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The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Getting a handle on cabin baggage: How confusing are the current rules, and what is changing (or not)?
You know the feeling: you buy a budget airline ticket and turn up at the departure gate only to discover that you have the wrong sort of hand baggage. It might be too big for the 'sizer' at the entrance to the plane, you may have one too many items – such as a handbag as well as a laptop case. European consumer groups are calling for such penalties to be banned, saying every passenger should be allowed to carry a roll-along bag as well as a 'personal item' such as a handbag or laptop. How likely is this to come to pass? Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent of The Independent, has been stowing his belongings in the overhead locker for a good few years … Have there always been cabin baggage wars? No. A couple of decades ago, the number of questions I received about cabin baggage allowances was close to zero. But in 2006, airlines started charging for checked baggage. As the practice spread swiftly through the budget airlines and then the 'legacy' carriers, inevitably passengers started cramming whatever they could into cabin baggage. Very quickly, the overhead bins started flowing over, and airlines spotted another revenue source: charging for taking larger pieces of cabin baggage on board. They don't agree about the exact dimensions on the free item, either – leading to all manner of disputes at the boarding gate. Meanwhile airlines such as British Airways see their generous two-piece allowance as a marketing edge. Who are these European consumer groups – and what exactly do they want? They comprise 16 national bodies from across the EU, under the main European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) umbrella. They want a consistent, generous limit on how much you can take into the aircraft. Agustin Reyna, director general of BEUC, said: 'Consumers expect to see a small item and a piece of hand luggage when buying basic tickets.' In other words, every airline should share the British Airways two-piece allowance. Standardisation is also important. Cabin baggage limits on flights are maddeningly complicated. Airlines come up with their own rules on the exact dimensions and weights of hand luggage. Some charge for anything more than a small backpack, laptop case or handbag – others don't. Many 'legacy' carriers such as British Airways and North American airlines have a generous two-item allowance for cabin baggage. But budget airlines in Europe are much more restrictive. And to make matters worse they deploy different dimensions for the free cabin baggage and a paid-for roll-along case if you want to bring one. What do the top carriers allow? Currently, if you normally fly on airline X, you cannot assume your bag will also be compliant on airline Y. At present the leading three budget airlines in Europe have sharply different maximum dimensions: Free bag: Easyjet: 45 x 36 x 20cm Ryanair: 40 x 25 x 20cm Wizz Air: 40 x 30 x 20cm Paid-for bag: When converted to litres of capacity, the differences become obvious: Easyjet: 32 free, 63 paid Ryanair: 20 free, 44 paid Wizz Air: 24 free, 51 paid With easyJet around 50 per cent more generous than Ryanair, there is plenty of scope for standardisation. This could extend to 'legacy' airlines too. At present British Airways has a meagre allowance for a personal item (40 x 30 x 15cm, or 18 litres) but also a giant free cabin bag measuring 56 x 45 x 25cm (63 litres). How likely are changes? Already courts in Italy and Spain have come down on the side of the passenger wanting to bring two pieces of cabin baggage, with fines imposed on various budget airlines, particularly Ryanair. But the carriers believe that they will win at higher courts, because the current system offers passengers choice. They say that forcing airlines to carry almost unlimited cabin baggage will snarl up their systems and send air fares soaring. Michael O'Leary of Ryanair says officials in Brussels 'accept that there will have to be restrictions'. He told me: 'We can only allow about half the passengers to bring a wheelie bag on board. There isn't space on board the aircraft for any more bags. So we don't think there's going to be any legislation that will impose a right – or impose on all airlines, 'You must take all these wheelie bags' – because the aircraft won't fit the bags.' He would say that, wouldn't he? Yes, because budget airlines make a large slab of their revenue from charging for larger items of hand luggage. Low-cost carriers refute the accusation that extra baggage charges are hidden. They say they make pricing entirely transparent. I have some sympathy with them. Yet the airlines have brought extra attention to their policies by upping the cost of baggage to an absurd degree. On Saturday, for example, I can fly on Ryanair from Edinburgh to Cork for £17. But taking a larger piece of cabin baggage will cost an extra £19 – more than doubling the cost. No wonder the European authorities are taking a closer look at the subject. Will the airlines be forced to change anything? I believe they will voluntarily align cabin baggage limits. The European Parliament passed a resolution last October saying: 'EU-wide harmonisation of the requirements on the size, weight and type of carry-on and check-in luggage for all airlines operating in the European Union would enhance transparency and consumer protection for all air travellers.'
