Spain fines budget airlines €150M over 'abusive' cabin bag and seat charges(theguardian.com)
theguardian.com
Spain fines budget airlines €150M over 'abusive' cabin bag and seat charges
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/31/spain-fines-budget-airlines-abusive-cabin-bag-seat-charges-easyjet-ryanair
69 comments
I'd like to hear more about this.
It's always been unpleasant interacting with them, but I haven't seen anything abusive. Usually I'm told I either have to leave a huge deposit or buy insurance. Is this what the abuse is supposed to be? I don't love it, but I can't say it's a crazy notion.
It's always been unpleasant interacting with them, but I haven't seen anything abusive. Usually I'm told I either have to leave a huge deposit or buy insurance. Is this what the abuse is supposed to be? I don't love it, but I can't say it's a crazy notion.
Even in Alaska, if you go to Anchorage you’d be well advised to take an Uber to a car rental place at least a couple of miles from the airport.
All sorts of BS, like “we have to phone your insurance company to verify your coverages” (at 11pm), or same with credit card, etc, to be “allowed” to waive their insurance. Oh, and the regular car you reserved, and several of them you can see on the lot? They’re unavailable. And the manager isn’t here to authorize a discount on a larger or premium vehicle. And so on.
All sorts of BS, like “we have to phone your insurance company to verify your coverages” (at 11pm), or same with credit card, etc, to be “allowed” to waive their insurance. Oh, and the regular car you reserved, and several of them you can see on the lot? They’re unavailable. And the manager isn’t here to authorize a discount on a larger or premium vehicle. And so on.
Lol they do that at Denver too. You have to be an assertive kind of personality to get thru that. Or just don’t book with one of the discount desks and stick to hertz/alamo
Never Hertz again. Not to mention their recent "stolen car" debacle, Hertz pulled their own even shadier shit on me in Washington.
"Sorry, our security system was unable to verify you." No explanation of what that was, or meant, or what was being verified. Despite dozens of incident free rentals in the past, etc., no issues on my license, etc. "We are not going to be able to rent to you."
Hand over my credit card and start pulling up an Uber to go to a nearby Enterprise. "Fine, whatever, just put my refund back on this card."
"Sorry, prepaid rentals are non-refundable."
"I didn't get to rent anything, as you just pointed out."
Had to go to Corporate to reverse that one, was about 2 minutes from a chargeback.
"Sorry, our security system was unable to verify you." No explanation of what that was, or meant, or what was being verified. Despite dozens of incident free rentals in the past, etc., no issues on my license, etc. "We are not going to be able to rent to you."
Hand over my credit card and start pulling up an Uber to go to a nearby Enterprise. "Fine, whatever, just put my refund back on this card."
"Sorry, prepaid rentals are non-refundable."
"I didn't get to rent anything, as you just pointed out."
Had to go to Corporate to reverse that one, was about 2 minutes from a chargeback.
Hertz hurts, it’s right in the name.
Avis. Never use Hertz.
The difference in customer service has always been gigantic for at least the last 2 decades.
I don't know if it still holds as I have been driving between places since the pandemic given the eye watering prices of rentals.
The difference in customer service has always been gigantic for at least the last 2 decades.
I don't know if it still holds as I have been driving between places since the pandemic given the eye watering prices of rentals.
Sorry I don't understand what any of this means. I guess I'm not that familiar with renting cars.
We have had some bad issues with them with people coming to visit us so now we just take them to a rental outside the airport (there are enough very close by). Solves the problem. Get a taxi or Uber there and done.
But agreed; should be (probably is) illegal.
But agreed; should be (probably is) illegal.
I’m curious, how are those scammy? I always rent the car in advance and never had any issue, I’ve done that in Spain several times but only in the islands (Canary and Balearic).
They're thieves, hiding behind walls of small print.
We booked one in France through Avis. Rocked up and they wanted either a €2000 refundable deposit or a €350 non-refundable waiver. We were deep into a home renovation, couldn't afford the refundable option if we also wanted food on holiday, had to take the hit.
That's over the top of a €950 10 day rental for a 3 year old Seat, its gearbox nearing the end of its short cruel life.
And we were treated like this because we'd used a reseller. The person before us didn't have our experience and the guy there was happy enough to explain how they hide details like this from comparison websites and everyone assumes they'll get the standard rental agreement. Loads of people get stung on the waiver.
