Sixteen consumer groups have called on the EU to take action against seven low-cost airlines over their baggage fees. The carriers include easyJet, Norwegian, Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling and Wizz Air.
Seven airlines in total are being questioned over their baggage allowance regulationsImage: Daniel Kubirski/picture alliance
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Sixteen European consumer groups on Wednesday called on the European Union to take action against seven low-cost airlines.
The demand is related to the additional charges consumers face for baggage fees.
The European Consumer Organisation, BEUC accuses the airlines of "misleading" passengers and creating "confusion" and "distress" at check-ins.
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'Unfair hand baggage practices breach EU law'
"BEUC and 16 member organisations from 12 countries denounced airlines' unfair hand baggage practices to authorities," the statement began. "Targeted airlines include Easyjet (UK/Austria), Norwegian Airlines (Norway), Ryanair (Ireland), Volotea (Spain), Vueling (Spain), Transavia (France) and Wizzair (Hungary). Our legal analysis concludes that such practices are a breach of EU consumer law."
"BEUC's alert to the European Commission and the European Network of Consumer Authorities (CPC-Network) has exposed how airlines take advantage of consumers by charging additional fees to passengers whose hand baggage do not match their guidelines, which has already been declared illegal."
Passengers can pay up to €280 ($315) extra to take on a suitcase according to the consumer groups.
The groups have sought an investigation by the European Commission and national consumer authorities in EU states. They also demanded sanctions for the "illegal" practices.
The BEUC said that a standard luggage allowance should be included within the ticket purchase.
Germans take to the sky like never before
Germans are major frequent fliers. In the first half of this year more than 55 million people departed from German airports, most of them going to international destinations. This despite many problems in the industry.
Image: Reuters/AAP/D. England
Big planes or really big double-decker planes
Germans are known as fearless globetrotters and the statistics prove it: the total number of airline passengers was up 6% to 55.2 million in the first half of this year compared with 2016. Of those travelers, 43 million flew to international destinations, while around 12 million stayed within Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Roessler
Decisions, decisions at the check-in kiosks
Within Europe the foreign destinations with the biggest growth were sunny places in the south. Travel to Cyprus increased by 78%, Greece by 20% and Portugal by nearly 16%. The biggest loser was Turkey. Though Germany has a large Turkish population, trips there were down by 9%.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Roessler
Private plane with the registration 16+01
Not everyone has to wait in those pesky lines or take off their shoes and belt for security clearance. Here German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves her 143 seat plane, the Konrad Adenauer. But don't be too jealous, the plane had been used by Lufthansa for 10 years before being picked up and refurbished in 2009.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/R.Jensen
Plain interior with legroom for everyone
Despite the fact that many people complain that seats and legroom are shrinking, there is hardly any other practical option to flying, especially to far away places. So far this year, the number of people flying to Africa from Germany was up 28%, while the number of those going to the US was up nearly 7%.
Image: picture-alliance/Daniel Kalker
Gourmet bamboo now on the inflight menu
Not everyone is just flying out of Germany. In June, to great fanfare two giant pandas — Meng Meng and Jiao Qing — were flown to Berlin on a special chartered plane from China. The pair is on loan to the Berlin Zoo for 15 years. Yet, at this point no one knows if the cuddly couple has already booked a return flight.
Image: picture alliance/ZUMAPRESS/Xinhua
Not as orderly as it may seem from the outside
Despite the growing number of passengers this year, German airlines have received a lot of criticism. In July, the European Court of Justice ruled that companies could not levy additional fees if passengers cancel flights. And in August, government officials demanded that the country's air passenger duty be scrapped.
Image: Reuters/M. Dalder
After a while they all start to look alike
Once you reach your destination there is no guarantee that your luggage will be there. Passengers of Air Berlin know this problem better than most and it's one of the reasons why Germany's second-biggest airline recently declared bankruptcy. At this point it is still unclear if the company will be taken over or split up.
Image: Imago/SKATA/K. Schöndorfer
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Ryanair and Norwegian say their rules comply with EU law
Ryanair responded to the development via a statement, saying it "welcomed" the complaint, which it said would "confirm that Ryanair's bags policy fully complies with EU Law" which "grants all EU airlines the freedom to set prices, including prices of optional services."
Norwegian also expressed confidence that it was complying with EU regulations. "Norwegian is committed to offering safe and affordable travel, and our baggage policy reflects this," the low-cost carrier said, adding that the fees were "essential for managing weight and limited space on board, ensuring passenger safety, and maintaining punctuality."
Volotea and Transavia, a subsidiary of Air France-KLM, referred to a statement by the industry body Airlines for Europe, which said: "The action taken today by consumer organizations would decrease consumer choice and oblige all passengers to pay for additional services that they may not all need."
