The new European rules, which come into force in 2027, define that companies cannot charge additional fees for hand luggage and that they are obliged to compensate passengers for delays of more than 4 hours.
The European Union reached a historic agreement to preserve passengers’ right to free carry-on baggage and compensation for delayed flights, putting an end to more than a decade of negotiations on the rules to protect the bloc’s air passengers.
The agreement, signed between the European Council and the European Parliament, guarantees that travelers will continue to have right to financial compensation when flights are delayed by at least three hours.
According to the updated rules, passengers will receive 300 euros for delays on flights over 3500 kilometers and 600 euros if the delay exceeds four hours or if the flight is cancelled. EU officials said the agreement maintains a system familiar to airlines and travelers for nearly two decades, while providing greater legal certainty.
This limit was strongly opposed by several Member States and airlines, who were pushing for a delay period of at least five hoursarguing that many disruptions are caused by factors beyond their control, such as airport congestion and operational problems.
The new legislation also prohibits charging separate fees for basic carry-on baggagea practice widely adopted by low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and EasyJet. Passengers will be entitled to take one personal item free of charge with the maximum dimensions of 40 x 30 x 15 centimetersas well as a small wheeled suitcase or backpack, says .
To increase transparency, airlines, booking platforms and travel intermediaries will be required to display final ticket prices from the beginning of the booking process, including hand luggage. However, airlines may still offer discounted rates for passengers who choose to travel without hand luggage.
The rules are expected to come into effect in 2027. Industry representatives have warned that including carry-on baggage in standard ticket prices could lead to higher tariffsparticularly among low-cost airlines, which currently rely on additional fees as their main source of revenue.
The agreement concludes a legislative process started in 2013when the EU launched a review of its passenger rights framework. Lawmakers argued that existing regulations, adopted in 2004, no longer reflected the reality of an aviation market dominated by low-cost airlines.