We booked one in France through Avis. Rocked up and they wanted either a €2000 refundable deposit or a €350 non-refundable waiver. We were deep into a home renovation, couldn't afford the refundable option if we also wanted food on holiday, had to take the hit.
That's over the top of a €950 10 day rental for a 3 year old Seat, its gearbox nearing the end of its short cruel life.
And we were treated like this because we'd used a reseller. The person before us didn't have our experience and the guy there was happy enough to explain how they hide details like this from comparison websites and everyone assumes they'll get the standard rental agreement. Loads of people get stung on the waiver.
A deposit for car rental is normal. If you provide a credit card they reserve the amount without actually charging you. But if you only have a debit card or your credit limit is too low, they cannot do that. So you have to pay upfront, and they will refund you after the rental.
I'm guessing the 'waiver' is for their enhanced insurance, which means you don't pay anything extra if there are any damages.
I've rented hundreds of cars in Europe over the past two decades, and never had an issue. I booked through whatever site is the cheapest (which often is their own site, once you sign up for the loyalty programme). Never took the extras they try to sell. Car seats are carried by airlines for free (even Ryanair), so you don't need to pay for those.
I'm guessing the 'waiver' is for their enhanced insurance, which means you don't pay anything extra if there are any damages.
I've rented hundreds of cars in Europe over the past two decades, and never had an issue. I booked through whatever site is the cheapest (which often is their own site, once you sign up for the loyalty programme). Never took the extras they try to sell. Car seats are carried by airlines for free (even Ryanair), so you don't need to pay for those.
A deposit is normal, and yes, if we had the money (pre-approved or real) we'd be €350 better off.
What made it feel like thievery was we knew nothing about it until we were in France with two kids who had just had enough of travel, and we were already an eye-watering sum on that we wouldn't get back if we tried to shop elsewhere.
Again, the direct customers didn't have this. They had been asked these questions, made these choices as part of the initial order, where they had time to prepare financially, or shop around.
It's in this way very similar to how some airlines feel they can double your flight cost as you are literally stepping onto the plane. You have no choice.
What made it feel like thievery was we knew nothing about it until we were in France with two kids who had just had enough of travel, and we were already an eye-watering sum on that we wouldn't get back if we tried to shop elsewhere.
Again, the direct customers didn't have this. They had been asked these questions, made these choices as part of the initial order, where they had time to prepare financially, or shop around.
It's in this way very similar to how some airlines feel they can double your flight cost as you are literally stepping onto the plane. You have no choice.
By definition a reseller is adding at least an extra layer of legal paperwork.
Especially for car rentals where even a single paperwork error can cause a huge problem if an accident occurs.
Especially for car rentals where even a single paperwork error can cause a huge problem if an accident occurs.
I never understood why these companies aren't politely taken out back by the local business association. The biggest rental scam I've ever seen was in Costa Rica with their mandatory insurance that doubles the cost. I expected it but saw them working the others waiting in line and thinking of taking my tourist dollars elsewhere in future on principle. Plus the traffic cops take the plates if you park like the locals adding to a fee dance.
This is almost to the letter what happened to me in Spain. What you described is real.
My very selfish reason for becoming pro cabin bag charges is how much quicker it has made boarding planes.
The way people took the piss with the bags they brought on board before was ridiculous and resulted in a big delay of people trying to find space for their oversized bags of stuff they absolutely don't need for their weekend trip.
The way people took the piss with the bags they brought on board before was ridiculous and resulted in a big delay of people trying to find space for their oversized bags of stuff they absolutely don't need for their weekend trip.
at least in the US they started asking people to pay for checked bags first, so the airlines caused this whole "rush for the overhead bins" problem.
In Brazil too. There used to be plenty of space on the overhead bins, and people used to get in and out of the plane without any hush or messy corridors.
I've been a bit skeptical of this theory. It's not really true of budget airlines but business travelers and frequent flyers with status just don't want to check bags because it takes longer and can have complications with flight changes.
Personally, I rarely check bags (mostly if I need checked for outdoor activities) but the money has basically nothing to do with it.
Personally, I rarely check bags (mostly if I need checked for outdoor activities) but the money has basically nothing to do with it.
Sorry I wasn't even thinking about non-budget airlines when I commented. I was talking about budget airlines (Ryanair, specifically) with my comment
Fair enough. I've never taken one of those airlines.
