Will budget airlines face crackdown on misleadingly low ticket prices?
Invoking old legislation, Spain has imposed fines on five airlines, including Ryanair, in an attempt to crack down on extra fees for hand luggage and seat reservations, as well as other surcharges. Steven Truxal, Professor of Air and Space Law, discusses this in Dutch daily newspaper ‘de Volkskrant’.
The debate happening in European countries – Spain included – illustrates the tension between national legislation, European regulations and the commercial strategies of individual budget airlines. In Spain, there is an ongoing debate on how best to regulate these costs and enhance consumer protection.
'There is no uniform European legislation yet'
Professor Truxal says the fact that ‘we do not yet have uniform European legislation that is applicable to this’ poses a problem. The European Commission is currently reviewing the EU regulation relating to air services dating back to 2008, with the aim of providing better consumer protection.
The MEPs refer to a 2014 ruling by the European Court of Justice stating that hand luggage constitutes a ‘necessary aspect’ of air travel for which passengers should not have to pay extra fees. This has significant implications for the lucrative business model enjoyed by budget airlines, which passes these costs on to consumers.
More information
Read the full de Volkskrant article here (€, in Dutch)
Photo: Wolfgang Weiser through Unsplash