Ryanair Hand Luggage Fine: What Actually Changed in 2026

The Higher Regional Court in Hamm upheld its ruling against Vueling, handed down on 23 July 2026. It's about the airline's cheapest fare, "Fly Light": one free cabin bag, 40x30x20 cm at most. Carry two smaller items that together stay inside that limit, and you still pay.

The judges found that inconsistent: something bought at the airport rides along free if it fits under the seat, but the same item packed at home costs money. The court saw no real reason for the difference, and the safety argument didn't convince it either.

None of this is final. Vueling has appealed again.

And it's only the start. Germany's consumer federation sued three airlines back in August 2025: Vueling, easyJet and WizzAir. The other two cases are still running.

In June 2026, Parliament and Council agreed on the reformed EU air passenger rights 2026. A small cabin bag plus a personal item should be included in the displayed base fare by default.

That's a pricing-display rule, not free baggage. Your bag doesn't get cheaper, it just stops appearing for the first time in booking step four.

Ryanair objected almost immediately: the fare will look pricier than it is, the airline says. That it only looked cheap because the fee stayed hidden is something Ryanair leaves out.

From when? Summer 2027 at the earliest. The implementation window runs about twelve months.

In November 2024, Spain's consumer affairs ministry fined five low-cost airlines a combined €179 million:

• Ryanair: €107.7 million

• Vueling: a little over €39 million

• easyJet: €29 million

• Norwegian: €1.6 million

• Volotea: roughly €1.2 million

Since then, mostly nothing conclusive. A Spanish court suspended enforcement against Ryanair and Norwegian in June 2025, against roughly €112 million in bank guarantees. Then, in October 2025, the European Commission turned on Spain's fine rather than on the airlines, opening an infringement procedure. Its argument: the penalty breaches airlines' freedom to price extras themselves.

Madrid against the airlines, Brussels against Madrid, German courts on a track of their own. What grew here isn't the sum. It's the number of fronts.

For your next booking, nothing at all. Ryanair baggage fees still apply, just like at easyJet, Vueling and Wizz Air. An oversized bag at the gate still runs somewhere around €70 to €80. Booking it online in advance costs a lot less.

Nobody refunds you automatically either. Neither the Spanish penalty nor the Hamm ruling triggers a payout.

Which leaves the boring thing that always works: measuring before you go. A Cabin Max Manhattan 20L Rucksack für Ryanair Handgepäck 40x20x25cm stays inside the strictest common limit at 40x20x25 cm, and a centimetre over means arguing with a metal sizer rather than a person. Which airline wants which dimensions is in our carry-on luggage dimensions guide, and the Ryanair specifics sit in our Ryanair hand luggage tricks.

Weight is the part people forget

Carry-on size limits are only half the story. Most airlines police weight just as hard, and probably more quietly, because that check happens at the desk instead of at the sizer. A Freetoo Digitale Gepäckwaage, Tragbare Hängewaage bis 50 kg costs less than a tenth of a single gate fee. More models that fit are in our carry-on luggage test 2026.

Will much move on the Ryanair hand luggage fine before 2027? I doubt it, personally. Courts are slow and airlines are slower. Until then it's the tape measure that decides, not the verdict.