Spanish consumer organisation OCU is filing a legal test case against budget carrier Ryanair alleging persistent charging for cabin baggage, despite previous fines from the country’s consumer affairs ministry.
Ryanair was among five airlines fined but the OCU says the affected carriers have appealed the matter in court.
The OCU says it has filed a “trial lawsuit” against the Irish carrier in a bid to “expedite resolution” of the dispute by having a court confirm the charges as exploitative.
It says it hopes the national court will adopt measures which will temporarily prevent carriers from engaging in such practices.
OCU says that, over the course of 2024, it received 1,139 complaints about Ryanair, including 248 about baggage issues.
Spanish carriers Vueling and Volotea, as well as Norwegian and EasyJet, were also fined alongside Ryanair.
Ryanair bore the heaviest part of the overall €179 million penalty, a total of nearly €108 million.
At the time of the decision the carrier insisted the fines were illegal, and that they were aimed at undermining budget carrier operations in Spain.
