The boss of EasyJet has hit out at “lunatic” EU proposals over passenger bags that he warned would lead to more frequent flight delays and push up ticket prices.
Kenton Jarvis said plans to allow all customers to bring one cabin bag on board per person for free – rather than charging them extra – would take the industry “back in time”.
“There aren’t enough spaces for everyone to bring a cabin bag,” he said. Aircraft can only accommodate about 65 per cent of cabin bags for all passengers, he said. The rest would have to be unloaded by staff manually and placed into the hold, adding to the delays.
Manual unloading was “the number one cause of delayed boarding, before cabin bags got charged for”, Jarvis added. “The idea we have to put a load of people by the gate to pull bags, it’s going back in time, it’s crazy.”
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The “lunatic idea” would also push up ticket prices for all customers, as currently only those wanting to bring bags on board have to pay for them, Jarvis said. It is “politicians completely not understanding their subject and getting involved with things they shouldn’t ... I just can’t explain how stupid it would be for them to do it”.
The European Parliament has proposed the changes – which would allow customers to bring a laptop bag and one small piece of hand luggage for no extra cost – as part of an overhaul to protect travellers from higher charges. The European Council has suggested changes to the proposals, and discussions are continuing.
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The potential changes have invoked the ire of airlines, particularly low-cost carriers whose business model depends on reloading aircraft quickly.
Mr Jarvis’s comments came as EasyJet reported that losses jumped more than 50 per cent in the final quarter of 2025 due to the cost of opening new routes to Italy, though the airline said it has seen record bookings during January for the all-important summer season.
The low-cost airline posted a pretax loss of £93 million (€107 million) for its first quarter, which runs between September and December, compared with £61 million a year earlier, because of routes to Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino that are still ramping up. Airlines typically lose money in the quieter winter months.
EasyJet has also been forced to fly several loss-making routes to Germany as part of a deal that saw it acquire the Italian slots. It may continue the routes if they are sufficiently profitable after the three-year requirement ends, Jarvis said.
On forward bookings, it said the “traditionally busy January booking period has seen record levels in both volume and revenue as bookings continue to build for summer”.
The company said costs in the quarter running to April would be higher because of wages, airport charges and environmental costs.
Low-cost rival Wizz Air, meanwhile, cut its losses in the same period to €175.9 million from €277.6 million, as the impact of foreign exchange costs incurred a year ago diminished. However, its operating losses rose due to high maintenance costs.
The Hungarian carrier raised growth expectations for the year after receiving new planes from Airbus, while it has been resolving problems with Pratt & Whitney engines that have grounded some of its fleet.
The company recently applied for a US permit, raising expectations that it may attempt to run services across the Atlantic.
However, chief executive József Váradi said the application would allow it to carry Hungarian government delegations to Washington – or potentially European football teams to the World Cup – and that the company had “zero” intention of starting customer services. “Please don’t read too much into this,” he said.
EasyJet shares fell 1 per cent in midmorning trading while Wizz shares rallied more than 7 per cent. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2026
