I vividly remember my astonished face the first time I was told, at an airport gate, that my small carry-on bag wasn't included in the ticket. Neither size nor weight mattered. It simply wasn't provided. And I had to pay, in cash or by card, just before boarding. I was outraged. There was nothing I could do. Either pay or be left on the ground. Since then, I've seen this scene repeated hundreds of times: resigned passengers pay a surcharge many times higher than the price of the ticket. A practice so widespread that it's now part of the routine of flying with certain airlines.
Now, the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption, and the 2030 Agenda has initiated a new sanctioning procedure, amounting to almost two hundred million euros, against five low-cost airlines for improperly charging for carry-on luggage, booking adjacent seats, and other deceptive practices due to a lack of clear information for travelers. The cases from previous years are pending a ruling in the National Court.
But, as an economist, I'm interested in another detail: the final destination of this money in the form of fines. The fine money will be collected by the administration. Boarding pass, passenger name, payment receipt. It would be logical to require each traveler to return it.
The result is paradoxical. Airlines are penalized for violating regulations, yes, but the real damage is not repaired: thousands of travelers paying to carry the bare minimum essentials for a long-haul trip. A form of public financing that, under the guise of a penalty, functions as an improvised tax. The surprising thing is that no one claims a refund. And, in the end, carrying the essentials for travel becomes a forced contribution to the public budget.
The ruling should read as follows: return passengers one by one and, in any case, impose a subsequent sanction for non-compliance with the regulations.
