Under pressure from its parent company to increase revenue, the Dutch budget airline Transavia has said that it is looking at the possibility of charging passengers to bring carry-on luggage onto flights.

Transavia considering fees for cabin baggage

Transavia, the budget arm of parent company Air France - KLM, told Dutch media that it was being pressured to boost its revenue by 125 million euros a year. It said that it was therefore considering the possibility of asking passengers to pay an additional fee to bring carry-on suitcases onto the plane. This would bring it in line with other budget airlines like EasyJet, Vueling, Wizzair and Ryanair. 

“We want to further increase additional income, including by [asking people to] pay for hand luggage,” said Steven Zaat, the CFO at Air France - KLM, in an interview with the Telegraaf. A spokesperson told AD that Transavia was “one of the few budget airlines where you do not yet have to pay for luggage in the cabin.” 

According to the airline, which is based in Amsterdam, since it began charging people for hold luggage several years ago, an increasing number of passengers have been bringing large suitcases into the cabin, which is putting pressure on space and causing other operational issues. 

A few years ago, Transavia implemented a paid reservation system for passengers who wanted a guarantee their luggage could come with them into the cabin. Otherwise, only the first 70 passengers on board can count on bringing their suitcases with them. The others are packed into the hold, free of charge. 

Dutch airline says policy is not yet definite

A spokesperson told the Telegraaf that the policy was currently only under discussion, and not definite. If implemented, it is not clear exactly when the new fees might come into effect for passengers flying in and out of Dutch airports. 

Dutch travel association ANVR spoke against the move. "When you go on a trip or holiday, you naturally have luggage with you. Having to even pay for hand luggage is very sad," said head Frank Oostdam. "Transavia must focus on enforcing the existing rules for hand luggage. When you see what people can carry in different sizes of bags and suitcases, you create a lot of conflict among customers who do adhere to the rules and then cannot store their luggage."

The European Union recently called for a more standardised approach to cabin luggage fees and discussed the possibility of legislating against airline policies that were confusing to passengers. 

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