Small hand luggage on board aircraft should be free of charge

MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) push for a common reimbursement form, no charge for selecting a child seat, free on-board personal item and small hand luggage and better protection for multimodal journeys.

On Tuesday, Transport and Tourism Committee proposed changes to EU passenger rights rules by 38 votes to two and two abstentions to close enforcement gaps and make sure passengers are better aware of their rights in the case of travel disruptions.

Intermediaries

The draft rules clarify the role of intermediaries (ticket vendors or retailers) in reimbursing air passengers for cancelations, long delays or denied boarding. MEPs want these companies to inform passenger at the time of booking about the full cost of an air ticket, intermediation or service fees, and the reimbursement process, which should not take longer than 14 days. Should an intermediary fail to respect this deadline, it would be up to the air carrier to process the reimbursement within seven days.

Common form

MEPs support the proposal to introduce a common form for compensation and reimbursement requests. They also want to add a provision tasking air carriers with sending passengers the pre-filled form, or activate alternative automatic communication channels, within 48 hours following a disruption.

Extraordinary circumstances

To reduce the margin for interpretation as to what constitutes extraordinary circumstances that would allow airlines to deny compensation, the Transport and Tourism Committee followed Parliament existing position, adopted in 2014 to have a defined list of exceptions, such as natural disasters, war, weather conditions or unforeseen labour disputes (excluding strikes by airline staff).

Hand luggage and more rights for vulnerable travellers

MEPs want to facilitate air travel by introducing common dimensions for hand luggage. Passengers should have a right to carry on board one personal item, such as a handbag, backpack or laptop (maximum dimensions of 40x30x15 cm), and one small hand luggage (maximum dimensions of 100 cm and 7 kg) without an additional fee.

MEPs also want to ensure kids under 12 years old are seated next to their accompanying passenger free of charge. They also want more protections for persons with reduced mobility by making sure an accompanying person can travel with them free of charge, and adding a compensation right in case of loss/damage to mobility equipment or injury to an assistance animal.

Multimodal journey

In a separate vote, Transport MEPs backed new draft EU rules on passenger rights in multimodal journeys comprising at least two modes of transport (plane-bus, train-bus-plane, etc.) by 32 votes to one and nine abstentions. If a passenger has bought a single multimodal contract from one operator, switching between transport modes should not mean losing protection against missed connections and assistance, MEPs say. Should a missed connection result in a travel delay of 60 minutes or more, the passenger should be offered meals, refreshment and a hotel stay free of charge, as needed.

Since only a single multimodal contract would offer full protection, the Transport and Tourism Committee inserted an obligation for carriers and intermediaries to inform travellers, before purchase, what kind of ticket they are buying (single, combined or separate multimodal). Failing to do so would make sellers liable for reimbursement of the ticket and for 75% compensation if the passenger misses a connection.

Next steps

Transport Committee MEPs also decided to start talks with EU countries on the final shape of legislation, if plenary gives its green light in July 2025: unanimously by 42 votes on passenger rights in the multimodal journey; and by 40 votes to one on enforcement of passenger rights.

Background information

In 2014, Parliament reacted to a Commission proposal to update air passenger rights, proposing that delayed or stranded air passengers receive better access to compensation, while providing airlines clearer rules on how to deal with passenger complaints. Progress on reaching an interinstitutional agreement was stalled for 11 years, until in June 2025 EU ministers reached a political agreement among themselves on the file, opening the way for negotiations with Parliament.

In 2023, Commission suggested more amendments to ensure the effective protection of passenger rights in the Union when travelling by air, rail, sea and inland waterways and bus and coach transport. Commission also suggested complementing these existing rules by ensuring passengers enjoy a similar level of protection when they switch between these transport modes during a journey.

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