00:00Fact Checking Claims That The EU Has Banned Hand Luggage Fees
00:04You may have come across these headlines, alleging that the European Union has made it illegal for airlines to charge passengers for hand luggage.
00:15This is an issue that affects millions of Europeans.
00:18Hand luggage allowance rules are often opaque, meaning some passengers end up paying penalties for bringing bags that are bigger and heavier than allowed.
00:26But the European Union has not legislated to ban hand luggage fees.
00:32It is an option on the table, but there are several obstacles before it can come into force.
00:37So what triggered this misinformation?
00:39In a vote on the 24th of June, the European Parliament's Transport Committee approved a proposal to allow air passengers to travel with two items of carry-on baggage and no extra cost.
00:51A personal item, such as a handbag or laptop bag, as well as a bigger carry-on bag weighing up to 7 kilograms and measuring no more than 100 centimetres in combined width, length and height.
01:04That's slightly smaller than the current maximum cabin bag dimensions.
01:08But this vote doesn't change anything.
01:11It simply means that the Parliament's Transport Committee wants to see cabin bag fees scrapped.
01:16If the European Parliament's plenary approves the measure, the Parliament will then push for this change in negotiations with the European Commission and the Council of the EU, which represents EU governments.
01:28Only when these negotiations have concluded with a compromise can any changes come into law.
01:33This is where it gets tricky because EU transport ministers representing governments have not supported the idea and this is likely to be a key point of tension in talks.
01:42The proposal is also facing resistance from airlines and their lobby groups, which argue that consumers should be given the choice to pay less to travel lighter and say the rule would force them to increase ticket costs.