People started doing it in part because the airlines were taking outrageous times to get bags.
Ironically, that’s been very much improved. With Delta and Alaska now, it’s actually quite rare that I get to baggage claim and my bags are not already there.
Ironically, that’s been very much improved. With Delta and Alaska now, it’s actually quite rare that I get to baggage claim and my bags are not already there.
True. Recently flew Alaska. They announced on speaker that if your bag didn’t come out within a certain time (I think it was 20min), you were entitled to some compensation or even the refund of the flight
It really depends on the airport not so much the airline.
I think not charging for checked bags and some sort of friction for carry-on bags would be best.
Maybe checked bags are free, and people with carry-on bags board last (unless they have kids)
Maybe checked bags are free, and people with carry-on bags board last (unless they have kids)
Basically what spirit does is charge you $65 for a carry on but $60 for a checked bag. Fastest boarding/deboarding experience I’ve seen short of when you get to walk on the tarmac and access the plane from both ends.
Yeah this. Also the plane tickets are so bloody cheap these days that the baggage doesn't hurt a bit.
I just flew with Ryanair and yes, the fees for luggage etc are expensive, but if you don't take luggage and any extras they offer, they are amazing value. I hope the cheap airlines don't get overrun with fines because if not for them I'd barely see my parents.
I am slight surprised over this, but seems to follow what the US Does with these fines.
If it was up to me, all passengers for say the past 7 years will get a full refund of all their baggage fees + 100 EUR + 10% interest compounded per year.
If it was up to me, all passengers for say the past 7 years will get a full refund of all their baggage fees + 100 EUR + 10% interest compounded per year.
This is what I came to comment about as well. In other words, it's just a tax without going to the legislature to implement the tax. It will only be levied when someone decides it's time to levy it again, so it's somewhat convenient.
The government didn't pay those heinous fees, yet they end up with the money? Like seriously, who does that make sense to other than corrupt bureaucrats? The obvious thing would be as you suggest to refund fees directly to those that were charged. Maybe then levy a fine on top of those refunds as a punishment that goes to the government just to add salt to the wound.
The government didn't pay those heinous fees, yet they end up with the money? Like seriously, who does that make sense to other than corrupt bureaucrats? The obvious thing would be as you suggest to refund fees directly to those that were charged. Maybe then levy a fine on top of those refunds as a punishment that goes to the government just to add salt to the wound.
> all passengers for say the past 7 years will get a full refund of all their baggage fees + 100 EUR + 10% interest compounded per year
Congratulations, you have an airline monopoly because everyone went bankrupt or became so imperilled they had to merge to survive.
Congratulations, you have an airline monopoly because everyone went bankrupt or became so imperilled they had to merge to survive.
I agree that the 20E charge to print a paper ticket seems excessive, but I'm not sure about the bag fees. I know it's a bit annoying to get nickle and dimed for everything, but on the other hand it makes sense to only charge passengers for the services they need.
It's about carry on bag not checked in luggage though.
It still costs fuel to carry the weight and slows down the boarding/un-boarding process. Especially if overhead bins fill up and bags need to be, chaotically, checked in at the gate since then you also need more gate attendants. Some passengers don't need anything more than the personal under seat bag for their trip.
So charging for carry on bags is a logical approach if you wish to minimize the operating costs of the airline which budget airlines do.
So charging for carry on bags is a logical approach if you wish to minimize the operating costs of the airline which budget airlines do.
Planes are typically used for longer trips though, not for getting an ice-cream from the stand around the corner. It is reasonable to expect some baggage allowance, the whole trip rarely makes sense without it. Charging for carry-on bags is almost like charging you for the air you breathe. It is abusive, because it's basically lying about the real cost of the ticket.
I haven't checked a bag or brought a non personal item carry on in 8 years. You can easily fit 4 sets of clothes, a jacket, etc.
>It is abusive, because it's basically lying about the real cost of the ticket.
In the US every airline that does this makes it comically clear. Spirit, the one people always make fun of for nickel and diming, has multiple screens before you book telling you that it'll cost extra for bags. Every other airline does similar.
Yes queue the 'but I have 9 children' posts, obviously then you need to pay a bag fee.
>It is abusive, because it's basically lying about the real cost of the ticket.
