Ryanair and easyJet are protesting after being named among five airlines that the Spanish government is fining for charging passengers for hand luggage and seat reservations.
The fines have been levied by Spain’s Consumer Rights Ministry, which accused the airlines of hitting passengers with unjustifiable costs. “These are practices that, unfortunately, millions of people know first-hand and that consumer associations have been complaining about for years,” said Pablo Bustinduy, who heads the ministry.
He added, as reported by The Guardian, that his organisation was sending “a very clear message that no company, no matter how big or powerful, is above the law. And that there cannot be business models that are based on the violation of consumer rights or abusive practices.”
The Irish carrier, Ryanair, is number one with a €108m fine, which is a huge step up from number two on the list - Vueling, the low-cost operation of the British Airways owner IAG. It’s been told to pay €39m. EasyJet is third on the list with a penalty of €29m. Norwegian Airlines and Volotea have been fined €1.6m and €1.2m.
However, the airlines are fighting back. The always pugnacious Michael O’Leary, Chief Executive of Ryanair – a man who once said he instructed his crews to wake passengers up so that they could sell them stuff – voiced his opposition. He declared: “These illegal and baseless fines, which have been invented by Spain’s Consumer Affairs Ministry for political reasons, are clearly in breach of European Union law. Ryanair has, for many years, used bag fees and airport check-in fees to change passenger behaviour and we pass on these cost savings in the form of lower fares to consumers.”
He also accused the Spanish Government of using an “ancient 1960s” legislation to levy the fines, adding “The success of Ryanair and other low-fare airlines in Spain and across Europe in recent years is entirely due to Europe’s Open Skies regime and the freedom of airlines to set prices and policies without interference from national governments which is what today’s illegal Spanish fines are.”
A spokesperson for easyJet told The Guardian that the airline will appeal the fine and will not change its policies. “We completely disagree with the Spanish Consumer Ministry and find the proposed sanctions outrageous,” she said. “We consider our bag policy to be in line with all applicable laws, and as such there is no change to our current cabin bag policy.”
The Ministry says that as well as the fines, it is planning on banning some of the airlines’ practices including charging extra fees for taking hand luggage on flights and levying fees for reserving adjacent seats for children or other dependents. This fine is the biggest sanction the Ministry has ever handed out.
