Low-cost airline Ryanair will allow larger free carry-on bag sizes from now on. The company has completed the rollout of its bigger sizers at its 235 airports across Europe, it announced in a press release on Thursday.
From now on, all Ryanair passengers can bring a bigger free personal bag (40x30x20cm) on the plane with them – up from 40x25x20cm before. The new size is 33% bigger than the EU standard free carry-on bag, the airline stressed.
"We hope our customers will enjoy these bigger, free carry-on bag sizes," said Dara Brady, Ryanair's CMO. "But any passenger who fails to comply with these new generous limits, will be required to pay the checked-in bag fee at the boarding gate."
Ryanair allows each passenger to bring one free carry-on bag on board, which must fit "under the seat in front of you." Should passengers wish to bring an extra carry-on bag, they can do so by purchasing Ryanair’s Priority Boarding service.
"The rollout has been ongoing over the summer since the new EU minimum bag size requirements and the Airlines for Europe (A4E) announcement in July of this year," a Ryanair spokesperson clarified to The Brussels Times, adding that it has now been completed.
Upcoming EU regulations
According to Belgian consumer protection organisation Testachats, Ryanair's current slightly larger hand luggage offer is due to upcoming European regulations that would regulate (free) hand luggage more clearly.
While the regulations have not been approved yet, a free personal item of a maximum size of 40x30x15cm and a small suitcase whose three combined dimensions total a maximum of 100cm (55x25x20cm, for example) are part of the proposal currently on the table.
"This personal item is currently the only free item offered by Ryanair," Laura Clays, Testachats spokesperson, told The Brussels Times. The same is true for EasyJet (although its 45x36x20cm dimensions are slightly more generous than its Irish competitor), Wizzair and Vueling, for example.
At the start of the summer, A4E announced that its member airlines – which include Ryanair and EasyJet – would start applying the guaranteed 40×30×15cm dimensions for the personal item passengers are allowed to bring on board free of charge. Airlines had until the end of the 2025 summer season to roll out the new dimensions. Carriers who want to permit larger personal items can still do so.
Illustration image of a Ryanair plane. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
While Ryanair's previous maximum dimensions (40x25x20cm) were too small, the increase now means that they offer customers items 33% bigger than what Europe would require, in terms of volume.
"But let's be honest: it is still not truly consumer-friendly," Clays stressed. "The debate in Europe was not so much about the size of personal items, but about making it clear that the actual carry-on trolley should be free everywhere. And that is still not the case with Ryanair."
The size of Ryanair's free carry-on bag was also part of a lawsuit by Testachats (with the support of its umbrella organisation Euroconsumers) in May this year, as current European legislation stipulates that "hand luggage of reasonable dimensions" must be an integral part of the ticket price. "We believe this should be understood as hand luggage as most people know it, namely a trolley," Clays said.
However, Ryanair's new bag dimensions were not the result of this lawsuit. In fact, Testachats' lawsuit against Ryanair is still ongoing. "Even if the European hand luggage regulations are approved, there are still other practices at Ryanair that we are challenging, and the lawsuit must remain open."
