A Ryanair traveler has received £124 in compensation after a court determined that the airline improperly charged for carry-on luggage.
The court in Salamanca, Spain, ruled that carry-on bags are a fundamental aspect of travel, and the passenger should not have faced extra fees. They will be refunded for hand luggage charges incurred on five flights from 2019 to 2024.
This decision by Judge Raquel Martínez Marco was influenced by a 2014 ruling from a prominent EU court, which stated that hand luggage should be regarded as an essential component of passenger transport and should not incur additional costs.
The Spanish consumer rights group Facua supported the passenger's assertion.
This decision is merely a segment of the ongoing conflict between budget airlines and Spanish regulators.
Recently, Facua has achieved five victories regarding carry-on baggage, not only against Ryanair but also against the low-cost carrier Vueling.
In October, two Ryanair customers received refunds, and the airline was mandated to cover legal expenses.
The case revealed that passengers were caught off guard by an extra charge of 96 euros for carry-on luggage during check-in.
Lawyer Isaac Guijarro who represebted them stated that this was a ‘huge win for travellers everywhere.’
He invoked a provision from Article 97 of Spain's Air Navigation law, which states that airlines are "obliged to transport not only the passenger, but also, and without charging anything for it, the objects and hand luggage that they carry" with them.
Mr. Guijarro contended that airlines have the authority to deny items due to weight concerns related to security.
It was determined in this case that the carry-on luggage complied with the appropriate size specifications.
"It shows Ryanair can’t get away with treating passengers like walking ATMs," he stated.
This follows a 2019 decision in Spain that deemed Ryanair's hand luggage fees as "abusive" and instructed that they should be discontinued in the country.
However, Ryanair has yet to amend its policies and still imposes additional charges on passengers for extra hand luggage.
Regarding the recent situation, a Ryanair representative stated: "Ryanair allows each passenger to carry a generous (40 x 25 x 20 cm) personal bag on board free as part of its basic air fare, with the option to add extra bags for an optional fee should they so wish.
"This policy promotes both low fares and consumer choice, and is fully compliant with EU law, as upheld by several recent Spanish court rulings, including in Coruña, Segovia, Ontinyent, Seville, and Madrid."