Alex Trelinski
FIVE airlines including Ryanair and Easyjet have been fined a whopping total of €179 million for abusive practices.
The penalty has been confirmed by Spain’s Minister of Consumer Affairs, Pablo Bustinduy, after sanctions and their amounts were proposed back in May.
Appeals have been rejected by the ministry from Ryanair, Easyjet, Vueling, Norwegian, and Volotea but it is presumed they will take the matter to court and even to the European Union.
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The abusive practices include charging hand luggage supplements or for charging reservation fees for adjoining seats.
The biggest penalty by far is almost €108 million for Ryanair, followed by Veuling on €39 million and Easyjet with €29 million.
Norwegian and Volotea have both received fines of over €1 million.
The Consumer Affairs ministry started a probe in June 2023 to see whether airline practices were abusive or unfair and whether they contravened regulations.
The investigation came as a result of complaints from consumer organisations.
Four practices came under the spotlight: charging a surcharge for reserving adjoining seats to accompany children and dependents; a lack of transparency in pre-contractual information on the final price to be paid: charging a surcharge for carry-on luggage; and not allowing cash payments at the airport to cover extra services.
The Association of Airlines (ALA) has branded the decision as ‘nonsense’ as it makes Spain the only EU country which is prohibiting cabin baggage charging.
The ALA in a statement said: “This is illegal interference and an attack on market freedom, as well as a comparative insult with respect to the countries around us where this practice is not prohibited”.
Last July, Ryanair CEO, Eddie Wilson, accused the Spanish government of trying to ‘break the low cost model of transport.’
“It seems that Spain’s Ministry of Tourism sees the importance of connectivity, but the Ministry of Consumer Affairs wants to break the low-cost model,” Wilson said.
He defended Ryanair’s hand luggage policy, arguing that they charge extra for bags in the overhead compartments ‘for safety reasons, as there are 189 seats on a plane and not all bags fit.’
Wilson added: “We invite the Minister of Consumer Affairs (Pablo Bustinduy) to come and see for himself.”
By hitting Ryanair with such a hefty fine and forcing them to drop the extra charges, Wilson implied that the airline might have little option but to raise prices.
