Lufthansa has introduced a new economy product it says is ideal for someone seeking bargain fares, who doesn’t need flexibility and is travelling light – ideally day-trippers and business travellers.
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Germany’s flag carrier charging budget airfares – could there be a catch? Well…
Starting from April 2026, travellers can take advantage of the German airline’s Economy Basic flights for trips on 18 May onwards, available on selected short and medium haul flight routes across Lufthansa Group carriers.
“The Economy Basic fare is the ideal choice if you’re travelling only with one personal item and know when you plan to fly, as tickets cannot be rebooked and are excluded from refunds,” according to the airline.
As the "basic" label implies, the product does not include carry-on bags, checked baggage or seat reservation. However, for an additional fee, these can all be added.
What is included, you might ask? One personal item, a backpack or handbag, limited to 40 x 30 x 15 cm, making it the smallest cabin allowance of any airline in Europe.
But just how does Lufthansa’s Economy Basic cabin allowance compare to other carriers?
Ryanair and Wizzair
Ryanair’s single-class economy operations includes one small personal bag, no larger than 40 x 30 x 20 cm, as part of the airfare. Cabin and checked baggage allowances all come with an extra fee.
Wizz Air also follows a near-identical baggage allowance model to Ryanair with one small personal item no larger than 40 x 30 x 20 cm included in the base fare, with other luggage coming at an additional cost.
Last December, Wizz Air shifted gears slightly – piloting its WIZZ Class premium service on trail routes to London, Rome, Warsaw, Bucharest and Budapest. The slightly upmarket service includes an additional two cabin bags as part of the fare, alongside complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic drinks onboard.
British Airways
Lufthansa isn’t the only European flag carrier to offer an “Economy Basic” product.
The British Airways rendition of Economy Basic on Euro Traveller flights includes a handbag allowance, which also should have dimensions no larger than 40 x 30 x 15cm. However, passengers are also entitled to a cabin bag no larger than 56 x 45 x 25cm and able to fit into the overhead compartment without any troubles.
BA Euro Traveller flies to over 100 destinations across the continent from London, with a flight to Malaga starting at £49 (€56.57).
easyJet
EasyJet’s standard fares include allowance for a cabin bag no larger than 45 x 36 x 20 cm in dimension, with the option for paid add-on seat reservation or hold luggage.
As minuscule as all of these dimensions may sound, the European Union’s current position is that: "limits on the size of cabin baggage and the number of items you are allowed to take on board are set by the airlines so check with your airline before you travel”. This may soon change if the bloc is able to withstand pressure from big aviation.
In January 2026, Members of the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of bolstering passengers' rights, including requiring airlines to allow one personal item and one small piece of hand luggage for free as part of base airfares.
“Parliament wants passengers to have the right to carry with them onto the airplane, at no additional cost, one personal item (such as a handbag, backpack or laptop) and one small piece of hand luggage with maximum dimensions of 100 cm (combined length, width and height) and seven kilograms,” the European Parliament press release said.
EU legislators have nearly exhausted the EU legal procedures to revise the airline passenger rights law, originally adopted in 2004. If EU countries don't approve the Parliament's text, a special committee will be convened to find an agreement on the final shape of the bill.
Kenton Jarvis, CEO of easyJet, dismissed the proposal as “terrible for the consumer”, especially those flying with his airline, which can only accommodate the cabin bags of around two-thirds of passengers.
“There just isn’t the space in the cabin, so that’s another lunatic idea. We would go back to the days of having to offload cabin bags and put them in the hold – it was one of the number one causes of delayed boarding in the old days.”