Ryanair has announced that it will need a few weeks to change and update the luggage size gauges at airports to adapt them to its new luggage policy, which increases the width of the free suitcase allowed by 5 centimetres. Company sources indicate that this measure is part of an agreement among airlines to adopt a new minimum size for hand luggage, which will be slightly larger than that proposed in the new European Union regulations.
Since August, the Irish low-cost airline has increased the baggage allowance on board with its cheapest ticket from the previous 40x20x30 centimetres to 40x20x30 centimetres. In addition, the capacity has been increased from 20 litres to 24 litres.
Ryanair was a pioneer in introducing charges for carrying cabin bags on board and defends its policy by arguing that not all passengers want to travel with so much luggage and that it would therefore be ‘unfair’ to charge them for services they do not use. However, this measure, which has also been adopted by other low-cost airlines in Europe, has sparked debate in several countries.
In Spain, it has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs with a fine and the obligation to withdraw it, although this sanction has been appealed and will therefore not be applied until the courts rule on the matter. At the user level, Ryanair receives numerous complaints about its routine measurement of bags before boarding.
If a passenger’s bag does not comply with the established measurements, whether it is a small bag or a cabin bag that has already been paid for, the company charges passengers a surcharge. For this reason, the company is now updating its measuring devices to the new measurements, which give passengers more leeway when choosing their luggage.