After hints in recent months, Transavia is now making it official: the budget airline of Air France-KLM will impose fees for large cabin baggage starting in April. By default, only a personal item up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm is included. Passengers wishing to still bring a cabin trolley on board will now have to pay an additional fee.
Transavia is joining industry giants such as Easyjet, Ryanair, Eurowings, and recently TUIfly in implementing such charges. Meanwhile, the European Union is considering a proposal for EU-wide minimum standards for cabin baggage. Now it is up to the legislator to curb the increasing restrictions on passengers.
From April onwards, a minimum fee of €10 for cabin baggage at Transavia
Various media outlets in the Netherlands, including TravMagazine.nl, reported on the change last week. The new rules are already listed on the Transavia website, although they are hard to find.
Currently, Transavia allows a large piece of cabin baggage up to 55 x 35 x 25 cm, in addition to a personal item, with a combined weight limit of 10 kg. For new bookings from April 3, only a personal item will be included. The large cabin baggage will cost at least €10, and the price is expected to vary.
From the 3th of April you will pay for taking your cabin bag (previously hand luggage) (max. 55 x 35 x 25 cm) on board. So if you want to take a cabin bag with you, you can select it during booking after choosing your flight or book it afterwards in My Transavia. The lowest charge for cabin luggage is €10.
Transavia-Website
In December, Transavia had already contemplated introducing such fees due to cost pressures. Now the decision has been made.
Conclusion
Transavia is one of the last major budget airlines in Europe to reduce its customary inclusive services. Now, Jet2 remains one of the few, but it has a more limited route network. It remains to be seen whether the EU will tolerate this or indeed introduce the envisaged minimum standards to ensure price transparency.
Personally, I now try to avoid all budget airlines with such customer-unfriendly regulations. It seems it is time to put Transavia on the blacklist. Easyjet stands out as a particularly strong negative example: the flights are not even particularly cheap, yet the British airline often charges €30 to €40 per direction for a cabin trolley.
Translated by Ditmar
Cover Picture: © Transavia
Comments (4)
Another issue is when travelling with pet in cabin, the first leg to AMS is operated by true KLM partner and the second leg is operated by so called partner = Transavia with Boeing 737-800 .
KLM customer service accept promptly pet reservation for leg one to AMS and they are not able to sort out the second leg operated by Transavia.
Transavia customer service claims they can not accept pet in cabin reservation due to that the ticket was sold by KLM.
How can KLM accept such a relationship with Transavia?
Transavia CS will accept the pet in cabin reservation if I buy it directly from them.
This will be too expensive for us, looking for other carrier.
Would be nice, FINALLY, KLM and AirFrance to make a statement about the luggage policy, when you travel half with KL/AF and half with transavia.
Most of the flights from Europe to Portugal/Spain are: first leg with KL/AF second leg with Transavia and no one knows, which luggage policy is valid then. The KL/AF (two handluggages) or one
If you book on KLM’s website, KLM’s hand luggage regulations should apply. It should also state the correct regulation during the booking process, valid for all flights on the itinerary, regardless of the operating carrier.
Where it becomes tricky, is when you hold a SkyTeam Elite status, which normally grants a free checked luggage. In your example, on the way back, this may be denied as Transavia is not a SkyTeam member.
But would be easier, to put the info in the email or when you search. Because it’s getting tricky with people, who do not travel a lot, and when they ask the CS of KLM they are informing to contact Transavia and Transavia to contact KLM.