Ryanair increases size of free hand baggage allowance
These are the new dimensions allowed for the items that have to be placed under the seat in front of passengers
Ryanair - the airline with the highest volume of passengers at Malaga Airport - has just announced that its customers will be able to carry a larger free hand luggage allowance. This concerns the bag or item that goes under the seat in front of the passengers and which is included in the price of cheapest 'basic' flight ticket. The dimensions of this bag now go from 40x20x25 centimetres to 40x20x30 centimetres, meaning that five centimetres have been added. In addition, the volume allowance has gone from 20 to 24 litres.
"This measure is part of the European airlines' agreement to adopt a new minimum size for hand luggage, which will be larger than that permitted in the new EU regulation" - 40x15x30 - "that is still pending approval". This summer, Ryanair - the company which accounts for 30% of passenger traffic at the Costa del Sol airport - is connecting Malaga with 91 cities in Europe and North Africa.
40x20x30 is the newly approved size of the free baggage allowance - the item that goes under the seat in front of passengers
Ryanair spokesperson for Spain Elena Cabrera previously stated that the airline has put 5.3 million seats on the Costa del Sol market during this high season. The planned air capacity is 5% higher than last summer, which was already historic for an airline with 18 aircraft based at this facility. According to Cabrera, Ryanair's operations in the Costa del Sol represent "an investment of 1.8 billion dollars", a boost for the local economy and the creation of 4,500 local jobs.
It will take a few weeks for Ryanair to put the size update into force. According to AirCashBack - a company that specialises in airline complaints - this is an important step towards better consumer protection, considering that the previous size limitations were a source of constant complaints. "Even minor protruding items, such as a bottle or the handle of a suitcase, could result in surcharges. The new regulation aims to put an end to arbitrariness," said AirCashBack, adding that, in recent months, surcharges from various airlines have reached "67 euros for a backpack" that was barely over the limits; "87 euros for a suitcase with a protruding handle; 58 euros for a bottle on the side of the backpack; or 73 euros in situations where the luggage complied with the measurements, but the decision was reached visually".
