Budget airline Ryanair will pay back Italian travellers who were illegitimately charged for extra check-in costs. At least 100,000 consumers will be eligible for a refund which could see Ryanair pay out €1.5 million euros. Euroconsumers has written to Ryanair to request the same compensation for passengers in our other member countries Belgium, Spain and Portugal. 

Illegitimate airport check-in fees 

The Italian Competition Authority  found the airline did not give enough information to people about online check-in only being available for a limited period. 

Ryanair also did not properly communicate that missing the deadline and checking in at the airport would result in a €55 charge. The Authority concluded this could be misleading information and therefore an unfair commercial practice under the law. 

Ryanair will now fully reimburse the 55 euros to those who complained to the company about the charge over 2021-2023, and change the way the information is presented.  

Automatic added extras push up price

But it wasn’t just check-in where we believe Ryanair was using stealthy screen design that can  prompt customers into paying more than they expected.  Passengers found that if they’d booked a priority and hand luggage option for one route it was automatically extended to both, costing them more than they wanted to spend.  

Those who complained will be reimbursed and Ryanair will now change the selection options so that choices can be booked separately. Euroconsumers’ Italian member Altroconsumo will monitor compliance with the refund process and transparency commitments.

Fix stealth charges for all consumers 

This is great news for Italian passengers who are covered by Ryanair’s changes and refunds, but as the largest airline in Europe, its 182 million yearly passengers all deserve more. Euroconsumers has written to the airline and asked them to extend these changes to Belgian, Spanish and Portuguese consumers.  

As an operator in a single market, moving millions of people across borders each year, it’s right that the same practices apply everywhere. Treating consumers differently simply because of where they live is bad business.

If this isn’t resolved quickly, Euroconsumers will raise the issue with the EU’s Consumer Protection Coordination Network (CPC) and push for a fully pan-EU fix so that all consumers benefit from the changes. 

Euroconsumers empowers consumers to get redress 

Euroconsumers and its members have a good track record on empowering consumers to buy flight tickets and travel without being caught out.

Our ‘Not Without My Hand Luggage’ campaign launched at the height of summer travel, demands that airlines including Ryanair immediately stop charging for hand luggage and refund consumers who’ve been unfairly and illegally charged.  

Spanish member OCU has had the first success as the Spanish Consumer Authority just handed Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling, Norwegian, and Volotea a massive €179 million fine for things like demanding extra fees for reasonably sized hand luggage, charging to reprint boarding passes, charging fees for families with children to sit together.  

Stop the squeeze: work with consumers for a better market

The list of stealthy airline charges is long, and consumers are sick and tired of money being squeezed out of them at every opportunity, especially for things that they organise themselves or which should just be part of the service. 

We’ve shown that when consumers are empowered to speak out and back campaigns to secure redress, the market can be improved. But the improvements need to be bigger and better, so we urge authorities and companies to move fast and give consumers the travel experience they expect.