Her intervention in the controversy over whether low -cost airlines should be allowed to charge customers who want to carry luggage on a flight are being demanded by activists, with European consumer groups demanding last week from Brussels to explore Easyjet and Easy.
Airlines are “taking advantage of consumers,” said Agustín Reyna, CEO of Beuc, a bomb group for 44 consumer organizations, and “ignore the EU Supreme Court who ruled that the rational luggage charge is illegal”.
“We have not all experienced the fear that our luggage does not fit into the sizes of the airline and that additional charges will apply?” He said characteristically.
The issue with luggage
While travelers were concerned about the weight of the luggage compartment, now the reduction of the permitted luggage compartment is causing extra stress in the airport queues.
In recent years, travelers have become a common practice for travelers to be charged if they want to carry all suitcases except the smaller ones, with charges varying among airlines.
Ryanair passengers, for example, can carry a small bag that fits under the seat for free. However, if a gate control suits that the luggage is oversized, the extra charge reaches 60 pounds. A larger luggage can be added to a flight of flight of 6 to £ 36 depending on the route, but again, if considered too large, it costs 75 pounds to store.
This issue has caused a remarkable against Spain where last year, the consumer rights ministry imposed a fine on five low -cost airlines, including Ryanair, totaling 179m euros for passengers for luggage and reservations. This month, a Spanish judge ordered Ryanair to return to a passenger 147 euros for luggage charges that accumulated on five flights, including a trip from Spain to the United Kingdom.
In the rationale of the decision, Judge Raquel Martínez Marco said that “luggage is an essential element of passenger transport” and therefore “cannot be subject to a price supplement”. The case was supported by the Spanish organization for consumer rights facial facilities, which has condemned the “illegal burden” since 2018.
Kenton Jarvis, EasyJet’s chief executive, argued that the passengers were willing to pay for the service they wanted. He said that one -third of her customers “do not accept any auxiliary equipment and therefore will be willing to get the free smaller handbag.”
Waiting to pay for people who want to bring a larger luggage “does not look very much to the consumer,” he added.
The airline problem with free luggage
Jarvis added that free luggage was previously a “big headache” for EasyJet because not all could fit the cabinets above the passenger head. This led to delays and suffering of passengers by placing their luggage in the luggage compartment. “That’s why it’s good to just ask the traveler to pay for what he wants,” he said.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said the company would not change its policies: “The Spaniards have a crazy minister who decided that because General Franco passed a law 30 years before Spain joined the European Union, passengers are free to bring luggage.”
“It is a clear violation of European regulations,” he added. “The European Commission has already told Spain that it is illegal,” he concluded.
“Any attempt to intervene would be a violation of the regulation that guarantees the airlines the freedom to determine prices and policies without political intervention,” O’Leary also said.
“In the short term, you have some of the consumer services in Spain to make decisions at local judicial level and to claim them,” he said. “It’s not going to change. We do not change our policy. Will be referred to the European Courts. We will appeal against these decisions. In fact, there is no this demand from passengers. “
The revision of EU legislation
For his part, Reyna said that given the current revision of EU legislation governing the rights of air transport passengers, there is the opportunity to clarify which services should be included at a basic ticket price.
“Our data shows that consumers expect to see a small item and a luggage included in the price when buying basic tickets,” he said.
“Policy -executives should also define the ‘rational size and weight’ of the luggage to avoid surprises at the airport and eventually reduce the number of differences that cost consumers and airlines time and money.”
Kevin Bodley, a adviser to the law firm Stele Raymond, who specializes in aviation law, said the Spanish decision “sent a clear message against the hidden airline fees”.
“The end result indicates the appearance of an increasing level of passengers’ protection to the detriment of airlines,” Bodley said. “However, this may well be canceled by the need for airlines to increase the overall levels of fare to cover this at a final cost travelers.”