In the US every airline that does this makes it comically clear. Spirit, the one people always make fun of for nickel and diming, has multiple screens before you book telling you that it'll cost extra for bags. Every other airline does similar.
Yes queue the 'but I have 9 children' posts, obviously then you need to pay a bag fee.
RyanAir most does fairly short trips (1-2 hours), and tons of people do weekend returns and such. You don't need checked baggage for anything less than a week.
I've seen tons of people with 3 bags, huge bags, and things like that. Frustratingly, this mostly affects people like me who don't do that, because I'll be the one asked to put my relatively small backpack under the seat because they're out of space, and being close to 2 metres it's not like I have tons of space to start with. Never too happy about that.
I haven't flown in a while, but generally RyanAir has been pretty relaxed about this, probably because it's just not worth the hassle and all of that. But seriously, fuck these people and fuck their fucking bags and I don't blame RyanAir for placing some incentives to stop the excesses.
I've seen tons of people with 3 bags, huge bags, and things like that. Frustratingly, this mostly affects people like me who don't do that, because I'll be the one asked to put my relatively small backpack under the seat because they're out of space, and being close to 2 metres it's not like I have tons of space to start with. Never too happy about that.
I haven't flown in a while, but generally RyanAir has been pretty relaxed about this, probably because it's just not worth the hassle and all of that. But seriously, fuck these people and fuck their fucking bags and I don't blame RyanAir for placing some incentives to stop the excesses.
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My understand of the 1960's Spanish law which applies here is that the volume of luggage that is accepted as carry-on is fixed by the aircraft manufacturer (e.g. size of the overhead bins), and not the airline: the airline cannot arbitrarily decide the max volume of carry-on that passengers are allowed to bring (and worse, cannot selectively enforce a different limit for different passengers).
I can clearly see the slippery slope if rules like this were not be enforced.
I can clearly see the slippery slope if rules like this were not be enforced.
In my experience the overhead bins are never large enough to accommodate everyone having the allowed sized carry on luggage. Which leads to bags getting gate checked fairly often.
> It still costs fuel to carry the weight and slows down the boarding/un-boarding process.
This is true but if we want to play the pure fairness game should someone who is 150 pounds pay less than someone who is 200 pounds? What about a 90 pound kid? These are drastic differences in weight and all 3 humans would likely fit in the dimensions of 1 standard economy seat.
Arbitrarily charging upwards of $200 USD to check a bag at the gate because your carry on personal item was 0.5 pounds too heavy doesn't seem reasonable. A lot of consumer grade scales aren't even accurate to half a pound, you may have done the work to measure it and be wrong because you don't have a high precision scale that's as accurate as the industrial scale at the airport.
This is true but if we want to play the pure fairness game should someone who is 150 pounds pay less than someone who is 200 pounds? What about a 90 pound kid? These are drastic differences in weight and all 3 humans would likely fit in the dimensions of 1 standard economy seat.
Arbitrarily charging upwards of $200 USD to check a bag at the gate because your carry on personal item was 0.5 pounds too heavy doesn't seem reasonable. A lot of consumer grade scales aren't even accurate to half a pound, you may have done the work to measure it and be wrong because you don't have a high precision scale that's as accurate as the industrial scale at the airport.
20€ seems almost reasonable – I think I’ve seen Ryanair charge far more than 100 at some point.
100€ for a... piece of paper!?
> 100€ for a... piece of paper!?
For having a person who could be helping someone with real issues print a piece of paper instead, yes.
For having a person who could be helping someone with real issues print a piece of paper instead, yes.
I'd be more sympathetic to that view if Ryanair didn't
- Prohibit showing the QR code from a PDF on your phone (it has to be printed on physical paper, or you have to use the app instead)
- Make it intentionally hard/impossible to get your boarding pass bought from a third-party reseller into their first-party app
In other words, my "non-real issue" was entirely manufactured by Ryanair to extract more money from me (by frustrating third-party resellers without outright banning them in a way that makes them prone to competitive lawsuits)
- Prohibit showing the QR code from a PDF on your phone (it has to be printed on physical paper, or you have to use the app instead)
- Make it intentionally hard/impossible to get your boarding pass bought from a third-party reseller into their first-party app
In other words, my "non-real issue" was entirely manufactured by Ryanair to extract more money from me (by frustrating third-party resellers without outright banning them in a way that makes them prone to competitive lawsuits)
To be clear, those are problems. But a fee for a boarding-pass print only exceeding the cost of the paper it’s printed on is totally reasonable.
