A new set of EU air passenger rights rules will guarantee travellers a free piece of hand luggage on flights in and out of the bloc — the biggest overhaul since 2004.

The provisional deal was struck by European Parliament and Council negotiators in June, signed off by both bodies, and published in the EU's Official Journal on 2 October. It comes into force on 23 October 2027, so there's a wait before it changes anything in practice.

What will you actually get? Two items in the cabin at no extra charge: the small personal item airlines already have to carry free (either fitting under the seat in front or measuring up to 40 x 30 x 15cm), plus one proper cabin bag weighing up to 7kg with combined dimensions of 100cm. Crucially, the only legitimate reason an airline can refuse it is if the plane physically doesn't have room.

There's a second, arguably bigger win in the rules: price transparency. Airlines will have to show fares that include hand luggage from the very start of the booking process, rather than luring you in with a headline price and then springing bag fees on you at checkout. If an airline wants to sell a cheaper no-bag fare, that's still allowed — but it has to be a genuine, voluntary option, not a sleight of hand.

Now the catch for Brits. Because the UK is outside the EU, carriers like easyJet and British Airways may only have to honour these rights on flights covered by EU passenger rights regulations — meaning your outward leg from a UK airport could still come with hand luggage fees, with the free bag only kicking in on the return flight into the EU. In practice, whether airlines apply the rules symmetrically is another question, but read the small print when booking until things settle.

For anyone who has watched hand luggage allowances shrink and bag fees balloon over the past decade, this is a genuine reset. The 7kg/100cm allowance aligns roughly with what legacy carriers already offer, so budget airlines will have the most adjusting to do — and hopefully their pricing will get more honest in the process. Compare fares carefully in the meantime, because the current patchwork of rules means what you pay for a bag can still vary wildly depending on route and carrier.

If you're planning trips that involve EU flights before late 2027, the old rules still apply: check your allowance before you fly. After that, a guaranteed free cabin bag should become the baseline across the bloc — one less thing to factor into your holiday budget.