Another airline scraps free hand luggage ahead of the summer holidays

ANOTHER airline is introducing new charges for passengers travelling with just hand luggage.

Corendon Dutch Airlines has confirmed that from today, travellers will no longer be able to take a suitcase into the cabin for free.

According to Dutch media, passengers will have to pay €15 to take any bag “larger than a small accessory” onboard.

This works out to a 10kg bag measuring no more than 55x40x25cm.

The website now states: “From May 8, 2024, every traveler aged two years and older can take one piece of hand luggage with a maximum of 40x30x20cm free of charge, provided it fits under the seat in front of you.”

Passengers who have already booked flights won’t be charged the new fee.

And passengers flying to and from Belgium, Germany or Curaçao are excluded from the new rules, and can still take a free suitcase into the cabin.

A spokesperson told the “rising costs” were behind the move, adding: “We want to motivate people to simply choose to take a large suitcase with them in the hold in such cases.”

Passengers who try and take suitcases larger than hand luggage size into the cabin will be charged €75 at the airport.

Corendon Dutch Airlines currently operates flights to and from the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.

The airline is a sister airline of the Turkish Corendon Airlines, who hit headlines last year after announcing new ‘kid-free’ zones onboard.

Corendon Airlines launched back in 2004, and now carries as many as six million passengers a year with flights from the UK to Turkey.

Airlines have been cracking down on cabin bags in recent months in a bid to reduce the number of travellers taking bags onboard.

Not only is this due to limited space in the overhead lockers, but it can result in delays before take-off.

KM Malta, which operates flights between London and Malta, confirmed it would be ditching the free 10kg hand luggage allowance.

Finnair also unveiled its new basic air fare which no longer includes a free suitcase in the cabin.

Launching from June 1, the Superlight ticket replaces Economy Light on flights to and from Europe, with passengers only allowed a 40x30x15cm bag for free.

Finnair’s Chief Commercial Officer Ole Orvér said at the time: “We are experiencing the familiar issues of excess baggage onboard our flights, impacting punctuality and travel comfort, and we are getting regular feedback on this from our customers and personnel.”

A number of airlines scrapped free hand luggage years ago.

Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air only allow passengers to take a small bag on the flight, with suitcases costing extra.

And overhead lockers could one day be scrapped entirely.

Airline cabin designer, David Young, who worked for Teague for 20 years, warned that airlines are at “breaking point”.

He added: “Maybe we don’t need carry-ons at all. Someone needs to step out and say, ‘We’re not doing this anymore. This isn’t the right experience for air travel.’”