How much do you have to pay to get to the point where 100€ would be anything remotely close to the actual costs? If your support person is literally doing nothing 59/60ths of the time (because they're waiting around for someone to help), and it takes a whole minute to print a ticket... you're still at 100€/hour.
This doesn't seem like it can be anything but ripping people off for making a mistake, or as charitably as I can possibly get making people who made a mistake subsidize flights for the more meticulous people in an attempt to make tickets (appear to) cost less to get more business.
This doesn't seem like it can be anything but ripping people off for making a mistake, or as charitably as I can possibly get making people who made a mistake subsidize flights for the more meticulous people in an attempt to make tickets (appear to) cost less to get more business.
Yup. I think it was approximately 150€ when this happened to me.
There's even an entire second-order cottage industry benefiting from that practice: At the airport I was trying to board, there was a copyshop offering PDF printouts for 50 cent a page (yay) – except if the page is a boarding pass, for which the rate is then 10€.
Yes, they employ a person to specifically check what you're printing...
There's even an entire second-order cottage industry benefiting from that practice: At the airport I was trying to board, there was a copyshop offering PDF printouts for 50 cent a page (yay) – except if the page is a boarding pass, for which the rate is then 10€.
Yes, they employ a person to specifically check what you're printing...
RyanAir's business model is hyper-aggressive penny-pinching on basically everything that allows pinching pennies.
The costs are so high because they want to really really disincentive people from using staff for this kind of thing, so on average they won't have to hire as much staff.
This is one reason why some RyanAir flights can be as low as €20 (whereas e.g. KLM is €200 for a similar or identical flight).
On bigger airports it's not a huge problem because you can typically use the machines, which are free.
The costs are so high because they want to really really disincentive people from using staff for this kind of thing, so on average they won't have to hire as much staff.
This is one reason why some RyanAir flights can be as low as €20 (whereas e.g. KLM is €200 for a similar or identical flight).
On bigger airports it's not a huge problem because you can typically use the machines, which are free.
I was caught by this surprise pricing once, so I'll explain: printing a boarding pass at the airport is €20, but that's only if you have checked in online beforehand.
But checking in in-person is €0 only if there's more than 2 hours left until the planned departure, it is €55 if there is less. So in practice, a lot of people end up paying €75 for something that's free when flying with other airlines.
In Ryanair's defence, they explain it on their site. But if you are booking via e.g. Kiwi.com, you will probably never visit Ryanair's site and you will miss this detail.
But checking in in-person is €0 only if there's more than 2 hours left until the planned departure, it is €55 if there is less. So in practice, a lot of people end up paying €75 for something that's free when flying with other airlines.
In Ryanair's defence, they explain it on their site. But if you are booking via e.g. Kiwi.com, you will probably never visit Ryanair's site and you will miss this detail.
Is printing it necessary btw?
I ask because RyanAir has official documentation at https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-us/articles/12889667116433-Wh... and https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-us/sections/12488861427857-Bo....
The way I parse them is if you're flying anywhere, unless it's from Morocco or specific airports listed in their FAQ then you don't need to physically print your boarding pass as long as you can pull it up on your phone. This would include foreign travelers such as someone from the US who is flying between countries in the EU based on there not being an explicit call out for that.
I ask because RyanAir has official documentation at https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-us/articles/12889667116433-Wh... and https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-us/sections/12488861427857-Bo....
The way I parse them is if you're flying anywhere, unless it's from Morocco or specific airports listed in their FAQ then you don't need to physically print your boarding pass as long as you can pull it up on your phone. This would include foreign travelers such as someone from the US who is flying between countries in the EU based on there not being an explicit call out for that.
If you buy from certain resellers, these won't share the necessary login details with you to load the boarding pass into the official app.
Ryanair's app (unlike other airlines') intentionally does not allow loading a boarding pass/reservation using just your name and reservation code to discourage these third-party resellers – at the expense of their customers.
Ryanair's app (unlike other airlines') intentionally does not allow loading a boarding pass/reservation using just your name and reservation code to discourage these third-party resellers – at the expense of their customers.
