By Marc Menendez-Roche •
Updated: 15 Oct 2024 • 12:44 • 2 minutes read
Ryanair fined for illegal hand luggage charges by Valencia court. Discover how the airline’s reckless practices led to a ruling in favour of passengers, with Ryanair ordered to pay legal costs. Read the full story!
Ryanair fined for illegal hand luggage charges by Valencia court. Discover how the airline s reckless practices led to a ruling in favour of passengers, with Ryanair ordered to pay legal costs. Read the full story!
In yet another courtroom drama, Ryanair has been grounded this time by a Valencia court for charging passengers illegal fees on hand luggage. The low-cost airline was caught out once again after forcing two passengers to shell out extra cash for simply carrying their personal belongings on board.
The ruling, hot off the press from the Juzgado de Primera Instancia número 1 in Valencia, wasn’t just a slap on the wrist. The judge didn’t just demand a refund of the €96 (£82) passengers were charged oh no, Ryanair also has to cough up for the hefty legal costs, as the court branded the airline’s actions “reckless” for dragging the poor passengers through a legal battle in the first place.
The court’s decision is a firm one, and it serves as cold hard justice to Ryanair for trying to charge an outrageous hand luggage fee that’s been ruled illegal. It all began when the unsuspecting passengers booked their flights, only to find themselves stung with an extra charge at check-in for their small bags. This is despite EU law saying Ryanair must transport essential hand luggage free of charge, given that it’s a basic part of a passenger’s journey. This means airlines like Ryanair cannot impose additional charges for standard hand luggage that passengers need during the flight, as long as it complies with size and weight restrictions. But, Ryanair had other plans.
As Isaac Guijarro, the passengers legal eagle from Olympe Abogados, explained during an interview with El Pais, Ryanair refused to settle out of court, likely banking on the idea that most passengers wouldn’t bother going the legal route. But the airline’s gamble didn’t pay off this time. The court found their behaviour so appalling it tacked on the legal fees, which normally wouldn’t apply unless the case exceeded €2,000.
“This ruling is a win for travellers everywhere,” Guijarro said, celebrating the verdict. “It shows Ryanair can’t get away with treating passengers like walking ATMs.”
So, next time you fly Ryanair, watch your bags and your back! Because if you’re thinking of bringing anything bigger than a purse on board, you could end up taking the airline to court instead of taking off on time.
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Written by
Marc Menendez-Roche
Marc is a writer, teacher, and language enthusiast with a passion for making complex topics simple and accessible.
With a background in business and legal communication and an interest in educational neuroscience, Marc has spent over a decade teaching and writing.
Now, as part of the team at Euro Weekly News, Marc enjoys diving into entertaining topics and stories that matter to the community.
When he’s not writing, Marc loves practising martial arts, playing football, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, or spending quality time with friends and family, but above all, Marc enjoys spending time with his son, Macson.
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