The one carry-on bag rule imposed by some airlines has been strongly condemned by MEPs in Strasbourg.

They are arguing that the one bag policy infringes passengers' rights and they are questioning the right of airlines to restrict passengers' cabin baggage allowances.

Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins says it is bad practice to restrict passengers from carrying on additional duty free and retail items purchased at airports.

"It's wrong, and as I said it's playing havoc with the airports" he said.

"But apart from that it is also not fair to the passenger in question - it is a ridiculously punitive measure".

"And in some cases some airlines are actually charging you €50 if you actually go to your actual check-in - where you show your passport and your boarding pass and so on - and they see that you have another item other than the actual over-head bag that you have...you actually have to pay an additional charge of €50; that's extortionist" he added.

UK MEP Brian Simpson said "My concern is that over recent years certain airlines looked to charge for everything, and others don't".

"It's in this area of charging that I would ask the Commission to ask, to give the public full transparency and to help alleviate the cancer that is add-on charges which bedevil the European aviation and leave passengers often angry, confused and with the feeling of having been robbed" he added.