The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has fined Ryanair (RYA-IE), Vueling (a member of the IAG holding company), EasyJet (EZJ-GB) and Volotea €150 million for charging for cabin baggage and forcing them to print tickets, among other things. Consumer Affairs, which opened a sanctioning procedure last August, prohibits in its resolution charging for hand luggage on board and for seat selection when travelling with dependents, sanctions the alleged lack of transparency in the contract information (that the initial and final price are different) and that it is not possible to pay in cash when buying tickets at an airport. It also considers it abusive to charge a €20 surcharge for reprinting the boarding card at the airport, a practice sanctioned only in the case of Ryanair.
Airline sources have described the decision as ‘nonsense’, stressing that it is not final and does not change anything immediately. They say that the sanction is at the administrative stage and that allegations have been submitted. They also say that the legal defence will go to the courts if the administrative process is exhausted.
