Passengers travelling to Europe could take cabin bag on board for FREE - as new rules will ban airlines from charging extra
Holidaymakers may soon avoid the frustration of paying extra fees for carry-on luggage at the boarding gate - thanks to proposed changes in EU airline rules.
The EU Parliament transport committee has approved new regulations that would grant all passengers the right to carry a handbag or small suitcase weighing up to 7kg at no extra cost.
Under the amendment, passengers would be allowed one cabin bag with dimensions measuring up to 100cm, in addition to a smaller personal item that fits under the seat.
This proposal could significantly impact budget airlines such as Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air, which currently charge extra for larger cabin baggage.
If implemented, the rule would apply not only to domestic EU flights but also to international flights connecting the EU with non-member countries, including the UK.
For the proposal to become law, it still requires approval from at least 55 per cent of EU member states, representing 65 cent of the total EU population.
However, this process could take time and prompt pushback from national governments and airline lobbies.
Spain has already expressed its approval for the proposed changes - but not everyone is on board.
Airlines for Europe, representing major carriers, warn that the new rules could disrupt operations and ultimately lead to increased ticket prices for passengers - even for those not carrying extra luggage.
Managing director Ourania Georgoutsakou told Politico that the European Parliament should 'let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don't.'
Ahead of Tuesday's vote, the group contacted EU transport committee members, stressing practical and logistical challenges airlines would face.
They pointed out that although many aircraft carry up to 180 passengers, the overhead compartments can only accommodate about 90 trolley-sized bags.
The industry body argues that requiring free carry-on luggage could cause boarding delays and overcrowding, and that travellers should retain the flexibility to select and pay for only the services they require.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
Canadian funds shelve $6 billion sale of renewables company Cubico, sources say
LONDON/NEW YORK, June 26 - Two Canadian pension funds have halted a long-running auction for renewable energy developer Cubico Sustainable Investments that they had hoped could be valued at more than $6 billion, including debt, three people familiar with the matter said. The Montreal-based Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) decided to explore a sale of the company that operates wind and solar farms across Europe, North and South America and Australia, nearly two years ago, when low-carbon energy companies were enjoying a period of rising valuations. However, the offers made were not enough to persuade the shareholders to agree to a sale, two of the people said. The process was not expected to restart imminently, one of the people and a third one said. Some bidders valued Cubico at around 5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) including debt, two of the sources said. Spanish infrastructure fund Qualitas Energy and KKR-backed power producer ContourGlobal were among the parties interested, the people said. Cubico, PSP, Qualitas, ContourGlobal and OTPP declined to comment. A representative for KKR had no immediate comment. Some investor interest in the sector has waned, especially in the United States, due in part to a rush for more power sources, including polluting ones, to meet soaring power demand for artificial intelligence projects, and Donald Trump's continued support for fossil fuels on his return to office. The owners originally expected the sale to fetch a valuation, including debt, of around 10 times Cubico's 2023 earnings of $625 million before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, Reuters reported previously. The process had attracted interest from at least one corporate utility as well as financial firms betting that clean power companies would become more valuable as governments pushed to reduce planet-warming emissions. Bankers were hoping Trump's drive to loosen regulations would drive a deals boom, but market volatility and geopolitical concerns have hampered some activity so far. Counting all its concentrated solar power and transmission line technology, Cubico has a total 2.8 gigawatts of generation capacity. It was formed in 2015 when the two funds partnered with Banco Santander. They bought equal shares of the Spanish bank's stake in 2016. ($1 = 0.8538 euros)
The Guardian
32 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The arithmetic is tricky for a Shell bid for BP today. Next year may be different
BP is a sitting duck for a takeover bid by most criteria. Its share price has underperformed rivals' for years. The latest strategic 're-set' was a bits-and-pieces production involving disposals, which do not happen overnight, plus a dilution of green energy ambitions that upset one sub-set of shareholders and didn't go far enough according to another. Meanwhile, the chair, Helge Lund, exits next year, pursued by an activist investor. So Shell, the most credible possible bidder by a distance, would be asleep at the wellhead if it were not taking a look and calculating what costs could be removed, which development licences it fancies and how regulators and governments might react. That's standard stuff, and Shell, one assumes, will have maintained a version of such modelling for about 20 years, which is roughly as long as tales of a combination of the two companies have been running. But here comes a response to media reports that was as definitive as these things tend to come: Shell says it has 'no intention' of making an offer for BP, a statement that takes it off-side as a bidder for six months under Takeover Panel rules. One should still remember the small print about the circumstances in which the Panel's Rule 2.8 does not apply, because two are not unimaginable – somebody else taking a pop, or BP's board agreeing to a bid. But Shell also said it 'has not been actively considering making an offer' and 'has not made an approach', which was a strong signal to the market to cool its jets. The share prices of the two companies, after a brief burst of excitement in New York trading, went back to where they were. We're also back to the same place in terms of pin-pointing the biggest obstacle to a deal: Shell's share price. Or, more precisely, it is Shell management's loud declarations that its shares are dirt cheap and therefore should be bought by the company itself in large quantities for cancellation. Buy-backs have run at $3bn or more for 14 quarters in a row. 