Larger carry-on baggage with Ryanair: New measurement frames now also in Palma

More space for the bag, but not for everything

Anyone who has been at Palma de Mallorca Airport in recent days may have seen them: the new metal frames into which you place your carry-on before heading to the gate. Ryanair has installed the control tool at dozens of airports in its network — officially to make clearer what is allowed on board.

What exactly changes

First the most important point: The free carry-on bag may now be up to 40 x 30 x 20 centimeters. That’s visibly more space than many of us have been used to. Still: the bag must still fit under the front seat. If you want to pack an additional small trolley, you still need Priority Boarding.

Why this stands out

In Mallorca it is a topic of discussion for two reasons. First: for frequent travelers and for those traveling with a short weekend bag, this change is practical. Second: in recent months there have been repeated loud disputes at gates, because staff classified luggage as “too large.” Some passengers even reported hefty extra charges when the suitcase was only a few centimeters over the allowed size.

I spoke on Wednesday morning with a woman from Cologne who was waiting at Terminal B at 11:15. She said: “Finally a bit of air – but I hope the control is fairer now.” Such voices are heard more often in the queue these days.

Small restrictions remain

The rules apply nationwide at Ryanair, also for flights from Palma to German destinations such as Cologne/Bonn, Memmingen or Düsseldorf/Weeze. And: some domestic connections within Spain have been canceled for the coming winter — that is separate from the carry-on rules, but affects customers who frequently shuttle between island and mainland.

Conclusion: More comfort, but keep an eye on boarding

All in all, this is a useful adjustment — especially if you want to go through security in the morning without jostling. Still, there remains a certain distrust of the implementation: whether the new measurement frames actually bring more transparency or just create a new source of errors now depends heavily on gate practice.

My tip if you're flying soon: pack so that the bag slides easily under the seat, check measurements at home with a tape measure (very old-school but reliable), and have your boarding pass and booking confirmation ready digitally as a fallback. It saves nerves — and in the best case a few euros.