Airlines face fines for charging passengers for hand luggage and seats

The Department of Consumer Affairs has started disciplinary proceedings against several low-cost airlines, which includes Ryanair, easyJet, and Vueling, for charging extra for hand luggage that is carried into the cabin on flights and for choosing seats, according to an official press release from the Spanish Government.

Through the General Directorate of Consumption, the Department of Consumer Affairs has extended the case to any additional costs that airlines charge for services that were traditionally included in the ticket price of the flight.

They claim that the practice the airlines are adopting of ‘cutting’ services that were traditionally included in the price and charging the passenger a supplement for them, is misleading as it means they are advertising very competitive prices that they can’t deliver.

"This allows them to have a privileged SEO positioning in search engines and look more attractive than competitors that do include these services in the price of the tickets they are advertising," explains the press release.

“These practices violate article 47 of the Consolidated Text of the General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users, and are the responsibility of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs under the provisions of article 52b in section 5.”

The fines that airlines are in danger of receiving, depend on the classification of the sanction. If it is classed as a ‘serious’ infraction, fines can be up to 100,000 euros or between four and six times the amount obtained from charging for the services, whichever is the higher figure.

However, if it is classed as a ‘very serious’ infraction, fines can be up to 1,000,000 euros or between six and eight times the amount obtained from charging for the services, whichever is the higher figure.

At this moment there is no information confirming which airlines this applies to, or if any of them have replied to the correspondence.