The Spanish government is investigating Wizzair and Transavia for charging for carry-on bags.

BrusselsThe Spanish government's offensive grows against low-cost airlinesThe Spanish Minister of Consumer Affairs, Pablo Bustinduy, announced this Wednesday that he intends to expand investigations into airlines that charge for carry-on bags on Wizzair and Transavia. These two companies would thus join the five airlines already fined for similar practices, which Moncloa considers abusive. "These two companies are in the process of following the same path as the previous five," said the Minister of Consumer Affairs at a joint event in Brussels with the European Consumer Association (BEUC) and sixteen other consumer organizations from twelve European Union member states.

The Spanish government fined the airlines late last year. with 179 million five airlines (Ryanair, Vueling, EasyJet, Norwegian, and Volotea) and, along the same lines as Bustinduy on Wednesday, already warned that it would continue to pursue these types of practices. That's why it has now decided to add Wizzair and Transavia to the list, although the Spanish government has not specified what sanction it is considering or when it intends to announce it.

Beyond charging for carry-on bags, Bustinduy has noted that the Spanish government also intends to prevent what it considers abusive practices in airline policies related to child seats, the treatment of people with reduced mobility, and the extra fees charged for printing cards. In fact, it was for these same practices that the Spanish government sanctioned the five low-cost airlines, which have now appealed the sanction to the Spanish courts.

On the other hand, the Spanish government's Consumer Affairs Minister, the BEUC, and sixteen consumer organizations from across the European Union have filed complaints with the European Commission against the seven airlines mentioned above for charging for hand luggage. According to the BEUC, the airlines charge between €6 and €75 for carry-on bags, and for this reason, they already have open lawsuits in Belgium and Portugal.

In any case, it should be remembered that the Court of Justice of the EU ruled that airlines could charge for checked baggage, but countered that an extra charge could not be made for carrying a carry-on bag that meets the weight and safety dimensions required by the airlines themselves. In fact, it is with this jurisprudence in hand that the Spanish government has already sanctioned five airlines and is considering fining two more.

On the contrary, the Association of Airlines (ALA) assures that in the State there is "contradictory jurisprudence" and that, "despite the fact that there are favorable rulings for the passengers who have complained against this practice", there are "many other rulings that ensure that charging for cabin baggage. "The interpretation criteria differ and there are more than 49 rulings issued in Spain that support the practice of charging for cabin baggage", argues the employers' association.