'I have said in the past that we want to be value hunters,' Wael Sawan, the chief executive, said in May. 'Today, value hunting – in my view – is buying back more Shell.' That doesn't in itself rule out mega bids, but it sets 'an incredibly high bar,' as the finance director, Sinead Gorman, put it. The thinking makes sense. Any £60bn-plus bid for an ailing rival would inevitably involve Shell issuing oodles of new paper. That is tricky to justify if you genuinely believe your acquisition currency is seriously undervalued and you add value by maintaining buy-backs. BP is not a must-do deal for Shell, as argued here previously. The arithmetic might work if BP's board agreed to roll over and be bought at a tiny takeover premium – but that possibility must be remote. None of which is to deny the industrial logic in a combination. There probably are huge costs that could be ripped out. Panmure Liberum's analyst notes that BP has more than 100,000 staff, yet Shell delivers far higher returns with 96,000. Equally, one could imagine Shell offering to buy chunks of BP's oil and gas acreage but not the whole company, something that is not excluded under Rule 2.8. But the takeover dance feels like it requires Shell's share price to be higher to make the numbers work. On that front, the recent trend is in the right direction but more progress is surely needed, which is why a 'nothing for six months' statement is costless from Shell's point of view. Next year the arithmetic may stack up more easily. As for BP, this is starting to feel like a proper crisis. Its share price has drifted even lower since the unveiling in February of the supposedly 'exciting' new strategy. Disposals to ease the strain on the balance sheet remain a work in progress. One assumes a new chair, with authority to re-set the re-set, will be found before the six months are up. But the appointment can't come soon enough.
The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Mercedes reveals ridiculous electric supercar capable of hitting 224mph
Mercxedes-AMG has unveiled the Concept AMG GT XX, an audacious (and dazzlingly orange) electric supercar concept designed to showcase the next chapter of Mercedes' high-performance EVs. The four-door coupé packs in some seriously impressive stats. The standout figure is a bonkers peak output of 1,360hp, which far outpaces its nearest rival, the production Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. That power comes from a compact trio of specialised motors and a novel high-performance 800V battery, tech that Mercedes says is destined (in some form at least) to appear in its long-awaited electric performance architecture. Blending technology from Mercedes-AMG and the company's Formula 1 team, the Concept AMG GT XX is capable of a top speed of 360kmph (224mph). Charging speeds are just as sprightly – the high-voltage battery and direct cell cooling system enable hyper-fast 850kW charging, capable of adding 250 miles of range in just five minutes. At the heart of this performance leap are a set of three axial flux electric motors, developed in collaboration with British specialist YASA. These motors are smaller, lighter and more powerful than conventional radial flux motors, offering around three times the power density while being two-thirds lighter and occupying just one-third of the space. An intelligent direct cooling system, where a non-conductive oil flows around each of the more than 3,000 cells, maintains optimal temperatures. That's coupled with the same active air control system seen on existing AMG GT cars, in which a series of hidden vents in the front bumper open and close to regulate temperature. Even the wheels can cool themselves down, with actuators on each wheel automatically opening five 'aero-blades' to cool the brakes when needed. "The Concept AMG GT XX is the next milestone in the history of AMG and forges a whole new dimension of performance," said Michael Schiebe, CEO of Mercedes-AMG. "With our high-tech axial flux motor, we're delivering a revolutionary new drive that is unparalleled in terms of power density, weight and packaging." Inside, the black-and-orange cockpit focuses on the driver, with a minimalist design, exposed body structures and high-quality materials. Two large displays – a 10.25in instrument cluster and a 14in multimedia touchscreen – control vehicle functions. The interior also showcases what Mercedes says are 'biotechnology-based materials', including 3D-printed ergonomic seats designed around your personal body scans. In short, it's moulded to fit your bum. As well as personalised support for your behind, other innovations include luminescent paint segments on the exterior that can display the car's charging status, as well as exterior speakers integrated into the headlights. Because why not? While obviously a delirious concept in its current form, the Concept AMG GT XX gives us a glimpse at some of the tech that Mercedes hopes will make it into its upcoming production sports cars in terms of drivetrain, battery technology, aerodynamics and materials. 'Crafting these masterpieces is about creating something extraordinary, from the C111 to the Vision One-Eleven and into the future of production,' said Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Mercedes. 'The brand-new Concept AMG GT XX embodies the hot part of our design philosophy of sensual purity.'
