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easyJet’s controversial new cabin bag policy is now live

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Last Wednesday was the launch date for easyJet’s controversial new cabin baggage policy.

With only a handful of flights operating, and with only a handful of passengers, the launch was reportedly a bit of a damp squib with cabin crew not enforcing the new rules. You shouldn’t expect this to last.

If you want to put a bag in the overhead locker, you may be out of luck.

Historically, easyJet has offered more bundled fares compared to its rivals. When Ryanair and Wizz Air reduced the free cabin allowance to a small item only, easyJet was still letting you take on a larger, wheeled cabin bag.

This has all changed. easyJet has aligning its cabin bag policies with Ryanair and Wizz. You are only allowed to take a small cabin bag onto the aircraft which must fit under the seat in front of you.

You can see the new policy on easyJet.com here.

The new easyJet cabin baggage allowance

All passengers can bring one small cabin bag on board for free, with a maximum size of 45cm x 36cm x 20cm including any handles or wheels. This bag must fit underneath the seat in front of you (ie. backpacks, handbags, laptop bags etc).

Customers who booked Up Front or Extra Legroom seats will get one additional, larger cabin bag included in their fare. This must be 56cm x 45cm x 25cm or smaller, and can go in the overhead locker. This could be a duffel bag or wheely bag, for example.

easyJet Plus (see our review of easyJet Plus here) and FLEXI fare holders will also be able to bring a larger bag.

Anyone who has not booked an Up Front or Extra Legroom seat will be charged £55 each way to put their larger bag in the hold. It will not remain in the cabin.

Can I pay for the larger cabin bag?

Sort of. Like Ryanair or Wizz Air, easyJet offers a ‘Up Front’ seating which includes the additional, larger bag as well as Speedy Boarding and use of the easyJet Plus bag drop.

There are typically between 42 and 63 ‘Up Front’ seats on an easyJet flight and you can upgrade from £7.99 each way.

The other option is to purchase easyJet Plus for £215 (more info on that here) or buy a FLEXI ticket.

It is not possible to pay for just the larger cabin bag; it must be part of a larger bundle. If you turn up at the gate with an overhead bin bag it will be taken from you, placed in the hold and you will be charged £55:

What about hold luggage?

As before, you can add hold luggage, with options in three different sizes: 15kg, 23kg or 32kg. Here are sample prices between Gatwick and Berlin.

It costs over £40 return for a 15kg checked bag, or £70 for 26kg.

What about existing bookings?

This new policy was announced in early December so anyone who has booked in the last few weeks will know what they are getting.

If you have a booking made before December for later in 2021, you are in for a surprise.

People who booked before the new system was announced will be given the ‘Hands Free’ product free of charge, which lets you check in your larger sized cabin bag. Note that you cannot get your bag into the cabin even if you are willing to pay. It must be checked in, albeit for free.

Conclusion

Clear water is starting to open up between British Airways and its low cost rivals.

By removing the ability to put a bag in the overhead bins without booking a specific ticket type, easyJet has removed one of the key benefits that set it apart from its low cost rivals Ryanair or Wizz Air.

Meanwhile, British Airways is promoting the reintroduction of free water and light snacks on short-haul flights, along with the launch of the Tom Kerridge pre-order menu.

There also appears to be some strange logic at work here. Since the only people who can put something in the overhead locker are sitting in the extra legroom seats at the front or centre of the plane, the lockers in the rear half of the plane will be empty. It’s all very odd.

Details are on easyJet.com here.

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Comments (102)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Ioan Dolben says:
    15 Feb15 February 10:47

    Won’t be using easy jet again .

  • Derrick says:
    15 Feb15 February 10:52

    Hands free is still available to put your large cabin bag in the hold for £7 much cheaper than a case in the hold… Good luck finding that on the website though

  • flyforfun says:
    15 Feb15 February 11:02

    “There also appears to be some strange logic at work here. Since the only people who can put something in the overhead locker are sitting in the extra legroom seats at the front or centre of the plane, the lockers in the rear half of the plane will be empty. It’s all very odd.”

    It was odd before too. I used to normally splurge for the exit row seats in the middle of the plane and I’d find there was that cluster of cases in the overhead as we all obviously took advantage of the case allowance and priority boarding. Even on summer holiday routes there wasn’t an over abundance of other carry on cases with most checking in at least one bag per household. But those of us with the “premium” seats had all brought our carry on cases.

  • Stephanie Haworth says:
    15 Feb15 February 11:07

    About time. It’s a nightmare allowing large bags inside the cabin. They should be in the he hold. Well done Easy jet.

    • Rob says:
      15 Feb15 February 11:22

      Great idea until your soft-sided bag and its contents are destroyed by a suitcase being dropped on top of it.

      Many insurance policies will also not pay for laptops sent in the hold. My wife is personally responsible if her work laptop is not carried with her in the cabin.

