The Commercial Court in Brussels has ruled that several practices used by the Irish airline Ryanair during the online booking process on its website are unlawful. The consumers’ association Testaankoop reports that the court has ordered Ryanair to either change its ways or face a 5,000-euro-per-day penalty charge.
Commercial Court rules that some practices used during online booking process by Ryanair are unlawful
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Last May, Testaaankoop, supported by the European umbrella organisation for consumers’ associations Euroconsumers, took an injunction against Ryanair regarding a number of practices the airline employes during its online booking process. The consumers’ association believes these to be contrary to consumer rights legislation. The Brussels Commercial Court agrees and has ruled that the practices are unlawful. In a statement released on Tuesday morning, Testaankoop said that the Commercial Court’s ruling dates from last week.
The practices deemed unlawful are Ryanair’s bundled fare packages. On its site, a statement reads “only 5 seats left at this price”. Also deemed to be unlawful are advertisements for discounts with a false reference price as is Ryanair’s failure to display the prices of checked baggage separately for outbound and return flights.
In the first case, once those purchasing flights via Ryanair’s website select their flight. While doing so, they must choose a Basic, Regular, Flexi Plus or Plus package. If they wish to take hand luggage, the website recommends the Regular fare, which also entitles them to priority boarding and a reserved seat. However, it is possible to opt for these options separately at a later stage and choose only the option that the passenger actually requires. This is at a lower that than if they opt for a “Regular” fare.
“Ryanair is careful not to mention this when the package is selected, and not to indicate the price of additional services, in order to encourage the purchase of more expensive packages,” Testaankoop says. “Here too, the law stipulates that the final price must be specified at the beginning of the booking process.”
The court has confirmed that this practice is illegal.