The European Parliament's Committee on Transport adopted its position on Tuesday, stating that air passengers should have the right to take two items of personal luggage with them at no extra cost.
But to reach a compromise, MEPs had to agree on the size of the luggage, as controversy continues over whether or not hand luggage should be free when travelling by plane in Europe.
"The solution we came up with was to reduce the size of hand luggage," admits one of the report's three rapporteurs, Andrey Novakov (EPP). "But yes, the Parliament's proposal is to include it in the price of the ticket".
"You can have your backpack or a handbag, which is already the case today, you can have a personal item, and a small piece of hand luggage, which should have a total length, height and depth of 100 cm," the Bulgarian MEP explained the committee's proposal.
The European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC) welcomes this vote, which was adopted by a very large majority.
"This is a fundamental consumer expectation, which is perfectly in line with the Court of Justice ruling that hand luggage of a reasonable size cannot be subject to additional charges," The organisation said.
Meanwhile, Airlines for Europe (A4E), which represents 17 air carriers, believes that MEPs have taken advantage of "this vote to add, in a roundabout way, amendments specific to air transport which deprive passengers of their choice and their ability to decide which services they want to pay for, and, more importantly, which services they do not want to pay for."
This vote by MEPs goes against the decision made earlier this month by the bloc's 27 transport ministers. Member states propose that airlines should be allowed to charge for hand luggage when the allowances are clearly displayed.
The European Parliament's Committee on Transport has also proposed that people with reduced mobility should be allowed to travel with their companions free of charge. Similarly, children aged 12 should be able to sit next to their carer at no extra cost.
