Dutch travellers fly less often due to stricter carry-on regulations
Andrew Angelov / Shutterstock.com
By Simone Jacobs
With the change in hand luggage regulations and higher costs for carry-on, many Dutch travellers are choosing to ditch flying in favour of other transport options for their holidays, a survey has revealed.
37% of Dutch travellers consider alternatives to flying
In the past, many people in the Netherlands have chosen to fly to their holiday destination because of its speed and affordability - train travel is often 50% more expensive than flying. Some even go a step further, flying from Belgium or Germany to save an extra buck. However, this is changing as stricter rules for size and weight of hand luggage come into play, and some airlines remove the option for free carry-on.
PanelWizard surveyed over 1.000 Dutch travellers on behalf of insurance company Univé to see how exactly these changes are affecting their decisions for holidays. 27% of participants said they want to fly less often, while 37% are considering not flying at all, choosing to drive or use public transport. Some 32% of people even contemplate changing their holiday destinations to avoid extra costs.
Travel habits affected by luggage costs
Two out of three travellers also indicated that hand luggage rules affect their choice of airline. The EU-based airlines - Ryanair, Wizz Air, and EasyJet - have different dimensions that hand luggage must meet before charging extra. Holidaymakers now take these into account instead of basing their decision solely on flight ticket prices.
On the other hand, a large number of Dutch residents prefer to pay the extra costs so that they can travel conveniently by plane. 58% are willing to pay extra for a checked bag, while 44% travel less often with only hand luggage.
EU proposes new carry-on luggage rules for airlines
Back in 2011, the EU court ruled that airlines could not charge extra for hand baggage that meets “reasonable” size and weight limits. But with the wide variations in airline policies, this has led to confusion among passengers.
The European Union transport ministers recently submitted a proposal to standardise the size of free hand luggage for EU-based airlines. The suggested dimensions are 40x30x15 centimetres, including wheels and handles, or a bag that can reasonably fit under a plane seat.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more