London - Budget airlines have been cleared to carry on imposing punishing baggage charges on passengers.
A number of companies, such as Ryanair, have levied increasingly high fees in a policy to discourage travellers from bringing large bags that need to go in the hold.
The ploy angers holidaymakers, but helps airlines cut their airport baggage handling fees and speeds up the turnaround of their aircraft. They also claim that the policy cuts fuel costs.
It also allows budget airlines to keep headline fares down – which is the key to attracting customers in the first place.
Europe’s top court recently sided with them rather than travellers, following legal action by a consumer body in Spain against the airline Vueling, a sister brand of British Airways.
The case was triggered four years ago when a Spanish woman complained about a E40 (R560) charge for checked-in luggage on a trip between La Coruna and Amsterdam.
The Galician Consumer’s Institution sided with her and fined Vueling E3 000 on the basis that Spanish law doesn’t allow any baggage surcharge.
Vueling appealed and the Spanish courts asked the European Court of Justice to decide on the matter.
The court said charges to check baggage into the hold were justified because of the extra costs this generates for the airlines.
The news will be welcome to the likes of Ryanair which charges a fee to check a large bag into the hold, rising to as much as £75 (R1 330) during peak periods such as Christmas or the summer holidays.
Ryanair said: “We note the ruling and continue to abide fully with EU law. Just 20 percent of our customers travel with checked-in baggage, while all Ryanair customers can bring two free bags on board.”
In its ruling, the European Court said travellers could not assume that an airline should be expected to carry their bags free of charge in the hold as part of the package when buying a ticket.
“Spanish law requiring airlines to carry checked-in baggage without a surcharge infringes EU law,” it said. “The processing and storing of checked-in baggage is likely to lead to additional costs for the airline, which is not the case for carrying hand baggage.
“Furthermore, the extent of the liability of the carrier for damage to baggage is greater when baggage is checked in than when it is not.
“The price to be paid for the transportation of checked baggage of passengers can be an optional extra cost. Such a service cannot be considered mandatory or essential.
“It is not inconceivable some passengers prefer to travel without checked baggage, provided that reduces the price of your ticket.”
The ruling should not affect major carriers such as British Airways or Virgin Atlantic because carrying hold luggage is included in their ticket prices. – Daily Mail