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Energy Star, efficiency program that has steered consumer choice, targeted in cuts
An Environmental Protection Agency plan to eliminate its Energy Star offices would end a decades-old program that gave consumers a choice to buy environmentally friendly refrigerators, dishwashers and other electronics and save money on electric bills, consumer and environmental groups said. The changes, outlined in agency documents reviewed by The Associated Press, are part of a broad reorganization at the EPA that would eliminate or reorganize significant parts of the office focused on air pollution. Those plans advance President Donald Trump 's sharp turn away from the prior administration's focus on climate change. The EPA did not confirm directly it was ending the program, first reported Tuesday by CNN, but said the reorganization 'is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency's core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback.' The EPA launched Energy Star in 1992 with the goal of tackling environmental protection and economic growth. It boosts the market for energy-efficient products and benefits companies that design appliances that earn the label. A home that decides to buy Energy Star products can save $450 annually on energy costs, the program's website says. ' People recognize it right away, so they would be like 'oh, it is Energy Star, so I should probably go with this one,'' said Francis Dietz, spokesperson with the trade association Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute. Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, said the program enjoyed bipartisan support until recently. It promotes efficiency by tightening standards when lots of products are able to meet the label requirements, he said. Big savings in money and pollution Since its start, the program has reduced energy costs by more than $500 billion and prevented about 4 billion metric tons of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to its website. Appliances can be responsible for tons of air pollution, but efficiency measures can reduce the carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter that producing the electricity releases into the atmosphere. These pollutants can harm the heart and lungs, and cause other health issues. Trump's proposed budget asks that Congress eliminate the EPA's entire Atmospheric Protection Program, which houses the offices that run Energy Star. The budget described the program as 'an overreach of Government authority that imposes unnecessary and radical climate change regulations on businesses and stifles economic growth.' But Sarah Gleeson, climate solutions research manager at the climate action nonprofit Project Drawdown, said America's energy independence depends on the ability to meet U.S. energy demands, and cutting the program imperils that and strains households at the same time. Gleeson said losing Energy Star will make it harder for consumers to have trustworthy information about products' energy use. Label is voluntary, and Congress ordered it The Energy Star label is voluntary for products that meet certain efficiency levels, and differs from Department of Energy standards that set minimum efficiency requirements that products must meet to be legally sold. In the 2000s, Congress directed the EPA and Department of Energy to run an energy-efficiency program and promote Energy Star. The DOE did not comment on the changes and its role moving forward, deferring questions to the EPA. According to the program's website, DOE's role includes developing product testing procedures. The EPA is responsible for setting performance levels and ensuring consumers can rely on the label. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said it supports a streamlined Energy Star program through the DOE. Spokeswoman Jill Notini said that 'would meet the administration's goals of preserving a full selection of products from which consumers can choose, and reducing unnecessary regulatory burden.' The move is the latest in the Trump administration's broader deregulatory effort. They've announced plans to slash Biden-era policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prioritized fossil fuels and an energy-dominance policy. The president has been particularly keen on eliminating efficiency standards, arguing they result in products that cost more and are less effective, and that they deny consumer choice. Trump has reversed rules restricting water flow for showerheads and other household appliances. Trump targeted Energy Star during his first stint in the White House, but faced backlash. 'For an administration who keeps claiming the country is facing an 'energy emergency,' Trump continues to attack any and all efforts aimed at saving energy through efficiency," Xavier Boatright, deputy legislative director for clean energy and electrification at Sierra Club said in a statement. 'When we waste energy through inefficient appliances the fossil fuel industry uses it as an excuse to extract and sell more of its product to make more money on the backs of the American people.' ___
Washington Post
07-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Energy Star, efficiency program that has steered consumer choice, targeted in cuts
An Environmental Protection Agency plan to eliminate its Energy Star offices would end a decades-old program that gave consumers a choice to buy environmentally friendly refrigerators, dishwashers and other electronics and save money on electric bills, consumer and environmental groups said. The changes, outlined in agency documents reviewed by The Associated Press, are part of a broad reorganization at the EPA that would eliminate or reorganize significant parts of the office focused on air pollution. Those plans advance President Donald Trump's sharp turn away from the prior administration's focus on climate change.
