Air travellers in Europe are poised to win the right to bring hand luggage on board for free, as yet another front opens in the “cabin baggage wars”.

European Union politicians have approved a proposal that would force airlines – including budget carriers – to allow passengers to bring a personal item and one piece of hand luggage weighing up to seven kilograms on board.

“Today’s vote marks an important step toward fairer and more transparent travel,” Matteo Ricci, vice-president of the EU Committee on Transport and Tourism and the bill’s lead sponsor said last week after the vote.

“[It introduces] concrete measures such as the clear definition of free hand luggage … a fundamental right to avoid unjustified extra costs.”

Across the EU, budget airlines such as EasyJet, RyanAir and Wizz and others sometimes charge substantial fees for hand luggage that they designate to be “oversized”.

The legislators believe that punishes passengers, when the cheapest tickets commonly allow only one “small personal item”.

Under the new rules, passengers on flights within the EU and to and from the region will have the right to carry a personal bag, such as a handbag or backpack, and a small hand luggage item on board at no extra cost.

Personal bags can have maximum dimensions of 40 centimetres by 30 centimetres by 15 centimetres. Hand luggage items will be allowed maximum dimensions of 100 centimetres.

Simon Calder, the travel correspondent for Britain’s Independent newspaper, described the move as “the latest strike in the ‘cabin baggage wars’ that broke out two decades ago”.

“Up to and including 2005, almost every airline allowed around 20 kilograms of checked luggage as part of the ticket price. So there was no big squeeze: Passengers naturally packed voluminous and heavy stuff in their free checked allowance,” he wrote.

But when budget airlines started charging for checked-in bags, travellers switched to putting everything in their cabin baggage.

“The giant budget airlines have shrunk the amount they allow and charge a ludicrously large sum for taking larger cabin baggage,” Calder wrote.

“On many cheap flights on EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air, taking a ‘large cabin bag’ can roughly double the cost of the trip. To make matters worse, the three budget giants have different dimensions for the ‘small personal item’.”

So EU politicians are putting down the collective foot, defending what Ricci described as a “fundamental right to avoid unjustified extra costs”.

The budget airlines aren’t taking it lying down, with Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary declaring the plan to be unworkable.

“We can only allow about half the passengers to bring a wheelie bag on board. There isn’t space on board the aircraft for any more bags,” he said.

“We don’t think there’s going to be any legislation that will impose a right, impose on all airlines, ‘you must take all these wheelie bags’ – because the aircraft won’t fit the bags.”

A Wizz Air spokesperson told the Independent the proposal would “make flying more expensive for millions of travellers … forcing passengers to pay for services they may not use”.

Airlines for Europe, which represents major carriers, said the change could disrupt operations and ultimately lead to higher ticket prices.

“What’s next? Mandatory popcorn and drinks as part of your cinema ticket?” said managing director Ourania Georgoutsakou.

“The European Parliament should let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don’t.”

The latest proposal comes on top of wider changes in passenger rights proposed by the European Commission in 2023. They would also require airlines to disclose total flight costs earlier in the booking process.

The cabin bag plan requires approval from 55 per cent of EU member states before it becomes law. If adopted, it will cover all flights within the EU, as well as routes to and from the region.