      • ADS says:
        15 Feb15 February 12:45

        Apart from if Easyjet are anything like Ryanair – it’s only wheelies that will be forced into the hold. As long as you are carrying your soft bag in your hand, you will probably get away with it in the cabin.

      • 1ATL says:
        16 Feb16 February 03:46

        Which says to me if you know what you’re taking on board then pay accordingly. Don’t leave it to chance or ignorance otherwise it’s going to end badly.

      • Geoff says:
        16 Feb16 February 06:10

        “ Many insurance policies will also not pay for laptops sent in the hold”

        Don’t send it in the hold then? Do people not read what they’ve booked anymore ?

    • Julian says:
      15 Feb15 February 11:29

      Stephanie don’t you think if that was their objective they would just have included 20kg luggage allowance with everyone’s ticket like back in the good old days when we also got a free meal and bottle of wine.

      This is all about disgustingly ripping off the irregular traveller by hitting them with massive extra fees at the airport they didn’t expect to pay when they booked the apparently lowest cost ticket.

      The Competition and Markets Authority ought to be investigating the disgraceful practices on baggage charges of all airlines and especially low cost airlines.

  • Matthew says:
    15 Feb15 February 11:09

    Don’t forget hold luggage pricing varies according to season. Peak season hold luggage is quite a bit more…

    • Lady London says:
      15 Feb15 February 11:22

      There will be savage rampups on all charges as get closer to flight time.

    • Julian says:
      15 Feb15 February 11:36

      Don’t forget that taking luggage on an airline is now a nightmare but taking it by car or train is still easy, hassle free and not subject to any weight limits………

      • mark2 says:
        15 Feb15 February 12:19

        The last time I went on a train in Canada there were, amazingly, weight limits.

  • maccymac says:
    15 Feb15 February 12:02

    The fact that you can’t pay extra to add on a carry on bag, and must purchase an extra legroom seat, is baffling.

    Let’s hope they u-turn on this decision, otherwise its goodbye easyjet!

  • Julian says:
    15 Feb15 February 12:09

    Nothing baffling about it all.

    Its all in line with consistent efforts of the low cost airlines aided and abetted by skyscanner.net and their ilk to con people in to booking the apparent cheapest ticket available and then selling them 101 different add-ons most of them will need in order to actually travel on the flight. Better still you don’t realise till you get to the airport when they can charge you any amount they feel like or otherwise you can’t get on the flight.

    However does make me wonder how in 2021 they still get away with this and people don’t spot the con and travel with a full service airline instead.

    As I have in said in other comments the Competition and Markets Authority urgently needs to investigate the many scam hidden charges associated with the supposedly low cost airlines sector.

    Of course for now most of us won’t be travelling anyway due to all the nonsense with the multiple PCR tests, mask wearing and quarantine.

    • Yorkieflyer says:
      15 Feb15 February 18:16

      Before EasyJet and Ryanair most of us couldn’t afford full service airlines and managed a once a year charter flight with if you were lucky a tray meal stowed in the back of your seat a la Court Line 😬

  • Travel Strong says:
    15 Feb15 February 12:38

    Before the change: EasyJet my top choice. Often book on the app without even looking elsewhere.

    After the change: Will always be comparing carefully to Wizz/Ryanair offerings now.

    Right now, EasyJet are still treating customers better with flexibility / moving flights / cancellations etc.

    But when that inevitably ends, and normal flexibility rules return, there is not much left to set them apart unless they also pivot again on baggage.

    • Lady London says:
      15 Feb15 February 13:54

      I’ll be looking at Wizz too now.

      Can’t make myself, ever, voluntarily do Ryanair again if I can possibly avoid it.

      • Stagger Lee says:
        15 Feb15 February 15:03

        Are Wizz actually any good these days.

        I booked with them twice a few years ago and both times they made enormous changes to the flight times that made the trip totally pointless. I cancelled both and I’ve never even bothered looking at them again

      • Travel Strong says:
        15 Feb15 February 18:27

        P.S. Always enjoy a Wizz flight once in the air. It’s a perfectly normal experience with food/drink options similar to EasyJet.

    • Travel Strong says:
      15 Feb15 February 18:25

      Wizz is good with Wizz priority added on, in the same way that EasyJet is good with Up Front seats booked – both situations get carry on, priority boarding, good seats.

      For now EasyJet still wins out on rebooking flexibility, seating you together for free (where possible) if you don’t pay for seats, and refunding your APD if you’re a no-show.
      Wizz/Ryanair are terrible at all of that.

      EasyJet/BA schedules are often better with multiple flights per day to many more locations, so there’s more fallback options.

      I guess I’m still pro-EasyJet….. Just fearful this is the beginning of the end, and the baggage is the first thing to go, and next they will come for humane things like seating you together.

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