Euroconsumers have launched a campaign demanding that airlines immediately stop charging for hand luggage and refund consumers who’ve been unfairly and illegally charged.
Airlines have started slapping fees on reasonably sized hand baggage, the kind of small cabin case that fits in the overhead locker. This has angered passengers who rightly expect to be able to travel with their luggage.
Hand luggage charges break consumer law
They say that “These charges are not just frustrating and unfair, they are prohibited by law. First of all, airlines are ignoring EU legislation that says the final price of a flight including all prices must be shown up front. Unclear information means consumers can face hidden fees which makes comparing airlines to get the best price very difficult.”
Falsely presenting hand luggage as an optional extra to be paid for goes against a principle set in 2014 by the European Court of Justice. The ECJ’s ruling was never enforced, leaving open the door for the recent pricing tactics.
However, it makes clear that hand baggage is not a supplementary, luxury item, but a necessary part of travel and that, within reasonable size and weight limits, should not be subject to a fee.
Time to enforce
With more airlines introducing these spurious charges, Euroconsumers members are fighting back.
After a complaint made by Euroconsumers’ member OCU to their consumer ministry, the Spanish authority fined budget airlines Vueling, EasyJet, RyanAir and Volotea a total of €150 million for these illegal charges for cabin luggage and demanded they stop.
Euroconsumers’ Belgian and Portuguese organizations, Testaankoop/Testachats and Deco Proteste, are waiting for the outcome of similar complaints they lodged with their national authorities.
Read the letter and demands to the companies here:
Read more at https://www.euroconsumers.org/
