The Consumentenbond and fifteen other European consumer organizations have filed a complaint about airlines. They allegedly charge unjustified fees for carrying hand luggage.
The complaint is directed against easyJet, Transavia, Ryanair, Norwegian Airlines, Volotea, Vueling and Wizz Air. The organizations have filed the complaint with the European Commission and CPC, the network of national consumer authorities.
Director Sandra Molenaar of the Consumentenbond refers to a ruling by the European Court of Justice from 2014. It stipulated that it is against the rules to make passengers pay for a reasonable amount of hand luggage.
Spain imposed multi-million fines on five airlines last year. “Unfortunately, nothing has changed since then and hand luggage is still a cash cow for airlines. That is why we are calling on European regulators to investigate the costs for hand luggage and take action against this,” says Molenaar.
The Consumentenbond conducted a panel survey on hand luggage at the end of 2024. About 86 percent of the participants felt that a trolley case should always be free. More than half, 51 percent, indicated that a trolley case and a small bag should be able to be taken along without extra costs.
That was the norm for many companies for years. European consumer organizations want the European Commission to enshrine this norm in the European Passenger Regulation. It will be adjusted in 2025.