Air passengers have been warned of possible 25 per cent fare hikes as the European Union pushed for new rules on what baggage can be carried on board.
Low-budget airline easyJet have branded the new proposals ‘lunatic’ as travellers are set to granted freedom to take on for free a laptop bag and one item of luggage.
Easyjet boss Kenton Jarvis claimed it would cause chaos as planes lack sufficient space, with his firm able to accommodate cabin bags for about two thirds of passengers.
If everyone brought luggage on board, some bags would have to be removed and stowed in the hold.
The airline’s chief executive Mr Jarvis says this would increase delays while ticket prices would rise by as much as 25 per cent to help airlines make up for lost revenue.
He said: ‘This is politicians not understanding their subject and getting involved in things they shouldn’t.
‘There just isn’t the space in the cabin, so that’s another lunatic idea. It’s just crazy European legislation. It will be terrible for the consumer. I just can’t explain how stupid it would be for them to do it.’
Easyjet reported a loss of £93million for the quarter to December 31, up from £61million a year earlier, as it counted the cost of expanding into Italy.
Air passengers have been warned of possible 25 per cent fare hikes as the European Union pushes for new rules on what baggage can be carried on board (stock pic of a stewardess)
Members of the European Parliament have voted to maintain an existing three-hour flight delay threshold for compensation for travellers – with damages on offer held at between 300 and 600 euros – that is, £260 to £520.
They also said travellers should be able to carry both a personal bag and a piece of hand luggage on board free of charge.
And passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility should get compensation, rerouting and help if forced to miss trips because of inadequate airport support. The amendments are now due to go before the European Council for approval.
Rapporteur Andrey Novakov said: ‘Parliament is ready to continue the fight for clearer and more predictable rules for airlines and a stronger aviation sector, but not at the expense of passengers.
‘Our baseline is clear – we are determined to improve rather than dilute air passenger rights. We insist that reducing delays has significant overall benefits for Europe’s economy. Citizens expect us to deliver.’
Backlash has come from industry association Airlines For Europe, whose chief executive Ourania Georgoutsakou said: ‘Sticking to old rules on compensation, when delays have increaed by 114 per cent in the past 15 years due to factors airlines do not control, does not get passengers to where they want to be faster.
‘Obliging all of us to pay for an extra cabin bag we may not want or need, or to sit next to a disruptive passenger because they can no longer be denied boarding, does not benefit passengers either.’
Meanwhile, an easyJet advert was this month banned for misleading customers about the prices of bringing cabin bags on board.
Easyjet boss Kenton Jarvis (pictured) says changes could cause chaos as planes lack space, with his firm able to accommodate cabin bags for about two thirds of passengers
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled the airline was unable to provide evidence large cabin bags were available at the advertised price across a significant proportion of flights.
EasyJet stated large cabin bags were available from £5.99 on its website, seen in September 2025, under a section titled ‘Fees and charges’.
However, consumer protection group Which? challenged whether this claim was misleading and could be substantiated.
According to the ASA, easyJet were unable to provide evidence to show that large cabin bags were available at the advertised price across a significant proportion of their flights.
As a result, the ASA found that the pricing claim was misleading and banned the ad.
Initially responding to the claims, easyJet stated the ‘Fees and Charges’ page on their website was intended for information purposes, not for use in broader promotions or marketing campaigns.
EasyJet stated that large cabin bags could be purchased across their network for prices starting from £5.99.
They were not able to provide specific figures but stated the advertised price was accurate and available on a range of routes.
Travellers are set to granted freedom to take on for a free a laptop bag and one item of luggage
EasyJet explained that prices for a large cabin bag could vary depending on factors such as availability, demand, and operational cost, so it was not possible to display an exact price on the ‘Fees and Charges’ page.
The airline said the page was intended to inform consumers that £5.99 was the starting price point for a large cabin bag, and was not linked to a promotional sale or campaign.
If customers chose to add a large cabin bag to their booking, the actual price was shown clearly during the booking process before purchase to ensure transparency.
EasyJet believed the general availability of large cabin bags at £5.99, and the fact that there were no bags available below that price, meant the information on the page was not misleading.
However, the complaint was upheld, as the ASA considered that consumers would understand the claim ‘from £5.99’ to mean that large cabin bags would be available to book for £5.99 across a significant proportion of flight routes and dates.
The ASA said in its ruling: ‘We therefore expected to see evidence, in the form of relevant pricing and availability data, demonstrating that large cabin bags could be booked at the “from £5.99” price across a range of flights and dates.
‘However, easyJet said they were not able to provide specific data to substantiate that price. Consequently, we were unable to make an assessment of the proportion of large cabin bags that could be booked at the advertised price across a range of flights and dates.
‘Whilst we acknowledged easyJet’s assurance that large cabin bags could be purchased for £5.99, we considered that alone was insufficient to substantiate the “from” pricing claim.
‘Because we had not seen sufficient evidence to demonstrate that large cabin bags were available to book for £5.99 across a range of flight routes and dates, we concluded the “from” pricing claim had not been substantiated and was misleading.’
The advert was found to breach CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation) and 3.17 and 3.22 (Prices).
It was ruled the marketing communication must not appear again in such form.
The ASA told easyJet to ensure that when using ‘from’ price claims in the future that large cabin bags were available at the advertised price across a significant proportion of flights.
It comes after Which? research suggested easyJet’s cheapest cabin bag prices were rarely available.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘It’s frankly astonishing that airlines think they can ignore the rules and mislead customers with unattainable prices, so it’s absolutely right that the ASA has made this ruling against easyJet as a result of our complaint.
‘Our recent investigation found that there is a culture of airlines using low headline fares – then charging exorbitant prices on top to take a standard cabin bag.
‘The easyJet cabin bag prices we collected were typically five times as much as the “from £5.99” it claimed. When booking a trip, customers should consider choosing an airline without cabin bag add-ons as it may work out cheaper.’
A statement from easyJet said: ‘We always aim to provide clear information to our customers on pricing, and the purpose of this page was to display factual information on fees and charges to customers.
‘We always have some large cabin bags available for the lowest price. In light of the ASA’s feedback, we have made some changes to the page to ensure the information is as clear as possible for consumers.’
