this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2025
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Airlines have launched a lobbying blitz in Brussels to combat efforts to allow larger cabin bags to fly for free.

That frisson of fear felt by many air passengers at the boarding gate about being hit with an extra charge for a carry-on bag is generating a political dogfight.

Spain had enough of the extra fees and fined five airlines for charging people for hand luggage; now the battle over the freedom to stuff a porkier bag into the overhead bin is being joined in other countries.

Consumer organizations from 12 European countries on Wednesday joined Spain’s legal battle against low-cost airlines charging passengers to bring larger carry-on suitcases on board.

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[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 70 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

The airlines have created their own problem. By charging extra for hold luggage it incentivizes people getting as much into the cabin as possible.

Reverse it. Make hold luggage free (because it's the one that's actually better for the airline) and charge for cabin luggage that's beyond small light bags.

It'll also reduce the load on security.

[–] sxan@midwest.social 24 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Counter:

  1. Carry-ons can be objectively better for passengers.

    • Go straight to your gate, no check-in drop-off
    • No angst about lost luggage
    • No interminable waiting at the luggage carousel
    • Less TSA pawing through and stealing your stuff
    • For many trips, a carry-on is all you need
  2. Carry-ons are cheaper for airlines.

    • Carry-ons require no handlers to transport or physically stack luggage
    • Carry-ons are categorically lighter and use less space than checked bags, translating to less fuel

2b could be mitigated by checking only carry-on-sized luggage; basically a smaller luggage-size limit.

I traveled for business for years, and got used to traveling only in a carry-on. My GRo (the best luggage ever built, and which you can no longer but) always fit into a single overhead space. I could pack underwear and several business shirts, toiletries, a pair of (compressable) casual shores, and wear my suit, and still have room left for a pair of jeans. It was a stretch to go for two work weeks, but I could do it. One week was no inconvenience at all. Now even when I travel for pleasure, unless it's a two week vacation I still only pack a carry-on.

That said: I'm a man, and women in corporate environments - unfairly - often feel obligated to pack more clothes: multiple pairs of shoes, multiple outfits, more cosmetics, etc. It is generally easier for a man to stretch a suit by altering only shirts and ties. Even so, my wife will also pack only a carry-on if the trip is 5-days or less. Even though the company pays for baggage fees, it's a worse customer experience at both ends of the trip to check a bag, and I don't think there's much airlines could do about that. It's a straightforward logistical problem.

Except for long, or specialty, trips (e.g, skiing, backpacking), carry-ons for us are subjectively, but uncontestedly, superior. Airlines reversing the fee schedule would be categorically worse for us, enough that we'd switch our frequent flier programs over it.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 6 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Counter:

  1. Carry-ons can be objectively better for passengers.

That's not a counter. If carry one have more value to the consumer, that's what you charge for.

  1. Carry-ons are cheaper for airlines.

Not when they're running out of space and putting things in the hold anyway. Also I doubt they like always flying with a 90% empty hold. If no hold baggage was guaranteed then the plane could carry cargo and make money that way. Or have a smaller more fuel efficient plane.

[–] DolphinMath@slrpnk.net 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

To add to this, carry-ons dramatically slow the boarding process, which adds to the overall cost of the flight. Charging for carry-ons makes it easier for flights to be consistently on-time, which is why airlines prefer to have fewer of them

Turning an airplane around is not a quick process, and anything that can be done to speed that it up saves the airline time and money.

[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

Also I doubt they like always flying with a 90% empty hold.

Sure they would if they knew it in advance. They could sell that as cargo space.

[–] flango@lemmy.eco.br 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I didn't know about this GRO luggage. It seems amazing

[–] sxan@midwest.social 2 points 6 days ago

It is amazing. They shut down during COVID, just before I decided to buy their checked bag. I don't know how good the large one was, but there carry-on is fantastic. The only thing I'd change about it is that it has one of those built in battery ports, which I've never used in my life and is IMHO wasted space; but it was a big trend back when they designed it, and before airports and airlines started putting charging ports in everywhere.

https://trekbible.com/g-ro-luggage-review/

A random, but fairly comprehensive, ad-disguised-as-review.