Brussels court condemns certain practices of Ryanair

The Brussels commercial court has condemned several practices used by budget airline Ryanair in its booking process, according to Belgian consumer protection agency Test-Achats.

Test-Achats, together with umbrella organisation Euroconsumers, filed a lawsuit against Ryanair in May last year, accusing the airline of, among other things, a lack of transparency when it comes to booking.

The court has now ruled in favour of Test-Achats, saying it is illegal for options such as "priority boarding" or seat reservations - which are designed to encourage consumers to pay more for their ticket - not to be priced separately.

Ryanair was also convicted for granting false discounts (on the wrong reference price) and for making it appear that only a few seats were left at a low price.

Ryanair must now make changes to its booking process within three months of the judgment being served, or face a penalty of €5,000 per day.

Test-Achats did not, however, win its case regarding the charging of extra fees for hand luggage, one of the main points of criticism.

The Brussels commercial court ruled that it was not illegal to charge for hand luggage the size of a trolley bag or to charge adults to sit next to their child.

In a press release about the ruling, Ryanair focused exclusively on the parts of the case in which the company was vindicated.

“The court expressly rejected Test-Achats’ claim that the basic ticket price of airlines should include a larger bag for the overhead compartment,” the airline said.

But Test-Achats said that it was not giving up the fight for consumers.

“We’re working at European level to bring about improvements,” said the agency’s Laura Clays.

“Major changes are coming in the area of passenger rights. The European parliament is already in favour of making 7kg of hand luggage an integral part of the ticket price and automatically giving neighbouring seats to an adult accompanying a minor.”