Why sanctioned airlines will continue to charge for hand luggage despite the fine

Airline Association (ALA) warned last Friday that sanctions imposed by the Department of Consumer Affairs on five airlines for practices such as charging for hand luggage “change nothing” for now and that they intend to maintain their commercial policies by requiring taking precautions. At the same time, it carries out judicial proceedings in controversial administrative courts.

The president of the employers’ association, Javier Gandara, held a press conference at which he confirmed that all the companies involved – Ryanair, Vueling, easyJet, Volotea and Norwegian – intend to appeal this sanction, which amounts to 179 million euros adding sorrow to everyone.

In this context, Gandara stated that companies will require precautions in the National Court

– the body that manages the process, since it is a ministry – to avoid making changes that later, if the sanction is lifted, will become irreversible and cause damage that “cannot be repaired.”

This is because “Spain will be an outlier” in Europe as it will have to charge different fees to the rest of European countries and this will hurt the estimated 50 million passengers who travel annually without carry-on luggage and at “lower fares” , according to the ALA. .

The deadline for requesting these precautions is two months and once they are resolved the administrative procedure will begin. According to Gandara’s calculations, this process could last about two years.

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.”

Why do they charge money for hand luggage?

Gandara, who is also CEO of easyJet Spain, was confident that the trial would prove them right, which would have an impact on benefits for consumers and the tourism sector countries.

In addition, it was emphasized that charging for hand luggage is beneficial both for passengers who they can travel while paying lessregarding airlines that may calculate in advance how many suitcases they will have on board, and avoid delays in their operations, also remembering that in any case it is allowed to fly with a piece of luggage that can be stowed under the seat.

The consumer sanction was imposed by calculating the benefits the airline received from practices that concentrated carry-on baggage fees, did not allow cash payments, charged for physical boarding passes or did not provide adjacent seats to people and their dependents. companions.

As the agency headed by Pablo Bustunduy reported this Friday, Ryanair was fined 107.7 million euros, and Vueling received a fine of 39.2 million euros, with these two airlines accounting for the majority of the total fine. Sanction EasyJet

reaches 29.09 million euros; which of Norwegian is 1.6 million and finally Volotya reaches 1.18 million euros.