After more than a decade of negotiations, the European Union has reached an agreement to update its rules on air passenger rights. But Spain did not get what it most wanted: a guaranteed free cabin bag for every passenger.
The luggage rules
Under the agreement:
- passengers can bring one personal item, such as a backpack or handbag, into the cabin free of charge;
- the hand luggage included must be clearly shown from the start of the booking process;
- airlines can offer cheaper fares without a larger cabin bag for passengers who choose them.
In practice, this allows airlines to keep charging, directly or indirectly, for a trolley-sized cabin bag — precisely what Spain wanted to prevent.
Spain’s position
Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs, led by Pablo Bustinduy, had made a free cabin bag a red line and described the final text as less protective and ambitious than hoped. It noted that Spanish courts have repeatedly found that reasonable hand luggage should be included in the ticket price.
The ministry has previously fined Ryanair, Vueling, easyJet, Norwegian and Volotea a total of €179 million for charging for cabin bags and other practices, including €107 million for Ryanair, whose chief executive responded with personal insults towards the minister. The ministry says those fines were imposed under existing rules and are not affected by the new regulation.
Other changes
The agreement includes other improvements for passengers:
- no charge for seat selection for people travelling with children or dependent persons;
- no fees for printing boarding passes at the airport or correcting spelling mistakes in a name;
- an end to cancelling the return flight when a passenger misses the outbound one.
Delay compensation preserved
The hardest issue was compensation for delays. Member states wanted to raise the delay threshold and reduce payments, but the European Parliament refused. The final compromise keeps compensation from three hours of delay, with amounts between €250 and €600 depending on distance.
A long road
The European Commission first proposed reforming the 2004 regulation in 2013. The process stalled for years before member states agreed a position in 2025, leading to a rare conciliation procedure between the Council and the Parliament.
What next
Once formally approved, the regulation will apply directly in all member states. Consumer groups say the text is imperfect but better than earlier proposals that would have weakened passenger rights.