Moreover, if you arrive at the airport 3 hours before but spend one hour in the check-in queue, you will fall into the two hours time window and pay 50 EUR for effectively having the boarding pass printed.
A court in Vienna previously ruled against them, but they just ignore that everywhere else.
A court in Vienna previously ruled against them, but they just ignore that everywhere else.
> But if you are booking via e.g. Kiwi.com, you will probably never visit Ryanair's site and you will miss this detail.
And that's exactly why they even do this in the first place!
They can't outright ban Kiwi.com from reselling their tickets, so they fight a proxy fight on the backs of their own customers.
I'm glad to hear that they have at least dropped their fee significantly; back when I ran into this issue, they were charging over 100€.
And that's exactly why they even do this in the first place!
They can't outright ban Kiwi.com from reselling their tickets, so they fight a proxy fight on the backs of their own customers.
I'm glad to hear that they have at least dropped their fee significantly; back when I ran into this issue, they were charging over 100€.
Ryanair doesn’t allow you to login online for printing tickets with just PNR - they require email for 2fa. Which you don’t get when booking via third party. Got caught by this while travelling with a party of 6. €120 down the drain. Third party sheds any responsibility.
Ryanair is basically a criminal operation, they should be wiped out from the face of Earth.
For more than this; their prices make no sense; way too low. Somewhere corners are cut which probably makes it an illegal operation when they look closer. Which will happen by EU countries or the EU itself.
But yeah, I never fly with them; uncomfortable, annoying, only Boeings etc. I’ll pay more, it’s fine.
But yeah, I never fly with them; uncomfortable, annoying, only Boeings etc. I’ll pay more, it’s fine.
Just checkin for free on your phone and use your phone as a ticket. I fly with Ryanair often enough and honestly wasn't even aware there's still a fee like that.
As other said here; if you book via a 3rd party and you have very little experience (you are a holiday traveller), you don’t know that you have to or how to login to the Ryanair site as they don’t tell you. So when you arrive at the airport you have a nice expensive surprise for the family.
I think paper tickets should be always be free.
A better approach would be to offer an incentive for tickets on your phone (as long as it wasn't a data grab)
A better approach would be to offer an incentive for tickets on your phone (as long as it wasn't a data grab)
I'm surprised they didn't mention TAP Air Portugal which routinely flies from Portugal to Spain using standard sized planes. They also have a number of international flights from the US to Portugal.
Their hand bag requirement is substantially smaller than most other airlines.
It's 16" x 12" x 6" (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) with a 4.4 lb (2 kg) max weight. That depth 6" / 15cm measurement is substantially smaller than most other airlines as well as the weight. Most other airlines have 2-3" (~5cm) more in depth and allow triple the weight. It makes a noticeable difference if you plan a trip with 2 backpacks.
If you happen to need to check it at the gate, they charge $80-$220 USD depending on where you're coming from and going to.
Their hand bag requirement is substantially smaller than most other airlines.
It's 16" x 12" x 6" (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) with a 4.4 lb (2 kg) max weight. That depth 6" / 15cm measurement is substantially smaller than most other airlines as well as the weight. Most other airlines have 2-3" (~5cm) more in depth and allow triple the weight. It makes a noticeable difference if you plan a trip with 2 backpacks.
If you happen to need to check it at the gate, they charge $80-$220 USD depending on where you're coming from and going to.
It would be much better if they just had a streamlined process for charging for larger bags at the airport, and if the fee were roughly the same whether done in advance or not.
As it stands, forgetting that Wizz Air requires bags 6cm smaller than easyJet and then getting told you can either pay more than your ticket cost originally or go home, but only sometimes if you get "caught", is just a bit... I dunno, uncivilized, I guess?
If you make it say, £15 in advance, £20 at the airport, that is enough to encourage people to do it in advance as long as bags are all checked, you don't need to be punitive.
As it stands, forgetting that Wizz Air requires bags 6cm smaller than easyJet and then getting told you can either pay more than your ticket cost originally or go home, but only sometimes if you get "caught", is just a bit... I dunno, uncivilized, I guess?
If you make it say, £15 in advance, £20 at the airport, that is enough to encourage people to do it in advance as long as bags are all checked, you don't need to be punitive.
I've flown a lot with Ryanair, Easyjet and Wizz Air, and apart from Wizz Air adding mysterious a "System surcharge" if you use an ad blocker (although I think they've stopped doing this), I don't mind the extra charges at all.
