A growing number of complaints from Canary Islands residents has sparked controversy around airline practices, with several carriers accused of obstructing access to the legally mandated 75% resident travel discount, particularly during busy periods such as Easter and the upcoming May bank holiday.
The discount, a critical benefit intended to guarantee affordable travel for residents of Spain in ‘outer regions’, i.e. the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, appears to be inconsistently applied by some airlines.
Numerous passengers have reported that when they attempted to apply the discount while booking flights, previously visible options vanished, or they were told no flights were available on the selected dates.
One case shared on social media platform Bluesky involved a traveller trying to book flights with Vueling, operated by Iberia, from Lanzarote to Madrid for travel between the 12th and 19th of April. Two flight options were initially available, but both disappeared once the resident discount was applied.
A message stated, “No flights available on this day, but don’t worry, there are other dates to choose from.” The issue, the user noted, persisted throughout the Easter holiday period.
Similarly, another resident trying to travel from Lanzarote to Bilbao over the May Day weekend reported that Air Europa did not allow the use of the resident discount, effectively forcing them to consider a full fare ticket priced at €623 for a round trip. The traveller speculated the airline preferred to avoid delays in receiving government compensation by pocketing the full fare directly.
Air Europa has denied any issue with the application of resident discounts, attributing such problems to browser settings or users not accessing the Spanish version of their website. They advised contacting customer service for help. However, attempts using standard browsers like Google Chrome to book flights between Madrid and Bilbao during the Easter holidays revealed a message stating that the discount could not be applied.
Low-cost carrier Ryanair has also been criticised. In one incident in mid-March, a reader was unable to purchase three tickets, including for children, because the airline’s system failed to validate residency.
Despite having successfully flown with Ryanair only two weeks earlier, this customer faced delays and confusion. Airline staff blamed the problem on a system error and issues with booking children without formal ID, despite ID not being a requirement. Although the tickets were eventually purchased a week later, Ryanair has not issued an official response regarding the matter.
The concerns come just weeks after Javier Gándara, president of the Spanish Airline Association (ALA), warned that airlines may reduce flights to and from subsidised regions due to delayed government payments. According to Gándara, airlines are still owed €175 million from 2024 and €1.25 billion for 2025.
The situation has prompted calls for greater oversight and transparency in how airlines apply the resident discount, especially during times of high demand. For many residents, particularly those living on islands with limited travel options, access to affordable air travel is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.
