The doors are closing in on Europe’s largest ultra-low-cost carrier after an Austrian court became the latest to rule against Ryanair airport fees. The carrier lost a case before the Austrian Supreme Court, in relation to passenger fees, which include the €55 ($62) airport check-in charge.
Austria is the latest country to challenge and rule against the airport charges. On May 14, the Austrian court ruled that Ryanair’s terms and conditions were unlawful. The court also noted that the fees are problematic, as some charges could also be applied in situations where the passenger is not at fault.
Previously, VKI had been unsuccessful with two other claims in the lower court, where Ryanair was found not to be in breach of having terms or conditions that were unlawful. The Austrian Consumer Association (Verein für Konsumenteninformation, or VKI) has led the latest case and believes that airline fees must be transparent.
Ryanair has rejected the group’s interpretation of the case and states that the court did not declare its model unlawful or order any reimbursement to previously charged passengers. Petra Leupold, head of VKI’s legal department, shared the statement below with RTE.IE:
“The Supreme Court made clear that additional charges must be transparent and must not unfairly disadvantage consumers.”
A Look At The Costs Being Inflicted On Passengers
Ryanair has several additional charges for almost everything, based on the principle that it allows the airline to maintain ultra-low airfares across the continent. The airport check-in fee is designed to encourage passengers to check in online or via its mobile app before arriving at the airport, saving the need for additional tools or staff at the check-in counter.
While historically paper boarding passes were the norm, the airline has since moved to 100% digital, in a bid to cut costs and eliminate waste. While most travelers will be able to accommodate these steps, there are several cases where airport check-in may be needed; however, the Austrian court has now challenged a number of these fees.
Following the court ruling, Ryanair now has three months to stop using Clause 14, where the following charges can be demanded at the airport:
A full list of all fees that are payable to Ryanair can be found on the carrier’s website. These vary from seat selection, oversized luggage, booking fees, card payment fees, missed departure fees, and others.
Beginning on November 12, the carrier will end the use of paper boarding passes across its network.
Following the court ruling, Ryanair has been ordered to pay VKI’s legal fees of €2,544.90 ($2,952) and abolish unfair airport charges within the next three months. The court found that the clauses imposed by Ryanair meant consumers could not reliably understand their own rights and obligations, which breached the Consumer Protection Act.
Other conditions were found to be disadvantageous under the Civil Code, for example. a server outage at Ryanair could mean that online or app check-in was unavailable, putting business risks onto passengers. It is important to note that while the ruling itself did not order any reimbursement to passengers, it was suggested by the VKI. If individual passengers believe they have been unfairly charged and it is unlawful, a separate claim would need to be filed.
Ryanair recently moved to scrap fees that were imposed on parents if they wished to be seated next to children, following an investigation by United Kingdom regulators, which challenged the additional cost. European airlines are also now facing new EU regulations that entitle passengers to be permitted a standard carry-on bag of up to 7 kg (15lbs), a move that the Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary is calling ‘bureaucratic bunkum’, and will force airlines to charge higher fares.
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