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Ryanair, easyJet and other airlines fined 150 million euros for hand luggage fees
The airlines are appealing against the fine and any possible law to change their policies, which they say would be against EU regulations and would lead to higher airfares
Four low-cost airlines have been given a firm rap on the knuckles by Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs, which has issued fines totalling 150 million euros for Ryanair, easyJet, Volotea and Vueling over their policy of charging passengers to take hand luggage on board or forcing them to print out their tickets.
These four airlines will now face the biggest fine ever given out in the history of low-cost airlines. Other policies they employ which have been deemed unfair to consumers include charging for seat selection when travelling with dependents (such as parents with children) and for not allowing payment in cash.
This process began in 2023 when Spain’s Directorate General for Consumer Affairs began analysing what it considered to be ‘abusive practices’ following complaints from consumer rights associations such as FACUA.
Airlines appeal against decision
The airlines have appealed against the fine, and a statement issued by the Airline Association (ALA) explained that the sanction goes against a European regulation. Specifically, it goes against the principle of freedom to set prices and ‘implies interference in the setting of fares’.
In the statement they say that all airlines include free hand luggage under the seat, and the fact that the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs wants to force them to include an extra cabin bag would ‘penalise’ passengers who only want to pay for the services they need.
According to their calculations, 50 million passengers who currently only travel with luggage under the seat will have to pay ‘more’ for their ticket. The industry recognises that fares ‘will go up’ if they can no longer offer the basic option as they do now.
In addition, industry sources explain that if the airlines are sanctioned, Spain would lose competitiveness with respect to other countries that do not impose this regulation and, therefore, can offer cheaper airline tickets.
‘Abusive’ practices
On the other hand, ASUFIN, the association of financial users, ‘celebrates’ the ‘historic sanction’ of Consumer Affairs against these four airlines: “We hope that it will serve as an effective brake on the impunity with which these companies disregarded the consumer rights of their customers.”
The association has a class action lawsuit against Volotea which is currently before the Supreme Court for ‘abusive fares’ due to a clause that allows the airline to modify the contract once it has been formalised.
“We consider that a change of behaviour on the part of these companies is urgent, as we are asking for the financial institutions to do the same. We cannot allow a systematic violation of the rights that protect consumers through systematic practices that constitute a full-fledged abuse, through clauses that have no legal protection whatsoever.”
Despite the Spanish government issuing this fine against the airlines, there is still no decision taken at the judicial level that would force airlines to stop this practice. ALA has reaffirmed that this practice is still ‘totally legal’ and stresses that European legislation ‘recognises the freedom of airlines to set their fares’.
According to its statement, this initiative “clashes head-on with the recent initiative of the European Commission”, which calls for airlines to set common or standard hand luggage allowances, “an initiative in which all airlines are already collaborating and which clearly specifies that the fares with different additional services developed in recent years have implied advantages and more choice for passengers.”
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