Fees for hand luggage inadmissible? Consumer advice center sues
Many airlines charge extra baggage fees – not only for checked baggage, but also for hand baggage. The latter is taken to court.
The Canadian airline Air North is one of the few airlines where both checked-in baggage and baggage carried in the cabin are free of charge.
(Image: Daniel AJ Sokolov)
More and more airlines are charging extra to fly with hand luggage. This is in breach of EU law, say consumer advocates. In May, the European consumer association BEUC (Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs) and 16 national member organizations filed a complaint with the EU Commission. The German Federation of Consumer Organizations (Verbraucherzentralen Bundesverband, vzbv) is now going one step further.
The association has issued warnings to Norwegian Air, Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea, Easyjet, Wizzair and Vueling Airlines. The consumer advocates have also filed additional complaints against Easyjet, Wizzair and Vueling. "Ryanair, Easyjet & Co are luring consumers with fares that do not include all reasonable hand baggage. This is consumer deception and violates applicable law", says Ramona Pop from vzbv. "Airlines are obliged to carry appropriate hand luggage at no extra cost. The current standards often applied by airlines for hand luggage sizes are contrary to EU law."
Pop refers, among other things, to a decision by the European Court of Justice from 2014 (case no. C-487/12). According to this ruling, the carriage of hand luggage is an essential part of the transportation of passengers and not an additional service. As long as the safety regulations are complied with and the hand luggage is reasonably large and heavy, no additional charges should be incurred. The companies in question have not yet issued a statement.
The action against easyJet is pending before the Berlin Court of Appeal, that against WizzAir Hungary before the Frankfurt am Main Higher Regional Court and that against Vueling before the Hamm Higher Regional Court. To prevent future legal disputes, the vzbv is calling for minimum standards for carry-on baggage carried free of charge by air travelers. The edge dimensions of the baggage carried in addition to the "personal item" should be at least 115 centimeters and the weight at least ten kilograms.
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