New hand luggage rules have been put in place for various airlines flying to and from European destinations, including Ryanair, TUI, Easyjet and Jet2.
A new rule on carry-on bags has standardised the dimensions of luggage allowed onto planes without charge, with 17 European carriers automatically signing up to follow the new rule. Airlines 4 Europe, whose members include EasyJet, Jet2, TUI and Ryanair as well as Norwegian, Aegean and AirfranceKLM, has announced the new rules for hand luggage.
It means carry-on bags for flights will be guaranteed to be free of charge if they fit into a 40x30x15cm space, which means it will be able to fit under the seat in front as a personal item.
In a statement, A4E said: “Airlines for Europe (A4E) today confirmed that its member airlines have started applying the guaranteed set of dimensions of 40 × 30 × 15 cm for the item of cabin baggage that usually is placed under the seat in front- the “personal item”- agreed by member states last month.
“The agreement reached on 5 June 2025, sets out the dimensions of the personal item, which passengers can already bring into the cabin at no extra cost. It is defined as an unchecked bag with “dimensions of 40 × 30 × 15 cm ”.
“All A4E airlines will roll out the guaranteed dimensions and have them in place by the end of the 2025 summer season.
“Carriers will continue to permit larger personal items at their discretion, as is already the case for many A4E airlines today.
“Standardising cabin-bag sizes has been on the Brussels agenda for years, most recently at the request of former Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean.
“The Member-State decision now gives passengers certainty: one bag measuring up to 40 × 30 × 15 cm can be brought into the cabin.
“This will align A4E members with the decision of member states made last month and bring more clarity to passengers across Europe,” said Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director of A4E.
“From city-hoppers to family travellers, everyone will benefit from the same clear rule across our members’ networks.”
