The deceptions of 'low cost' flights

It always surprises me that a Barcelona-Milan flight can cost 16 euros in low season. Then comes the rest of the information: the flight is at six in the morning, you can only bring a small bag, and if you want to choose a seat, you have to pay extra. When you have added the cabin suitcase, you have answered no, that you do not want insurance, that you also do not need a rental car, nor any hotel night, and that you are sure, absolutely sure, that you also do not want to choose a seat… the base price has risen to 30 euros because at that moment there is a lot of demand. And you have to go back to the initial search engine because the other company, which was at 25 euros, might be more worthwhile.Finally, the European Parliament has managed to bring some order to this. In just over a year, the price that appears by default in the search engine will have to include the cabin suitcase. In addition, the bag that is placed under the seat must remain free; the argument is common sense: few people take a plane to go and return on the same day.It has been a long road with many cases judged in the courts where, fundamentally, the right of airlines to freely set their services has competed against consumer rights. What must be included, yes or yes, in these 16 euros? Well, apart from the suitcase, some other things: you can no longer charge for printing the boarding pass, nor for correcting a typographical error in the name. And the clause that, if you don't take the outbound flight, they can cancel the return, ends. A broader social view is also added: families are not allowed to be separated in seat assignments when there are minors under fourteen years of age, people with disabilities or reduced mobility, or pregnant women. And compensation for delays is also regulated.In 2014, the Court of Justice of the EU had already ruled, in a case against Vueling, that carry-on luggage is an essential element of transport and, therefore, should not be paid for as a supplement. Ten years later, in November 2024, the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs fined five low-cost companies 179 million euros for these practices: 107 to Ryanair, 39 to Vueling. Ryanair took it to court, a court suspended the fines, and the European Commission ended up opening a file against Spain because it interpreted that it went against the freedom of prices. This case is yet to be resolved, but the new regulation will help in future disputes.The feeling of insecurity with the final price of low cost companies will be reduced. What doesn't change are the dynamic pricing algorithms. Prices will continue to vary according to demand, the number of tickets purchased simultaneously, the day of the week, the flight time, and also according to the number of times you have searched for that flight or the location from which you connect. We will be able to compare better, but the mystery will continue of knowing exactly why the same seat is worth 16 euros or 30 euros. Of course, both will have the suitcase included.