Free carry-on bags in Europe look like a win, but there’s more to it

Free cabin baggage has been enshrined as a passenger right in Europe. From October 23, 2027, airline passengers will have a guaranteed right to bring two pieces of luggage on board, a small personal item to fit under the seat in front, plus a larger overhead cabin bag, free of extra charge.

Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 of the European Parliament will apply to all flights departing from EU airports and to flights arriving at EU airports from third countries if they’re operated by EU carriers.

The new regulation does not set a size limit for carry-on baggage in the overhead compartment, but each airline must clearly spell out the size, weight or number of items passengers are allowed to take on board. As a general rule, European carriers limit carry-on luggage in overhead bins to a maximum size of 55 x 40 x 20 centimetres. Weight varies from seven to 10 kilograms.

However, the new rule does set the maximum size of the underseat bag at 40 x 30 x 15 centimetres, or less, subject to the requirement that it fits under the seat in front of a passenger, but the weight of that bag is not prescribed.

While the new regulation won’t affect most of Europe’s legacy carriers, for the budget airlines it’s another story, and they’re not happy.

“Gobbledegook” and “stupid rules” were among the more colourful reactions from Ryanair, which carries more international passengers than any other airline. The requirement for airlines to allow all passengers to board with two pieces of cabin luggage put a spike in the heart of budget carriers’ business model, which is built on low base fares with charges for optional extras.

Currently, the only free carry-on permitted in Ryanair’s cabins is one underseat bag with maximum dimensions 40 x 30 x 20 centimetres. Stowing a bag in the overhead baggage compartment incurs a fee, and close to a third of Ryanair’s revenue comes from such ancillary charges.

The same applies to those legacy carriers offering “economy basic” fares, which charge extra for overhead cabin bags. The requirement to offer that second bag free of charge would result in a fare rise for all passengers, Ryanair’s representatives maintain, including those who choose not to fly with a bag in the overhead bin.

However, a loophole in the new regulations skirts that problem. While EU carriers will be required to advertise fares that include two cabin bags, towards the end of the booking process the airline could offer a discount to passengers who choose to fly with only an underseat bag.

The space race

If all passengers take advantage of the expanded baggage allowance, it could create a headache for airlines.

Typically, there is not enough bin space in their economy cabins to accommodate one bag per passenger. If more passengers choose to travel with bags destined for the overhead bins, bags that cannot fit in the overhead locker will be sent to the hold.

Those passengers who board late will be most at risk. Boarding early and selecting a seat in mid-cabin in preference to the front might be a smart choice for future travel in Europe, or boarding with just an underseat bag.

What about Qantas flights departing from EU airports?

Qantas’ carry-on baggage allowance for economy class passengers on international flights is one piece for the overhead locker with maximum dimensions of 56 x 23 x 36 centimetres, maximum weight of seven kilograms, plus one underseat item. That size and weight limit that applies aboard QF6, departing from Rome, and QF34 departing from Paris, and Qantas flyers will not be affected by the new EU regulation. The same size and weight limit would apply on Qantas codeshare flights departing from EU airports, provided a QF flight number appears on the booking.

To date, there are at least 60 Qantas codeshare flights departing from EU airports per week. According to a Qantas spokesperson, that cabin baggage allowance would apply to passengers on codeshare flights departing from the EU with connecting flights in Australia.

“Our domestic allowance is 14 kilograms for a cabin bag and an underseat item, and any customers, codeshare or our own, travelling on an international sector has this allowance when they arrive in Australia.”

Jetstar

While airline regulators in the EU are expanding airline travellers’ cabin baggage allowance, Jetstar is moving in the opposite direction.

Jetstar will soon halve the carry-on baggage allowance for economy flyers. At the moment, Jetstar’s carry-on baggage allowance is one main bag that fits in the overhead locker plus one underseat item.

From February 2, the main bag drops out of the picture, with only an underseat bag allowed, maximum size 40 x 30 x 20 centimetres. From that date passengers can boost their allowance with the Priority Carry-on option, which includes priority boarding, and those passengers will get first dibs on the overhead lockers. The fee for priority boarding applies per sector, starting from $25 and up to $52 aboard Jetstar’s Cairns to Tokyo flight.

The guarantee of a second carry-on bag might have grabbed the headlines, but regulation 2026/2202 also includes minimum rights for air passengers who are denied boarding, whose flights are cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, who miss a connecting flight or who are downgraded. Those gripes appear all too often in readers’ letters to Traveller, with Australia’s airlines copping the blame.