I’ve got baggage! Is it fair airlines are still charging?

Simon Calder has the answers on confusing cabin bag allowance rules, and whether France really is going to loosen up visa rules for Britons living in France. And he gives his measure of just how bad travel disruption has been this Christmas

Charges all turn on what is deemed ‘reasonable requirements in terms of its weight and dimensions’ (Getty)

Q Please can you clear up the confusion regarding fees charged by airlines for cabin bags? I was under the impression that the European Union has outlawed airlines charging extra for a reasonable piece of cabin baggage. But on flights from France (where I live) to the UK, airlines are still charging.

Geoff W

A Your confusion is understandable – not least because the domain of cabin baggage is a strange land, with all manner of conflicting policies. Here’s a little history on this. Until 2006, cabin baggage was hardly an issue. All airlines allowed checked-in baggage for free (usually 20kg, sometimes 15kg, and British Airways 23kg). So there was little incentive to take cabin baggage only – beyond the usual benefit of reducing the risk of loss and accelerating your getaway from the arrival airport.