Cabin baggage charges: investigation called for seven airlines

Some fifteen European associations, including UFC-Que Choisir and CLCV for France, have asked the European Commission to launch an EU-wide investigation into the hand baggage charging policies of seven low-cost airlines.

EasyJet, Norwegian, Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling and Wizzair are "charging consumers undue fees," the Confederation for Consumer Affairs, Housing and Living Environment (CLCV), a stakeholder in the initiative alongside fifteen other NGOs that are members of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), accused in a statement on Wednesday.

Indeed, "the Court of Justice of the EU (...) ruled in 2014 that "the transport of hand luggage cannot be subject to a price supplement, provided that it meets reasonable requirements in terms of weight and dimensions and complies with the applicable safety requirements," the association emphasizes.

However, according to the group of associations, these seven companies impose fees for hand luggage of reasonable size, but which they consider to be "large": 36 euros for Ryanair, nearly 43 euros for EasyJet, or even up to 280 euros for Vueling if it turns out that the dimensions defined by the company are not respected.

Another contentious point: the dimensions used to define the format (small or large) of baggage allowed on board "are particularly heterogeneous from one company to another."

This collective of European associations has therefore decided to contact the European Commission and the national consumer protection institutions of the Twenty-Seven (including the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) in France) "so that an investigation is carried out at EU level and the illegal commercial practices of airlines are sanctioned."

Among the airlines singled out, the Irish Ryanair stated in a press release that it welcomed this initiative, believing that the investigation will demonstrate that its "baggage pricing policy fully complies with European regulations (...) which guarantees all European airlines the freedom to determine prices, including those for optional services."

For its part, Norwegian believes in a statement sent to AFP that its pricing model "complies with European regulations" and specifies that its customers "appreciate" it.

When questioned, Transavia and Volotea referred to the position of Airlines for Europe (A4E), an association representing 17 European groups (including Lufthansa, Ryanair, Air France-KLM, EasyJet, etc.). "The action taken" Wednesday by the group of associations "would reduce consumer choice and force all passengers to pay for additional services that they may not all need," A4E argued in a press release.

EasyJet, Vueling and Wizzair have also not yet responded.

This initiative comes as debates are underway within European institutions on the reform of the regulation governing air passenger rights.

For UFC-Que Choisir, these discussions offer the EU an "ideal opportunity" to "clarify the services that should be included in the basic ticket price" and to harmonize rules relating to hand luggage.