The German consumer association VZBV is taking legal action against several budget airlines, such as Ryanair and easyJet. The organization claims that the airlines are wrongly charging fees for carrying hand luggage.
VZBV reports that lawsuits have been filed against Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, and Vueling Airlines. “Ryanair, easyJet, and others lure customers with low fares that do not include standard hand luggage. This is misleading and contrary to existing legislation,” says VZBV chairman Ramona Pop in the German newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.
According to Pop, airlines are obliged to carry a reasonable amount of hand luggage without extra costs. In addition, she states that the maximum dimensions that many companies use are in violation of European legislation. Other European consumer organizations have also complained about this before.
The Dutch Consumers’ Association and fifteen other European consumer organizations earlier this year went to the European Commission and the network of national consumer authorities CPC. They also filed a complaint about the costs for hand luggage.
Consumers’ Association director Sandra Molenaar referred in that complaint to a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2014. It ruled that it is against the rules to make passengers pay for a reasonable amount of hand luggage.
The Belgian consumer organization Testaankoop filed a lawsuit against Ryanair last May for alleged misleading practices in the booking process. That case is still ongoing.