EU bans extra fees for cabin bags, ending hidden charges for airlines

The European Union has reached an agreement that eliminates extra fees for hand luggage on flights across the bloc. Passengers will be allowed to bring a cabin bag up to 7 kg and a personal item at no additional cost, and airlines must display fares inclusive of this allowance. The deal also expands passenger rights, including faster claim handling, compensation for cancellations and delays, and clearer definitions of "extraordinary circumstances". Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary called the rules “bureaucratic bunkum”, arguing they could make EU airlines less competitive.

In parallel, travellers have shared various tricks to avoid Ryanair’s strict baggage charges. One viral video showed a passenger using a vacuum‑packing machine to compress 20 kg of clothing into a free‑carry‑on rucksack, bypassing the airline’s 10 kg cabin‑bag limit. Other methods discussed include using large shoulder bags, jackets, and other personal items to hide extra weight, as well as “bag‑pooling” arrangements that distribute weight among group members, subject to a 32 kg per‑bag ceiling that applies to many UK carriers. While these hacks can save money, they carry risks of being stopped by airline staff.