate. But I don’t trust so on the next five discount airline flights, 4 Wizzair and one Ryanair (yes, I use them a lot), I watched to see who had what ticket. If you buy an upgrade that includes a full size carry on or a checked bag you get “free” priority boarding; a different line at the gate. On every flight that priority line was substantially shorter than the standard boarding line. Not everyone travels like you and I (all 5 of those I paid for the upgrade because I took long trips and on two had fishing gear).

So, if the discount airline provides what their customers want, is legislation required? If you show the cheaper ticket second, they are still going to buy the cheaper ticket. They are just going to have more trouble comparing flight costs. The whole idea of requiring the airline cater to the minority wealthy or tourist passenger and not the more plentiful basic needs passenger always stunk of social elitism to me. But this is one I have not heartburn for one way or another because at worst its a bit insulting to those that can only travel cheap or only want to travel cheap; but there is a work around so no loss.

Even if you did want something to change, I am not sure what this changes? I think people are and always have been smart enough to read the rather large print on the second screen that shows the options.

The argument about self-regulation is superfluous as they didn’t do it.