Spain fines five low-cost airlines, including Norwegian and Ryanair, with 179 million euros, equivalent to roughly two billion kroner.
The airlines are considered to have used “unreasonable methods” such as charging for hand luggage, charging passengers to reserve adjacent seats for children and other relatives, and not accepting cash when selling tickets at airports, Spain’s consumer rights ministry said.
The fine also covers misleading information and a lack of price transparency “which prevents consumers from comparing offers” and making informed decisions.
Ireland’s Ryanair, which was the first to charge extra for hand luggage in November 2018, receives the biggest fine, at €107.8 million. The airline was specifically fined for charging passengers a “disproportionate amount” for printing their boarding passes at airports when they didn’t have them with them.
Easyjet, Volotea and Vueling are also fined.