Airports can be stressful environments even without nasty surprises thrown in. One of the unwanted surprises a large number of EasyJet passengers have faced this year is a financial penalty for taking an oversized cabin bag on board. According to reports across the media, passengers have been charged up to £48 at the gate for travelling with oversized bags. One possible reason why so many passengers have been penalised is that ground handlers are actually being paid extra to spot these bags and penalise the owners.
Travellers who used to “get away with it” are now finding they no longer can. If you don’t want to be caught out and face a fine of up to £48, you need to take baggage allowances very seriously. Ryanair have also recently announced changes that could make it even harder to get away with taking an oversized bag on the plane. Let’s look at why these crackdowns have happened, how to make sure that your bag qualifies as cabin-size and how luggage from Cabin Max can give you the peace of mind you need, whoever you’re travelling with.
The EasyJet Crackdown
In late 2023, Swissport (EasyJet’s ground handling partner) launched a scheme that was internally called "the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive". For each oversize bag that was spotted and take at the gate, staff would get paid an extra £1.20. This applies at multiple UK and Channel Islands airports like Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool, and Newcastle. It’s through that ground handlers employed by DHL Supply Chain are receiving similar payments for spotting oversized bags at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester.
If you are an EasyJet passenger, you can expect ground handlers to be even more vigilant than usual now that there’s an incentive for catching you in place. £48 is a sum not many people can afford to lose, and you could be fined this even if your bag is only slightly too big.
Why Airlines Are Cracking Down
You may assume that these changes are just about making more money, especially with baggage fees making up much of the revenue that budget airlines receive. However, EasyJet say their new rules are also about fairness and efficiency.
Overhead lockers can fill up very quickly, and if too many passengers take oversized or unauthorised bags on board, boarding can slow down substantially. This is very frustrating for travellers and can be expensive for the airline too as one delay can have a big domino effect on the rest of the day’s schedule.
EasyJet says baggage allowances are clearly displayed when people book their trips and on their boarding passes. It also says only a few passengers end up being charged. However, the experience of being charged can still be an unpleasant one, and the fine can even wipe out the savings that you make from booking with a budget airline.
The Ryanair Approach: Higher Incentives for Gate Staff
It’s not just EasyJet passengers who need to be more vigilant when it comes to cabin bag rules. Ryanair has also toughened its approach, announcing even bigger bonuses for staff who catch non-compliant bags.
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary has said that he’s increasing the gate bag incentive to €1.50 to €2.50 for every oversized or non-compliant bag spotted. The airline is also scrapping bonus caps, which means there is no limit to how much ground staff can earn from spotting oversized bags. Ryanair says that the changes are about fairness and smoother boarding, but some travellers are angry as the bonuses are giving staff a clear financial incentive to be extra strict.
O’Leary said he wanted his ground handling staff to be catching people who he said were “scamming the system”, saying travellers weren’t getting on the planes if their bags didn’t fit. He also denied that passengers were being unfairly targeted for small issues like zips sticking out of sizers.
Ryanair passengers are entitled to one small underseat bag for free, measuring up to 40 x 30 x 20cm. A second cabin bag like a small wheelie suitcase up to 55 x 40 x 20cm is allowed if you pay an additional fee. This is normally cheaper than checking a case into the hold.
The airline says most travellers comply with the restrictions and that less than 0.1% of passengers are paying gate bag fees. However, this still adds up to approximately 200,000 people every year.
The days of getting away with slightly oversized bags are coming to an end, with EasyJet and Ryanair rewarding staff for catching rule-breakers and leaving travellers with high penalties. This is why it’s so important to measure your luggage carefully and invest in a bag that will easily comply with airline rules.
How Do Ground Staff Feel About It?
Enforcing these rules isn’t always a pleasant experience. Many ground handlers are paid the National Minimum or Living Wage, and confronting passengers can be awkward. Staff can find themselves involved in arguments and on the receiving end of abuse at the gate, which can leave them wondering if enforcing the rules is even worth it. It doesn’t appear that the scheme is going anywhere, which is why it is so important for passengers to understand the rules and stick to them.
What Counts as a Cabin-Size Bag?
The free underseat allowance with EasyJet is 45 x 36 x 20cm, and this has to include the handles and wheels. It must fit under the seat in front of you. There’s also a paid cabin bag option. If you pay a little extra, you can take a bag up to 56 x 45 x 25cm, which goes into the overhead locker.
Remember, wheels and handles count so don’t just measure the main compartment and forget about the extras. One bag really does mean one bag, so you won’t be able to take a handbag on the plane with you as a separate item unless it fits inside your main bag. You can’t overstuff your bag. If your bag is bulging and they can’t easily slide it into the sizer, there’s a big chance that you could be charged.
Which Mistakes Do Travellers Make?
