Budget airlines including Ryanair and Easyjet have been fined £150m by Spanish authorities for charging their passengers extra to choose seats and bring bigger bags on board.
Irish carrier Ryanair, fined £90m, said that banning charging for extras would ‘destroy’ its ability to offer cheap tickets.
Spain’s consumer ministry said five airlines had violated customers’ rights when charging for larger carry-on bags, picking seats and for boarding pass print-outs.
British Airways owner IAG’s low-cost unit Vueling was fined £32.5m, Easyjet £24m, Norwegian £1.3m and Spanish carrier Volotea £1m.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest passenger carrier, said it would appeal, claiming the practices were key to savings passed on to customers in the form of low prices.
Javier Gandara, head of the Association of Airlines industry group, said the carriers would appeal the fine for baggage charges. It called the decision ‘nonsense’ and said it violated free market and EU rules.
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