Ryanair is planning to increase the size of its free ‘personal bag’ allowance.
The budget carrier currently allows passengers to take a small under the seat bag, or ‘personal bag’ for free. Under present rules, the bag can measure 40x20x25cm.
However, Ryanair is now set to increase its free bag limit by 20 per cent with holidaymakers soon able to take a bag measuring 40x30x20cm instead.
The news comes as the EU brings in new rules which require airlines to allow passengers to bring free bags measuring 40x30x15cm.
Ryanair has said that the bigger allowance will come into effect in the next few weeks after its bag measuring devices are adjusted to reflect the new size limits.
The free bag will still need to weigh under 10kg and fit under the seat in front.
Ryanair’s new bag allowance will still be less generous than on easyJet, where passengers can currently bring free under the seat bags measuring 45x36x20cm.
The EU has been working to simplify luggage rules for passengers by bringing in a minimum free allowance across all airlines.
These new rules apply to every airline based in the EU, including Ryanair and easyJet.
Ryanair’s strict luggage size limits have caught many travellers out over the years, with passengers forced to pay a fee if they bring an oversized bag.
A passenger previously told MailOnline that she will never fly with Ryanair again after the bargain airline charged her £62 for an oversized bag.
Kay, a 32-year-old from London, says she was ‘made to feel targeted’ by the airline.
The passenger was flying from Dublin to London Stansted when the incident occurred.
Kay’s cabin suitcase was ‘slightly out of line’ when it was placed in the bag’s checker, as the wheel extended over the airline’s marker.
She was made to pay the airline’s standard €75/£62 oversized baggage fee to board the flight.
And another passenger was stung with a fee for bringing a water bottle that didn’t fit inside her bag.
Meanwhile, a 63-year-old grandmother recently claimed she was singled out to pay £75 for an oversized bag by Ryanair while ‘young’ and ‘good-looking’ passengers were allowed through.
And a violinist claimed she was treated like a ‘piece of garbage’ by airline staff when they told her her instrument case was 1cm too long to take on the plane.
Passengers can check the current requirements on Ryanair’s website. The airline is likely to check the size of bags at the departure gate.
Baggage restrictions vary between airlines so passengers will need to check the maximum size allowed on their airline’s website.
