The Spanish government announced on Wednesday that it had opened an administrative investigation against seven low-cost airlines, suspected of irregularities in their policy of invoicing cabin baggage and the choice of seats. This investigation, conducted by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, follows a complaint by the consumer association Facua, which had seized the administration in 2021 to denounce practices that, according to it, infringe consumer rights. It aims to establish whether charging as a supplement for services generally considered "necessary and indispensable for passengers" is "abusive" and "unfair" procedures, the ministry said in a statement.
Such a policy can indeed make it possible to "obtain privileged positions in online flight comparators", with "prices much lower than what the consumer ends up paying during the final transaction", he explains. The ministry does not specify the names of the seven carriers under investigation. These companies "together hold more than 30% of the market share", which has a significant "impact" for "millions of passengers", he says.
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A fine of up to "four to six times the illicit profit obtained"
In a separate statement, Facua recalls having seized the administration, among others, for the pricing practices of Vueling, Wizzair and Ryanair, which it considers contrary to Spanish regulations. "The Air Navigation Act establishes that the carrier is 'obliged to carry free of charge in the cabin, as hand luggage, the objects and parcels that the passenger carries with him'," the association said. According to the ministry, which has had sanctioning powers since 2022, the companies under investigation face a fine of up to "four to six times the illicit profit obtained" through these practices.
In recent years, more and more airlines have started charging for cabin suitcases and now only allow travelers to carry a free handbag or a small backpack. In 2019, this practice led the Italian competition authority to impose fines of three million euros on Ryanair and one million euros on Wizzair. These fines were finally annulled by the administrative courts.
