The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission against seven low-fare airlines, alleging “illegal” and “exploitative” hand luggage policies.
The complaint, which cites easyJet, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling, and Wizz Air, asserts that a “reasonably sized piece of hand luggage” should be considered an essential part of travel and, therefore, included in the basic airfare.
Agustín Reyna, Director General of BEUC, said: “Haven’t we all experienced the fear of our hand baggage not fitting in the airline’s sizers and being charged extra fees? Today, we are taking action against seven airlines who are exploiting consumers and are ignoring the EU top court, who ruled that charging reasonably sized hand baggage is illegal.”
BEUC is calling for:
- an EU-wide investigation,
- agreement from member state authorities that the fees are illegal,
- airlines to stop charging hand luggage fees,
- potential enforcement measures.
The consumer organisation is also asking for EU-level standardisation of “reasonable size and weight” for hand luggage to provide clarity for consumers.
“Our data shows that consumers expect to see a small item and a piece of hand luggage when buying basic tickets. Policymakers should also define hand luggage’s ‘reasonable size and weight’ to avoid surprises at the airport and ultimately reduce the number of disputes costing consumers and airlines time and money,” said Reyna.
The carriers involved hit back at the allegations, saying that by allowing passengers to bring one bag or personal item as part of their fare, they were complying with the EU Court of Justice ruling in the case brought against Vueling.
Airlines4Europe, which represents the views of a number of European carriers including easyJet, Ryanair, Norwegian and Volotea, said in a statement: “The action taken…by consumer organisations would decrease consumer choice and oblige all passengers to pay for additional services that they may not all need.”
Ryanair said in a statement that it “welcomed the filing of this complaint to the EU Commission, which will confirm that Ryanair’s bags policy fully complies with EU Law.”
The European Commission will now consider the complaint.
Photo: Boeing
Fees for cabin luggage are under fire.
