If you’re flying with an EU-based airline sometime in the next year or two, the way you get charged for carry-on bags is about to change and it’s worth understanding now, even if the change isn’t quite here yet.
What’s Actually Happening
In mid-June 2026, EU lawmakers reached an agreement requiring airlines to include a small personal item and a standard carry-on bag in the base ticket price, rather than charging for them separately.
If you’ve flown a low-cost European airline like Ryanair or Wizz Air recently, you’ve probably run into the current system firsthand: a small under-seat bag is usually free, but anything bigger gets tacked on as an extra fee, sometimes a substantial one depending on how far in advance you add it. That separate charge is going away under the new rules.
Item Sizes Matter
The personal item that comes with every ticket will max out at 40 centimeters by 30 centimeters by 15 centimeters — roughly the size of a backpack or a large handbag.
The included carry-on will be a wheeled bag with combined dimensions — width plus height plus depth — of up to 100 centimeters, along with a weight limit around 7 kilograms. Anyone who’s tried to sneak a slightly oversized bag past a gate agent knows how much those exact numbers matter in practice.
Keeping An Eye Out On Timing
The rules were agreed to this June, but they aren’t in effect yet. Airlines are expected to roll them out starting in 2027.
If you’re booking a trip for later this year or even early next year, don’t assume the new, more generous allowance already applies. The old fee structure is very likely still what you’ll run into at the airport in the near term. Worth double-checking directly with whichever airline you’re flying, since implementation timelines can vary even after a rule gets agreed to at the EU level.
What This Doesn’t Change
This is specifically about cabin baggage. The bag you carry on and stow overhead or under the seat in front of you. It has nothing to do with checked luggage.
Airlines will still be able to charge extra for a checked suitcase. This is really a fare-transparency change more than a broad “flying gets cheaper” change. The goal is making sure the price you see upfront actually reflects what you’re getting, instead of looking artificially low and growing once you start adding in the bags you actually need.
For now, the most useful thing to do is keep it in mind as 2027 gets closer, particularly if you’re already booking flights for a trip that might span the point where the rule takes effect. Not something to plan around today, but worth knowing it’s coming.
