That bargain air fare for those who get on the plane prepared to travel with just a toothbrush?
Gone. The change, one among many under an EU air passenger rights law agreed this week, guarantees that all flight tickets must include a free carry-on bag.
This ends the “sticker shock” for customers who may feel cheated because the final price they pay – with a bag – is much higher than the price advertised without a bag (yes, we do mean Ryanair, EasyJet and others).
But it is still up to the airlines to decide how big the free carry-on bag can be.
Airline group A4E warned that adding hand baggage to the basic fare may mean customers see higher prices. It said that about half of passengers prefer to take only a small bag to get a lower fare, especially for short or business trips.
There is a solution to this: airlines can still offer a discount to travellers who promise not to take a bag. It's not clear they will; airlines now have higher costs to cover, such as more expensive jet fuel and charges from environmental regulation and aviation taxes.
The updated rules, which will enter into force in the summer of 2027, also get rid of several extra airline fees that stress out travellers.
No fee for correcting a spelling mistake for a name or for a printed boarding pass at the airport if already checked in. No extra fee for parents who want to sit next to their child. And travellers can still take a return flight even if they miss the first part of a multi-flight trip (which some do deliberately to get a cheaper fare).
The basic compensation rules for delays remain the same: €250 for a flight of up to 1,550 km that's delayed by three hours or more, or cancelled 14 days before flying. There are higher payments for longer flights.
Airlines will now be able to refuse compensation for delays caused by bad weather, natural disasters, passengers behaving badly or strikes by airport or air traffic control staff. They'll still need to provide refreshments, food or an overnight stay to stranded passengers.
Compensation for delays should also be easier to apply for. Airlines will have to clearly tell passengers how to get it, and they'll usually have to pay out within 30 days of receiving the request.
For airlines, that could still hurt; they are sitting on some €3.2 billion in compensation that many people don't bother to claim, according to a Financial Times analysis.