The Ryanair model is on its way to winning the battle to consumers and cabin luggage that we have usually taken on the airplanes for free is close to reaching an end. But it is not yet in force. The European Union Transport Ministers have approved by the minimum this Thursday A change in community regulations that allows the collection by hand luggage that enters the cabin, and creates a nUEVO Free Hand Bill type, That is the that enters under the seat.
Yes, travelers will be allowed shipping with a personal lumpas the Irish airline Ryanair had been practicing.
This regulation proposal has been approved by the minimum, since a qualified majority was required (having support from countries that add at least 65% of the total population of the EU) and has come forward with a 65,57% of representation. Only Spain, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia voted against of the proposal, which has had the abstention of Austria and Estonia and the vote in favor of the rest of the 27 member countries.
Are they going to charge for hand luggage?
It must be made clear that the measure is, for the moment, a proposal and It does not apply yet. He Final text will have to be negotiated with the European Parliament And the final regulations are expected to be ready before the end of the year. Its passage through the Parliament will allow to be modified via amendments and so that it is approved needs an absolute majority of 360 Eurodiputados, the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 has detailed, led by Pablo Bustinduy (add).
The Bustinduy Ministry, one of the only four that has voted against, has protested against the measure, which considers that it is against consumers. In a message posted on his social networks, the Minister of Sumar has indicated that “the lobby of the airlines He has achieved in Europe what he did not get in Spain“With this new regulation.
Recently, the Prosecutor’s Office appeared in the case of the airlinesAfter consumption sanctioned five of them (Ryanair, Vueling, Easyjet, Norwegian and Volotea) for abusive practices such as the EU wants to allow.
What luggage can I carry for free with the reform?
If this modification is approved, airlines may establish charges for the traditional suitcase, but they would be obliged to let us put a bulk whose measures cannot exceed 40x30x15.
“This new text confirms what we already knew: to charge for the hand luggage that enters the cabin or by the a person’s companion seat dependent is illegal with current legislation. That is why the airlines have pressed both to legitimize this abusive practice with a new regulation, “Bustinduy explained, according to Efe. The head of consumption trusts that” not everything is lost “and that he will continue to fight so that he does not come forward.
Other measures that change
In addition to the issue of hand luggage, the reform of the regulation applies other changes that will also be in favor of the airlines, according to consumption:
- The ones are increased Delayed deadlines To claim one compensation and the amounts of these are reduced. With this proposal, only compensation could be claimed from 4 hours late (now they are 3) and the compensation range would be 300-500 euros, when it is now between 250 and 600.
- Legitimizes him additional collection by contiguous seat reserve to a person with a person with reduced mobility. With this regulation proposal, airlines will only be obliged to offer a free contiguous seat to dependent people at the time of billing, and provided there is seats availability. “Therefore, the passenger will be forced to pay the supplements applied by the airlines to be able to guarantee that he will be able to travel contiguously to his companions,” they point out.
- Will allow to charge for Modify data. We will have to review the information well when we buy flights, because the reform wants to legitimize the collection by rectifying personal data of the ticket in the 48 hours before a flight, A “practice that could not be done in Spain.”
- He “no show”also allowed: this clause legitimizes airlines to denied the shipment in the return to passengers that bought a round trip ticket, but for different reasons, they did not use the round trip. This is prohibited in Spain by a Judgment in the Supreme Court of 2018.
Consumers criticize a proposal held by airlines
The Association of Airlines (AA) showed this Friday its satisfaction for the reform of the regulation in a statement in which it expresses that the doubts about the Practice of the collection of luggage in cabin, unifies the criteria To continue by courts and ends with future litigation in court or, they say, with “different interpretations That the jurisdictional bodies in Spain “in this regard:” By unifying criteria in a single norm, this reform provides certainty and security to consumers and airlines, “concludes, according to Servimedia.
It has not fallen as much pleasure to consumers, who have also published a statement. The European Consumer Organization (BEUC) considers that the new text “represents a substantial setback from other key rights “although they recognize that it improves “some rights on paper.” However, they criticize the “rush” of the EU council for getting the reform ahead and ask the airlines to stop charging passengers for their hand luggage now, then, until there are changes, that measure is contrary to “the rules and the jurisprudence of the EU”, which have established that hand luggage is “an essential aspect of passenger transport.”
