The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 has published on its website the five Orders signed by Minister Pablo Bustinduy on the sanctions imposed on five low-cost airlines (Ryanair, Vueling, Easyjet, Norgewian and Volotea) for abusive practices for consumers.
These are the Orders with which Minister Pablo Bustinduy dismissed the appeals lodged by these five companies against the sanctions imposed by the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gaming on these airlines after an investigation by the Directorate General for Consumer Affairs found that they had carried out abusive practices, two of which were categorised as very serious: requiring the payment of a supplement for the carriage of hand luggage in the cabin and requiring the payment of a surcharge on the price of the ticket for the reservation of adjacent seats in the case of minors and dependent persons and their companions.
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Consumer Affairs publishes ministerial orders on penalties for low-cost airlines
As these are considered very serious infringements, and by the provisions of article 49.7 of the revised text of the General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users and other complementary laws, information on these penalties is published, as are the Minister’s Orders.
In addition to the two very serious infringements already mentioned, the sanctions ratified by Bustinduy include two other infringements categorised as serious: not allowing payment in cash at Spanish airports and omitting misleading and unclear information in the prices published both on its website and those of third parties, hindering the comparability of price offers. Likewise, in the case of Ryanair, another practice considered a very serious infringement was sanctioned: imposing a disproportionate and abusive fee on passengers for the printing of boarding passes.
In conclusion, the penalties were set as follows:
Ryanair: 107,775,777 euros.
Vueling: 39,264,412 Euros
Easyjet: 29,094,441 euros
Norgewian: 1,610,001 euros
Volotea: 1.189.000,99 Euro.
These penalties are the highest ever imposed by Consumer Affairs and are in response to case law developed in the European Union. With regard to the charging of hand luggage, for example, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a judgment in 2014 (in Case C-487/12) in which it established that ‘as regards unchecked luggage, i.e. hand luggage, it must be regarded as an indispensable element of the carriage of passengers and that its carriage may not, therefore, be subject to a price supplement, provided that such luggage meets reasonable requirements as to its weight and dimensions and complies with the applicable safety requirements’. This ruling was furthermore endorsed by the European Parliament on 4 October 2023, when it adopted a resolution urging EU Member States to ensure compliance with and respect for this court ruling.
Below is a list of the published Orders:
Order of the Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, of 21 November 2024, resolving the Appeal lodged by RYANAIR DAC OFICINA REPRESENTACIÓN EN ESPAÑA against the Resolution of the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gambling of 10 May 2024.
Order of the Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, of 21 November 2024, resolving the Appeal lodged by VUELING AIRLINES, S.A. against the Resolution of the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gambling of 10 May 2024.
Order of the Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, of 21 November 2024, resolving the Appeal lodged by EASYJET AIRLINE COMPANY LIMITED against the Resolution of the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gambling of 10 May 2024.
Order of the Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, of 21 November 2024, resolving the Appeal lodged by VOLOTEA S.L. against the Resolution of the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gambling of 10 May 2024.
Order of the Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, of 21 November 2024, resolving the Appeal lodged by NORWEGIAN AIR SHUTTLE ASA against the Resolution of the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gambling of 26 July 2024.