easyJet shrinks cabin baggage allowance

EasyJet has announced a ‘guaranteed’ cabin baggage allowance which is 37 per cent below the maximum size allowed – because its packed planes can’t always fit passengers’ luggage on-board.

EasyJet has announced a ‘guaranteed’ cabin baggage allowance which is 37 per cent below the maximum size allowed – because its packed planes can’t always fit passengers’ luggage on-board.

The budget airline currently allows luggage to be taken into the cabin if itโ€™s below the maximum size of 56cm by 45cm by 25cm โ€“ a total of 63 litres per bag.

This will continue to be the maximum cabin allowance. But from July 2, easyJet is cutting the dimensions for baggage that is guaranteed for the cabin down to 50cm by 40cm by 20cm โ€“ including handles, pockets and wheels โ€“ to a total of just 40 litres. There is no weight limit on cabin baggage.

Easyjet said there are already occasions when there is not enough space for everyone’s cabin baggage – and some of the biggest bags on the flight have to be put in the hold. Passengers are not charged for this.

Now it is communicating this to passengers, and giving them a ‘guaranteed’ size of bag that will definitely stay in the cabin with them, even if there is not enough space for everyone’s luggage.

Travellers who choose to fly with budget airlines often opt to bring luggage into the cabin to avoid paying baggage fees. At present, easyJet charges ยฃ29 for 20kg of baggage booked online before travel on a return flight.

Anyone travelling after July 2 with a cabin bag bigger than the upper limit of 56x45x25 will have to pay ยฃ25 to put their bag in at the check-in. This increases to ยฃ40, per bag, at the gate.

In a statement on its website, easyJet said: โ€˜Managing cabin baggage is an industry-wide challenge and it’s one which has increased for easyJet.

‘Thanks to our industry leading load factors (89 per cent) and seat configuration easyJet carries around 40 more passengers on each flight than our rivals.

‘Because of this, overhead locker space onboard our aircraft is limited and so on busy flights we are not always able to fit everyone’s cabin bag in the cabin.’

The airline said that it will be communicating the change with customers.

In February, British Airways introduced a discount for passengers travelling with just hand luggage.

The discounts, ranging from ยฃ9 to ยฃ15 depending on the route, are available on five short-haul destinations – Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Jersey, Tunis and Turin from Gatwick.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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