He The government fined Ryanair, Vueling, Volotea, EasyJet and Norwegian €179 million. to charge extra for hand luggage, among other “abusive practices”. This is a sanction that has a great impact on airlines, on Spanish tourism and especially on passengers. Does this mean users will stop paying extra for cabin baggage?
The answer is no. Neither in the short nor in the long term. In the first case, in the short term, they will not stop paying this supplement because the five airlines will appeal and request precautionary measures before the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the National Court to, for the moment, maintain the price of baggage. hand.
He president of the Airlines Association (ALA), Javier Gándara, hopes that these precautionary measures will be accepted and ensured after reading the resolution which “this will not mean any change at this time to commercial policies regarding carry-on baggage”. Additionally, the legal process could last between one and two years with resources.
But in case the courts disagree with the airlines low cost and must respect the ban on charging for hand luggage, this will not disappear completely. Because? Because it would force tourists to pay “for services they don’t need” when traveling within the country.
“Penalizing this practice limits the possibility of paying only for essential services and all passengers would be obliged to subscribe to the cabin baggage transport service, even if they do not need it,” according to the ALA.
Currently, airlines They distinguish two types of baggage brought into the cabin: personal accessory and carts (or small suitcases). The first is a suitcase, bag or backpack that must fit under the seat and is free, while the second is the suitcase that must have specific measurements and for which the airline charges an additional fee.
It is this additional surcharge for which Consumer Affairs has fined these airlines. The problem is that If this deduction is prohibited, the base rate of the low cost will include yes or yes the price of transporting this suitcase in the cabin, whether or not the passenger wants to carry it. This means that the plane ticket will probably be more expensive.
A woman leaves her carry-on baggage right above her seat on a plane.
“We will sell and from now on the suitcase will be free, but nothing is free,” said Gándara, who explained that what will happen is that “the price curve will be reformed”, which will make “For some it will be more expensive to fly than for others.
In this way, ALA estimates that almost 50 million (of the 283 million who crossed Spain in 2023) Today, he no longer takes a cabin suitcase on board and only travels with hand luggage under the seat.
“Now they benefit from cheaper rates because they do not increase with the cart and with the ban, they would suffer harm by paying for this service that they do not need,” he added.
Likewise, for the ALA, the ban could lead to major “delays” in flight operations. There is a tendency to carry the suitcase in the cabin and not check it in, but planes do not have the physical capacity to accommodate all the suitcases in the cabin. It must be remembered that in a plane with 180 passengers, only 90 enter carts in the cabin.
If the number of carry-on bags increases because users will pay for this service anyway, the suitcases that do not fit will have to be taken into the hold, which will cause multiple inconveniences and delays on departure, which will affect all passengers. passengers.
And finally, Gándara warned that this measure, which he describes as “nonsense”, will affect Spain’s competitiveness as a tourist destination since it would be the only country in Europe to have this regulation. According to him, this would reduce air traffic in Spain, as it would be diverted to other countries.
Other practices
Ryanair, Vueling, Volotea, EasyJet and Norwegian were also sanctioned to reserve adjacent seats, to charge for printing boarding passes, for not allowing cash payment at Spanish airports and for the lack of clarity in prices published both on its own website and on third parties.
What will happen with these practices? Here, unlike hand luggage, what will happen is not so clear.
In principle, each airline will appeal individually and request precautionary measures for the ban on charging for carry-on baggage, the practice for which these airlines have received the highest fines and the one which most affects their activities. But for the rest of the policies, we will have to see what each company decides.
