Consumer organisation Testaankoop is taking Irish airline Ryanair to court. According to Testaankoop, Ryanair is violating consumer rights in numerous ways. In the past, the organisation has filed several complaints with the Economic Inspection Service, but has now decided to take further action.
A year ago, Testaankoop filed a complaint with the Economic Inspection Service against Ryanair, Vueling, Wizzair and EasyJet for charging passengers for hand luggage the size of a trolley.
This makes price comparisons with other airlines difficult, because customers only find out the true cost of the flight at the end of the booking process. This is contrary to European regulations, which stipulate that the full price must be clear from the outset.
Ryanair also makes customers pay for extra services by offering a package deal: when choosing to pay extra for larger hand luggage, customers are sold priority boarding and seat selection without asking for it.
As required by European legislation, we want prices to be clear to consumers from the start of the booking process
Flights are also advertised as having only a certain number of seats at the stated price, which often turns out to be incorrect.
Testaankoop is now targeting the airline with its complaint. “As required by European legislation, we want prices to be clear to consumers from the start of the booking process, including for each service separately, so that it is easier to compare different airlines,” said spokesperson Laura Clays.