Low-cost flights, hand luggage and compensation: more rights, fewer hidden costs and clearer refunds

The new EU rules on air passenger rights promise greater transparency around hand luggage, delays, refunds and low-cost fares. Here’s what is really changing for travellers in Europe.

NEWS

Rebecca P. & Raffaele F.

6/18/20266 min read

Hand luggage, delayed flights and refunds: the new EU shake-up that could change the way we book

The problem with hidden costs when booking a flight

There is a scene we all know far too well: you find a flight at a low price, it feels as though you have just landed the deal of the year… then you reach the next page of the booking process and the price starts to climb. Extra hand luggage? Extra cost. A seat next to your child? Extra cost. Printing your boarding pass? It depends. Name change? Best not to even go there.

In the end, that “€19 flight” starts to look far less like a lucky bargain and far more like a treasure hunt full of hidden flight costs.

The European Union’s new direction on passenger rights

The big news is that the European Union has finally reached an agreement to update the rules on air passenger rights, whose main structure has remained unchanged for years and now feels somewhat outdated for the way we travel today.

It is not yet time to throw away all the old habits of a careful traveller: the agreement still has to be formally adopted, and the new flight rules are expected to come into force during 2027.

The signal, however, is strong: Europe wants to make it clearer what we are actually buying when we book a flight, strengthening rights in the event of delays and cancellations and limiting some practices that have sparked plenty of debate in recent years.

Hand luggage: greater transparency on ticket prices

The part that is likely to make the most noise, especially among those who often fly with low-cost airlines, concerns hand luggage on flights.

The aim is not simply to say “free” or “not free”, because the issue is more subtle than that. The key point is that the airfare shown at the start of the booking process will have to be far more transparent and include the hand luggage allowed under the standard fare, making it possible to compare airlines properly.

In practice, when searching for a flight, we should no longer discover too late that the cheapest ticket only remains competitive if we travel with a tiny backpack and nothing to place in the overhead locker.

Airlines will still be free to offer cheaper fares to passengers who voluntarily decide to travel without hand luggage. And this is where the change becomes particularly interesting for us travellers: it is not just about paying less or paying more, but about understanding straight away what is included.

For those travelling for a weekend, for content creators who always carry a camera, microphone, laptop and chargers, or simply for those who do not want to check in a suitcase for two days away, this transparency around hand luggage could genuinely make a difference.

Flight delays and compensation: the three-hour threshold remains

The other major confirmation concerns compensation for delayed flights. The three-hour threshold remains the key reference point: if you arrive at your destination with a significant delay, you will still be able to claim compensation, provided the cause does not fall under so-called extraordinary circumstances.

The amounts remain linked to the distance of the flight: €250 for routes of up to 1,500 km, €400 for medium-distance routes and €600 for longer flights.

This is one of the most important parts of the agreement, because in recent years there had been talk of raising the minimum threshold required to obtain compensation, making it harder for many passengers to assert their rights in the event of a flight delay.

European flight rules will continue to recognise that a passenger’s time has value. Of course, not every delay will give rise to automatic compensation: extreme weather, political instability, some strikes outside the airline’s control or other situations beyond the carrier’s responsibility can change the scenario.

However, the airline will have to explain clearly why it is refusing any compensation claim. It will not be able to dismiss the passenger with a vague or incomprehensible response.

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Simpler complaints and clearer replies from airlines

One of the most useful changes concerns communication. In the event of a delay or cancellation that could entitle passengers to compensation, the airline will have to inform the passenger within a few days, clearly explaining how to submit the claim.

It will then have to respond within 30 days, either paying the compensation or explaining the reason for refusal.

It may sound like a bureaucratic detail, but in reality it is one of the most important steps. Today, many travellers do not claim anything because they do not know whether they are entitled to, cannot find the right form, or give up after an endless sequence of pages, links and automated replies.

That is why flight complaint procedures and flight compensation claims are becoming a central issue for frequent travellers.

But which documents should you keep when something goes wrong?

Screenshots of the booking, the boarding pass, messages received from the airline, receipts for meals or hotels paid for out of your own pocket: all of these can become important if you need to prove that you suffered disruption or if the airline failed to provide adequate assistance.

Keeping the right documents for a flight refund or compensation claim can make the difference between an accepted request and a rejected case.

Families, children and vulnerable passengers: new protections when travelling

Families may also be able to breathe a sigh of relief: the new rules aim to prevent an adult from having to pay a surcharge simply to sit next to a child under the age of 14.

It is one of those practices that, over the years, has turned seat selection from an optional service into something close to an emotional obligation. No parent wants to find out at the gate that their child has been seated several rows ahead.

The same protective approach will extend to passengers with disabilities, pregnant women and other categories who will have clearer rights when it comes to assistance, seating and re-routing.

Protections for families on flights will therefore be one of the most concrete aspects of the reform.

Boarding passes and compulsory apps: digital should not become an obstacle

There is also another very practical point: airlines will not be able to force passengers to download a specific app in order to obtain their boarding pass.

In a world where everything passes through a smartphone, this may seem like a secondary issue, but it is not. The battery can run out, the phone can break, the connection may fail, and not all travellers are equally familiar with apps, accounts and notifications.

Digital tools are useful when they make things simpler, not when they become the only gateway to travel.

That is why the issue of digital boarding passes and compulsory airline apps affects everyone, not just those who travel rarely.

Clearer prices and fairer comparisons between airlines

For anyone who often flies within Europe, the real keyword will therefore be “predictability”. Clearer flight prices from the very beginning, fewer surprise costs during the booking process, simpler procedures in the event of delays and greater responsibility for airlines when something goes wrong.

This does not mean flights will magically become cheaper. Quite the opposite: some airlines have already warned that stricter rules could be reflected in final prices.

Even so, comparing offers should become more honest. And for those who book frequently, this transparency in airfares is already a small revolution.

Until the new rules fully come into force, the advice is to keep reading the ticket conditions carefully: always check what the fare includes, what luggage dimensions are allowed, whether online check-in is compulsory, how the boarding pass works and which options are automatically added before payment.

If your flight is cancelled or arrives more than three hours late, do not delete emails, do not throw away receipts and do not immediately accept a voucher before understanding whether you are entitled to a refund or compensation in cash.

A good checklist before booking a flight can help avoid surprises and make it easier to understand your rights before departure.

The future of air travel in Europe

2027 could mark a new phase for air travel in Europe: less of a fare jungle, more rights set out in black and white, and a more balanced relationship between airlines and passengers.

For us travellers, it means something very simple: booking should become less like a trap full of asterisks and much closer to what it should really be — the first step of the journey.

And perhaps, the next time we find a low-cost flight for an improvised weekend away, we will be able to focus a little more on the destination and a little less on the fear that our cabin bag might cost more than the ticket itself.

Low-cost flights, hand luggage and compensation: more rights, fewer hidden costs and clearer refunds

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