On 4 October, the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee (PETI) adopted a Resolution, tabled my MEP Dolors Montserrat (ES), which aims to address citizens’ concerns about the inconvenience and discomfort caused by inconsistent rules on airline carry-on luggage. APRA very much welcomes this initiative as a step in the right direction towards helping passengers, as luggage problems are amongst the biggest pain points for travelers.

Over the past two years, passengers have become victims of a continuous luggage chaos at airport. The subsequent poor treatment of passengers in this matter, shows the need for additional passenger protection. MEP Montserrat rightly argues that different airline rules on allowed luggage create hidden fees and make it more difficult to transparently compare prices. APRA supports this statement, but problems relating to luggage go beyond size restrictions and pricing.

APRA President Tomasz Pawliszyn said: “APRA welcomes any efforts that create more clarity and certainty for our travelers. As such, we fully support the resolution by MEP Montserrat and the PETI Committee. However, the problems do not stop there and we would urge decision-makers to take further measures. As checked luggage has become an additional paid service for the airlines, well-defined protection should be established, including rules for compensation of lost, damaged, or delayed luggage, with defined waiting times and minimum compensation levels. If we have learned anything from the pandemic it is that consumer confidence is vital to a healthy aviation industry. We need to win back consumer trust and the only way to do that is by offering maximum transparency and adequate protection”