# Hand luggage as a basic service: EU regulator pushes back

Canonical-URL: https://notitur.com/en/digest/hand-luggage-as-a-basic-service-eu-regulator-pushes-back
Text-Version: https://notitur.com/en/digest/hand-luggage-as-a-basic-service-eu-regulator-pushes-back.txt
Markdown-Version: https://notitur.com/en/digest/hand-luggage-as-a-basic-service-eu-regulator-pushes-back.md
Language: en
Published: 2026-07-01T14:15:28.184Z
Modified: 2026-07-01T22:31:51.785Z
Author: Joan Sanz
Topics: Airlines
Summary: Brussels considers that carry-on bags should be a passenger right, not an optional extra. This could upend the low-cost model as we know it.

## Article

European regulators want **hand luggage** reclassified as a **basic service** included in the airfare, not an optional add-on. Same logic that killed abusive roaming charges in 2017: if it's a consumer right, you can't unbundle it.

According to [Revista Bell](https://revbell.com/es/blog/ancillaries-opciones-facturacion-abusiva-es-la-proxima-frontera-del-rm-pricing-regulatoria/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ancillaries-opciones-facturacion-abusiva-es-la-proxima-frontera-del-rm-pricing-regulatoria), the price unbundling that airlines and hotels have practiced for 30 years (baggage separate, breakfast separate) is now under scrutiny. The EU monitors misleading pricing and this will force **Pricing and Marketing** teams to rethink their strategy.

- **Direct hit to low-cost carriers:** Ryanair, Wizz, easyJet would lose one of their most profitable ancillary lines.
- **Hotels next?** If regulators step in on carry-on, why not on resort fees or early check-in charges?
- **Opportunity for OTAs:** They could sell true all-in price comparisons from the first click.

My take: the unbundling model has reached an ethical ceiling. Charging 40 euros for a suitcase that fits in the overhead bin is not innovation, it's abuse. Revenue Management teams better get ready: the next frontier of RM is no longer dynamic pricing, it's **regulation**. The customer is not stupid and Brussels gets it.

## Sources

- Revista Bel: https://revbell.com/es/blog/ancillaries-opciones-facturacion-abusiva-es-la-proxima-frontera-del-rm-pricing-regulatoria/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ancillaries-opciones-facturacion-abusiva-es-la-proxima-frontera-del-rm-pricing-regulatoria

## Citation

Hand luggage as a basic service: EU regulator pushes back. Notitur. 2026-07-01. https://notitur.com/en/digest/hand-luggage-as-a-basic-service-eu-regulator-pushes-back