The airlines will appeal the fine and say they will keep charging the surcharges.

The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and the 2030 Agenda authorized this Friday an amount of 179 million euros for five airlines (Ryanair, Vueling, Easyjet, Norwegian and Volotea) for abusefor example, charging additional fees for carry-on luggage or for reserving adjacent seats to accompany dependents. Ryanair had the highest fine at €107.8 million, followed by Vueling at €39.3 million; Easyjet – 29.1 million; Norwegians – 1.6 million and Volotea – 1.2 million.

It’s about For the first time, sanctions classified by the General State Administration for Consumption as very serious have become final.whose ministry received sanctions authority in June 2022. In particular, they are subject to sanctions for demanding payment of an additional payment for the carriage of hand luggage in the aircraft cabin, an additional charge to the ticket price for booking adjacent seats in the aircraft cabin. against minors, dependents and their accompanying persons, as well as for the ban on cash payments at Spanish airports. This measure also includes an outright ban on the continuation of sanctioned practices.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which brings together about 300 companies, calls the measure taken by the Spanish government “illegal and must be stopped.” It’s a “terrible” decision that “not only fails to protect the interests of consumers, but is a slap in the face to travelers who want choice.” Banning all airlines from charging for hand luggage means its cost will automatically be included in the price of all tickets, IATA director general Willie Walsh has warned.

“What’s next? Make all hotel guests pay for breakfast or charge a wardrobe fee when purchasing a concert ticket? he asked.

Carrying carry-on luggage comes with additional costs, which mainly translate into increased boarding times, and adding an extra 10-15 minutes on the ground on each flight quickly reduces the number of flights and planes that can fly each day. “Everyone is paying more for fewer options – that’s the worst possible outcome that regulation can have,” he said. Those sanctioned will file an appeal.

According to the president of the Airline Association (ALA), Javier Gándara, the affected airlines will individually appeal to the administrative courts and demand precautionary measures against the consumer’s decision to sanction them. The ALA called the decision “nonsense” because it makes Spain the only country in the European Union (EU) where they want to ban charging for cabin baggage, which is not only an unlawful interference and an attack on the freedom of the market. constitutes a comparative offense in relation to markets in our environment, where such practices are not prohibited.

Gándara explained that the current carry-on baggage policy remains unchanged while the courts rule on the request for precautions that the affected airlines will require. In his opinion, the Consumer decision, if applied, would force 50 million passengers traveling without a trolleybus in the cabin to pay for a service that they do not need.

Ryanair was the first to announce it would appeal the fineswhich he describes as “illegal”, “unfounded” and “concocted” by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for political reasons, in violation of European law. In addition, he noted that Ryanair’s baggage policy had already been approved in several hearings in the courts of Spain and the European Union, the most recent of which took place in the courts of Barcelona.

For my part, Norwegian “Contacted the Spanish and European Union authorities to understand the decision taken, with which he deeply disagrees.” The Norwegian company believes its baggage policy is “in line” with EU regulations and its implementation is essential to managing weight regulations and limited space on board, which is necessary to continue to ensure the safety of passengers and maintain punctuality in their operations.

CONSUMER APPLAUSE

Consumer and User Organization (OCU) welcomed the sanction and asked the ministry, in the event of an appeal to the controversial administrative chamber of the National Court, to demand the adoption of precautionary measures so that these airlines temporarily stop charging for hand luggage and baggage. against the remaining abuses, thereby stopping the damage caused by this “massive fraud.” Likewise, it is considering initiating all legal actions at its disposal to prevent further harm to air transport users.

He recommends that consumers who experience these abuses complain to the company about improper payments; and those who have already done this keep the documents confirming this, so that, if necessary, they can demand them in court.
Representatives of the Asufin Financial Users Association believe that behavior change on the part of these companies is urgent and note these “exemplary” sanctions, which they hope will serve as an end to the “impunity” with which these companies have been “ignored.” consumer rights.

Asufin has accused Volotea of ​​tariff abuse in a class action pending in the Supreme Court and has already managed to remove up to four such practices from the market, the company said in a statement.

Faqua stressed that this is the highest fine in history imposed by a consumer authority in Spain and that it is multiplied by the 34 fines imposed by consumer authorities on the bank, which amounted to three million. At a press conference, Facua spokesman Ruben Sanchez noted that “there is finally a real fine” due to its high amount for “massive fraud” against consumers.

Buying a plane ticket gives you the right to sit and carry hand luggage without having to pay the additional fee imposed by airlines fined by the ministry, he emphasized.