Even the most experienced of travellers can slip up. Common mistakes include relying on guesswork and assuming a bag looks about right instead of measuring it, overpacking and getting the rules of different airlines mixed up. Remember, a bag might be accepted on British Airways or Jet2, but it may not meet the stricter limits of EasyJet or Ryanair.
What Are Passengers Saying?
There have been many stories on social media about passenger unhappiness. Some passengers say they’ve ended up paying more for their bag than their actual flight, and one family of five said they paid almost £250 in unexpected charges. One passenger was charged £48 for a bag they’d been able to use free of charge for years.
Checking Your Bag at Home
It isn’t difficult to avoid the fines. You can save a great deal of cash by carrying out a few checks before you leave. Make sure you measure your bag properly with a tape measure and check it against the limits. You can also place masking tape on the floor to outline the dimensions and make sure your bag fits. Test the bag with the items inside. Bags can bulge once they are full, so pack realistically and check again. Make sure you weigh your bag if it will be placed overhead as there is a weight cap for these bags.
How Cabin Max can help
At Cabin Max, we offer a wide range of bags that help you stick to the limits and avoid hefty fines. Here are just a few of them.
Cabin Max Anode 30L Underseat Small Suitcase
The Anode 30L underseat suitcase can help you beat EasyJet baggage fees easily. It’s perfectly sized at 45x36x20cm to fit the free cabin allowance and weighs just 2.2kg. The bag is lightweight yet tough thanks to its robust ABS shell and has zipped dividers, packing straps and handy compartments for chargers or accessories inside. The smooth spinner wheels and a two-stage telescopic handle mean travel is effortless.
The Metz 30L Cabin Backpack is perfectly sized at 45x36x20cm to fit EasyJet’s free underseat allowance and save you baggage fees. It makes packing simple and efficient thanks to its spacious opening and also comes with extra-comfortable padded straps and an air-mesh back. It also offers convenient organiser pockets, a bottle holder and a trolley strap add convenience.
Travel Hack 30L Hybrid Trolley Backpack
The Travel Hack 30L Hybrid Trolley Backpack is designed to fit easyJet’s 45x36x20cm under-seat allowance. With 30L capacity, laptop storage up to 13” and an organiser pocket, it combines trolley and backpack modes seamlessly. It’s lightweight, versatile and covered by a 3-year warranty.
The above bags are all too big to be compliant with Ryanair’s free bag rules, but fantastic options are available if you are travelling with the airline and looking for something that won’t get you fined or add unnecessary stress to your travel experience.
Here are two of our most popular Ryanair-friendly bags.
Equator X 24L Underseat Cabin Bag
Sized at 40 x 30 x 20cm, the Equator X is fully compliant with Ryanair’s free cabin allowance. It opens like a suitcase for easy packing and comes with two compartments, zipped pockets and laptop storage up to 13”. It's lightweight (0.9kg), durable, eco-friendly and manufactured from recycled RPET Cordura. The bag’s comfortable backpack straps, a sternum strap, bottle holder and 3-year warranty make it a reliable travel companion.
Designed to meet Ryanair’s 40 x 30 x 20cm free underseat allowance, the Memphis 24L helps you avoid hand luggage fees while keeping everything organised. It has a compression system, padded laptop pocket (up to 13”), organiser compartments and a discreet rear pocket. Made from recycled RPET polyester, the bag is lightweight, showerproof and backed by a 3-year warranty.
Packing Tips
Once you have purchased a bag that meets EasyJet or Ryanair’s restrictions, there are other steps you can take to manage your load effectively. These include rolling clothes instead of folding them to save space and reduce creases. You can also wear bulkier items like coats and trainers whilst you travel instead of packing them. Packing cubes can help you compress clothes so they stay organised. If you’re travelling as a family, you can distribute items across bags.
Hand Luggage: Is Anything Likely to Change?
Changes could be coming soon when it comes to hand luggage restrictions. The European Parliament’s transport committee recently voted to allow passengers an extra free 7kg hand luggage item but this isn’t law yet and still needs approval from a majority of EU member states. If it is passed, it could take a lot of the stress out of flying with budget airlines. If these changes do happen, the UK could adopt something similar.
Get Peace of Mind by Using the Right Bag
There is no sign of any U-turns when it comes to EasyJet and Ryanair’s oversize bag crackdowns. Travellers need to take more care than ever whilst staff are being rewarded for catching those who break the rules. The good news is that these fines are completely avoidable, so just remember to measure your bag at home, pack smartly and invest in airline-compliant luggage. This takes much of the stress out of the situation and lets you start your trip on the right note.
When you choose cabin bags from Cabin Max, you get maximum packing space, guaranteed compliance and the chance to completely avoid the £48 fine. This ensures your holiday gets off to a great start and you don’t have to worry about an unexpected bill.
Contact Us
If you do have any queries about our EasyJet cabin bags, get in touch today. You can reach us by using the live chat facility on our site or by sending a message to info@cabinmax.com