AIRLINE FINE | Good news for travelers: this is the date they won’t have to pay for carry-on luggage.

Last Friday, May 31, it became known that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs had fined airlines 150 million euros for charging customers for luggage they brought onto planes. Pay for it For many tourists this is a big expense.that in addition to paying for the ticket, they will have to add this additional amount if they do not want to travel with a simple backpack. Now the executive branch regarded this practice as “illegal and offensive” and will force them to stop doing so from that date.

The extra cost of carrying hand luggage on a plane leaves millions of euros in airline coffers every year, because they know that here they have a source of increasing their income. This is the main reason why companies offer this option to passengers: They allow you to carry a small backpack for free, but then if you want to bring more clothes you will have to pay.

Luggage is a highly debated topic.

The European Union has already taken action, with parliament passing a resolution in October last year Airlines guarantee their customers free hand luggage, among many other issues. However, this rule does not specify any specific size and leaves it to the discretion of companies to determine the sizes allowed for these free suitcases.

The Airline Association (ALA) has criticized the measure as it believes it will increase ticket prices and cause delays because this luggage will have to be removed from the luggage compartment.

When will we not have to pay for a suitcase?

The change is not expected to come into force until the summer, as airlines have time to appeal the measure to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, and once they do, Pablo Bustindui’s portfolio will have three months to resolve the conflict. If they don’t like the Consumer’s offer, they can resort to litigation, which will start a lengthy legal battle that will at least delay the implementation of the free bags. until the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.