Surely if they ban cabin bag and seat charges, then the base fare is just going to go up for everyone?
Memes and jokes aside, I actually find Ryanair to be a better service a lot of the time compared to Easyjet and more transparent with pricing, even though Easyjet is almost always more expensive on the routes I fly.
Surely if they ban cabin bag and seat charges, then the base fare is just going to go up for everyone?
Memes and jokes aside, I actually find Ryanair to be a better service a lot of the time compared to Easyjet and more transparent with pricing, even though Easyjet is almost always more expensive on the routes I fly.
I don't mind the extra charges but I question whether removing the fines associated with them would result in an increase in base fare.
If they just universally enforced that all oversize bags paid the £15 or whatever priority fee, instead of some people just getting unlucky because they didn't bring a tape measure on holiday and are 3cm over, I think it could even be net positive revenue wise.
If they just universally enforced that all oversize bags paid the £15 or whatever priority fee, instead of some people just getting unlucky because they didn't bring a tape measure on holiday and are 3cm over, I think it could even be net positive revenue wise.
> The government investigation also looked at concerns
around a lack of transparency
by the airlines over the
final price of services when
booking online, and the
decision to block cash
payments at the airport for
additional services.
I just went through this a week ago and I was shocked RyanAir was doing this as I was sure this was not legal in the EU.
I just went through this a week ago and I was shocked RyanAir was doing this as I was sure this was not legal in the EU.
This would be a good moment to raise the taxes for airlines to have it aligned with rail travel. Demand goes down and they will adjust their additional charges.
If all the countries in EU did that, it would matter. Now it is just a drop in a bucket.
The taxes are 'abusive' because they are sometimes very carefully "hidden". Ryan Air is wonderful compared to the nightmare called WizzAir.
The issues with WizzAir:
-Administrative fees of 9 Euro on each flight, for each passenger.
-Trolley bag (10 kg) an extra of around 60 Euros.
-Want have the same fare for 48 hours? Pay an extra 12 Euros.
-After that, checked in bag, is around 40 Euros per flight.
-Check in at the airport costs around 40 Euros.
-Online check in costs 5 Euros, and the say they mail you the tickets two days before.
-They don't mail you the tickets and they don't say anywhere you can only print the tickets on the same day of the flight (atrocious if the flight is at 6 am).
-You can get a refund for a cancelled flight, but the refund link cannot be found on their site. You have a post on Trip Advisor that points to that site.
-If you have paid for a small check in bag (10 kg) but bring that bag to the plane that's an extra 58 Euros (I can live with that).
-The boarding queue may stop for around 15 minutes, because a client needs to pay 58+58 Euros and the boarding attendant is unable to calculate such a complicated mathematical operation, needing the intervention of another boarding attendant (busy). That is a big no NO!
-Of course the web site has "bugs" and you may encounter "issues" that may force you to restart your session, specifically when asking for a refund...
-The "bugs" do not depend on the browser, or the OS (tested on Windows, OSX and Linux).
The issues with WizzAir:
-Administrative fees of 9 Euro on each flight, for each passenger.
-Trolley bag (10 kg) an extra of around 60 Euros.
-Want have the same fare for 48 hours? Pay an extra 12 Euros.
-After that, checked in bag, is around 40 Euros per flight.
-Check in at the airport costs around 40 Euros.
-Online check in costs 5 Euros, and the say they mail you the tickets two days before.
-They don't mail you the tickets and they don't say anywhere you can only print the tickets on the same day of the flight (atrocious if the flight is at 6 am).
-You can get a refund for a cancelled flight, but the refund link cannot be found on their site. You have a post on Trip Advisor that points to that site.
-If you have paid for a small check in bag (10 kg) but bring that bag to the plane that's an extra 58 Euros (I can live with that).
-The boarding queue may stop for around 15 minutes, because a client needs to pay 58+58 Euros and the boarding attendant is unable to calculate such a complicated mathematical operation, needing the intervention of another boarding attendant (busy). That is a big no NO!
-Of course the web site has "bugs" and you may encounter "issues" that may force you to restart your session, specifically when asking for a refund...
-The "bugs" do not depend on the browser, or the OS (tested on Windows, OSX and Linux).
It's these kind of things, as in TFA, that makes life miserable for tourists.