Spain grounds EasyJet, Ryanair, and Vueling with €107m fine for ‘abusive’ tactics.
Credit Shutterstock, jamesdc152
Spain grounds 5 ‘greedy airlines’ with €179m fine for ‘abusive’ tactics.
Spain has slapped five low-cost airlines with a jaw-dropping €179 million fine for “abusive” practices, taking aim at dodgy charges that left passengers fuming.
Budget busters busted
Leading the pack of offenders is Ryanair, hit with a staggering €107 million penalty. Hot on its heels are Vueling (€39 million) and easyJet (€29 million), while Norwegian and Volotea received lighter slaps on the wrist at €1.6 million and €1.9 million respectively.
The airlines’ sins? Sneaky extra charges for basics like hand luggage and seat reservations. Families trying to sit together were being stung with fees, and passengers daring to forget to print their boarding passes were slapped with “disproportionate” penalties.
‘Hand it over!’ rules scrapped
Spain’s consumer ministry announced the crackdown on Friday, November 22, vowing to ban these shady tactics for good. No more charging for basic hand luggage, no more extra costs to keep kids next to their parents, and no more “misleading omissions” hiding the real cost of tickets.
They also ordered airlines to accept good old-fashioned cash at Spanish airports, putting an end to card-only nonsense.
Ryanair and Co. take off, but not scot-free.
The fines follow an investigation by Spain’s consumer affairs and gambling authorities, which flagged “very serious” violations of consumer protection rules. The airlines appealed, but on Friday, November 22, Spain’s consumer ministry firmly rejected their pleas.
This is the first time such “very serious” fines have been imposed since Spain granted new powers to consumer authorities in 2022.
Passengers rejoice, airlines sulk
While the likes of Ryanair have yet to comment, passengers are celebrating Spain’s bold move to rein in what they see as sky-high greed.
With these hefty fines, it’s clear Spain has one message for the budget airline giants: your dodgy fees won’t fly here.
Get more Spanish news in English.
Find more news in English from around Europe.
