A big overhaul of EU air passenger rights is on the way, and it includes something budget flyers have wanted for years: a guaranteed free piece of hand luggage.

The European Parliament and Council signed off on the revised rules — the first update since 2004 — with the act published in the EU's Official Journal on 2 October. The changes take effect from 23 October 2027, so there's a wait, but the direction of travel is clear.

Here's what it means in practice. Every passenger will be entitled to bring on board, at no extra charge, a personal item that fits under the seat (think small backpack or handbag, max 40 x 30 x 15cm) plus one proper cabin bag weighing up to 7kg with combined dimensions of 100cm. Airlines can still sell cheaper tickets to people who voluntarily travel with no hand luggage, but they can no longer make a cabin bag an expensive bolt-on by default.

Price transparency is the other headline change. Airlines will have to display fares that include a hand luggage allowance from the very start of the booking process, rather than springing the bag fee on you at the final click. That should make comparing low-cost carriers genuinely easier — the headline fare will finally mean something closer to what you'll actually pay.

There's a catch for UK travellers, though. Because Britain is no longer in the EU, carriers like easyJet and British Airways may only be bound by these rules on flights into the EU covered by European passenger rights regulations. In plain terms: your return leg from, say, Barcelona or Athens should come with the free cabin bag, but the outward flight from a UK airport could still carry the usual hand luggage charges. Pack accordingly, and check each leg's baggage rules before you book.

For anyone who has watched hand luggage fees creep up — and sometimes exceed the ticket price itself — this is one of the most concrete wins for passengers in two decades. It won't make bags free everywhere, and weight limits still apply, but from late 2027 a wheelie case in the overhead bin becomes a right on EU-covered flights rather than a paid extra.

The story first appeared in The Independent Travel.