The Ministry of Consumer Affairs fined five airlines 179 million euros for abuses

He Ministry of Consumer Affairs authorized five budget airlinesRyanair, Vueling, Easyjet, Norwegian and Volotea, with fine of 179 million euros for abusefor example, charging customers extra for take hand luggage with you into the cabinto print your boarding pass or to select nearby seats to accompany a minor or dependent, and to do not allow cash payment at Spanish airports.

The executive branch considers these to be serious abuses, according to Minister of Social Rights and Consumption Pablo Bustinduy.

The highest fine is for Ryanairwith 107,775,777 euros, followed by Vuelingfrom 39,264,412; Easyjetfrom 29 094 441; Norwegian

from 1,610,001 euros, and Volotya from 1,189,000 euros.

They are also penalized for misleading omissions of information and lack of clarity in published prices, both on their own website and on third-party sites, making it difficult for consumers to compare price offers and make decisions for them.

In the case of Ryanair, there is also a sanctioned practice whereby users are charged a disproportionate amount for print the ticket in the terminal when it is not on Consumption.

This is the first time that sanctions classified as very serious have been finally approved by the State Consumption Administration General, whose ministry received sanctions authority in June 2022. Sanctions also include an outright ban on the continuation of the sanctioned practice..

The airlines have already announced that they plan to appeal the fine.. They have two months to do this, as stated by Javier Gandara, President Airline Association, ALA

which describes the measure as “disproportionate”. For now, airlines will continue to charge for these concepts until a final ruling is made.

By the order signed by Pablo Bustinduy, the sanctions proposed by the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gaming a few months ago are confirmed and therefore the appeals filed by these companies are rejected.

Companies may file a controversial administrative appeal in the Chamber of Administrative Cases of the National Court within two months. After this period, if the companies have not appealed to the court, the order will come into force.

Consumer associations celebrated the fine. Faqua stressed that this is the highest fine ever imposed by a consumer protection authority in Spain. And he encouraged consumers to file complaints through the courts because it costs them nothing because they don’t have to hire lawyers or advocates, and it’s a way to put pressure on companies to end the practice.