The end of the hand luggage chaos? Pioneering super-sized overhead bins are becoming increasingly common – and Lufthansa will install them by 2025

The chaos of passengers having to stuff their suitcases into the luggage compartments of planes will increasingly become a thing of the past.

That’s because new types of oversized luggage bins have been introduced to the market, and more will be installed in the near future.

Airbus’ new Airspace L Bin will be fitted to 38 A320s of German airline Lufthansa in January 2025.

They offer 60 percent more bag capacity than the previous generation A320 bins, allowing three additional bags per bin and room for bags measuring 61cm (height) x 38cm (width) x 25cm (depth).

For reference, the cabin baggage allowance for Ryanair is 55cm (height) x 40cm (width) x 20cm (depth).

Airbus said: ‘L Bins are designed to be retrofitted within three to five days, which is Airbus’ fastest and most cost-effective retrofit solution for the A320.

‘This results in fewer aircraft cancellations for the airline. Secondly, L Bins provide space for three additional bags per bin, creating a better experience for customers and crew when boarding and disembarking.”

The carrier added: ‘The trays, made of ultra-light and highly stable composite products, will be manufactured by EFW (Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH).

‘As with all Airbus retrofits, reusing the same components to minimize waste is an important consideration. The L Bin reuses many parts of the original bin, including the side wall, ceiling and lighting.’

Airbus said: ‘L Bins [above] are designed to be retrofitted within three to five days, which is Airbus’ fastest and most cost-effective A320 retrofit solution’

American Airlines, meanwhile, was the launch customer for the Airbus Airspace XL luggage bin, which can accommodate suitcases up to 24″ high x 16″ wide x 10″ deep.

American launched the Airspace XL on its Airbus A321 neo aircraft.

Charbel Youzkatli, Head of Commercial Services Europe at Airbus, said: “From conversations with airline customers, we know that larger bins are a clear need to improve the passenger experience. As with the XL bins, the L bins offer more space with the added benefit of a plug-and-play retrofit.

“We are pleased to see that Lufthansa is the first to offer the L Bins to its passengers and reap the benefits of the efficiency benefits this brings to aircraft turnarounds.”