Ryanair | Airlines ignore hand baggage fine: ‘It doesn’t change anything’

“It doesn’t change anything.” The Airlines Association (ALA) warned this Friday that the sanctions imposed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on five airlines for certain actions, such as charging for hand luggage, will not force them to change their commercial policies as they will require them to take precautionary measures. measures and will not change their commercial policy until the trial in the controversial administrative courts is completed.

The deadline for requesting these precautions is two months and once they are resolved the administrative procedure will begin. According to calculations by Javier Gandara, president of the association and at the same time general director of easyJet in Spain, the process could last about two years.

All companies involved (Ryanair, Vueling, easyJet, Volotea and Norway) have demonstrated a willingness to appeal this sanction, with fines totaling €179 million.

Actions that may be prohibited

In addition to sanctions, the fine prohibits the continuation of the following actions, which airlines will not stop until a final decision is made:

-You are required to pay an additional fee for carrying hand luggage in the cabin.

– Require payment of an additional ticket price for the reservation of adjacent seats in the case of minors, dependents and their accompanying persons.

– Do not allow cash payments at Spanish airports.

-Charging passengers a disproportionate and unlawful fee for printing their boarding pass.

The consumer sanction was imposed by calculating the benefits that the airline received through the practice.

What if the National Court rules against the airlines?

Likewise, Gándara said that companies could request precautionary measures from the National Court – the body that manages the process as it is a ministry – to avoid adopting changes that later, if it is decided that they were not mandatory, are irreversible and cause damage . which is “beyond repair.”

If the safeguards are not approved, airlines will have to pay a fine and stop implementing the reviewed practices, which would result in a “very significant distortion of competition.”