Latest on EU extra free cabin bag and flight payout reforms

European airlines continue to lobby against plans to allow passengers extra free hand luggage, putting the measures at risk despite overwhelming backing from MEPs.

It comes as the travel sector is hit with record kerosene prices and the risk of low summer holiday bookings. 

An overhaul of EU flight rules, which would also change regulations surrounding compensation for delayed and cancelled flights, was first proposed in 2013, and has undergone several iterations without final agreements being reached.

What’s included in the approved new airline regulations?

However, in January 2026, MEPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of new airline regulations. 

The approved changes include: 

• All passengers being allowed a 7kg piece of carry-on luggage alongside one other piece of hand luggage, included as standard with a base flight ticket

• Pre-filled compensation form to make claims easier in the event of delays or cancellations

• Immediate compensation in cases of overbooking

• Parents not having to pay extra to sit next to their children

Changes to compensation rules – lowering total compensation for delays but making claiming easier – were also included. A list can be found in our article here. 

These revised changes were agreed upon by an MEP transport group in June 2025 following a rework of proposals agreed upon by European Transport Ministers.

“Parliament is ready to continue the fight for clearer and more predictable rules for airlines and a stronger aviation sector, but not at the expense of passengers. Our baseline is clear: we are determined to improve rather than dilute air passenger rights,” said Bulgarian MEP Andrey Novakov, major backer of the revised regulations, following the vote. 

“We insist that reducing delays has significant overall benefits for Europe’s economy. [and these policies] remain our red lines. We are counting on EU transport ministers to reconsider their position so that together we may find a mutually acceptable outcome,” he added.

Following the vote, the bill was sent to the EU Council, as part of ‘second reading’ rules, as it contains amendments to measures previously agreed upon by the council. There has been no official update since then.

Transport ministers and airlines fight back

The delay is largely due to this stifled passage through the EU Council of Ministers. 

Transport ministers from across the EU originally agreed on a set of proposals that are significantly different to the one voted on by MEPs in January 2026.

These original proposals, which had higher compensation thresholds (with minimum delays of four to six hours) and automatic forms only in the event of cancellations, were more favourable to airlines. 

Indeed, the powerful airline lobby is keen to return to these original measures, arguing that the industry would suffer under the measures recently approved by MEPs. 

The Airlines for Europe (A4E) group, representing 17 of Europe’s largest airlines that between them account for around 80% of all flights over European airspace, say the measures will not reduce delays or cancellations.

A major issue for airlines is the policy of a free second bag – up to 7kg in weight – alongside hand luggage. They argue it will increase boarding times, prolong flights, and lead to extra costs due to higher weights (requiring more fuel, and therefore higher ticket prices). 

EasyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis called the proposed legislation “terrible for the consumer” (quoted in The European Conservative) and Ryanair believes it limits passengers in “choosing what they want to pay for, and especially what they don’t want to pay for.”

Income from passengers choosing to pay for optional additional luggage accounts for up to 20% of low-cost airline revenues, according to some estimates, with carriers charging between €15 - €50 for these bags. 

Ultimately, this may lead to airlines increasing base ticket prices to account for the ‘free’ bag, travel expert Arnaud Aymé told France2.

What next? 

Cyprus currently holds the rotating six-month EU Council presidency until June 2026, and is keen to move the process forward and reach an agreement. If it does, laws will be updated and the measures would be in force across the bloc by summer 2028.

This seems unlikely, however, with several previous presidencies failing to reach an agreement and the MEP and EU Council proposals still containing major differences.

It is therefore likely that negotiations will drag on and there will be no consensus, leading to the formation of a ‘conciliation committee’ formed of the MEP Transport group, EU Council, and EU Commission.

This would lead to a new round of negotiations, meaning agreements may not be made until 2027 or 2028. 

Even if a deal is struck from these talks, national laws will need to be updated to implement the new rules, taking up to 24 months.

This means the changes may not come into effect until 2029 or even 2030, if at all.