Win for Ryanair passengers as airline forced to make hand luggage change
A recent court decision has been hailed as a huge win for budget airline customers, as Ryanair was ordered to refund a passenger after a court ruled that luggage is essential and should not incur extra fees. The court in Salamanca, Spain, ordered that a passenger be reimbursed for the full cost of their hand luggage across five flights they took between 2019 and 2024. The court ruled that the bags were essential and ordered Ryanair to pay them back a total of €147. The judge explained that they had based their decision on a 2014 ruling by a top European court, which stated that hand luggage 'must, in principle, be considered an indispensable element of passenger transport and that its carriage cannot, therefore, be subject to a price supplement.' The passenger's case was backed Spanish consumer rights organisation Facua. Article 97 of Spain's Air Navigation law states that airlines are "obliged to transport not only the passenger, but also, and without charging anything for it, the objects and hand luggage that they carry" with them. Speaking about the landmark case, Spanish lawyer Isaac Guijarro said at the time that it was a 'huge win for travellers everywhere', reports Birmingham Live. Speaking about the court's decision this week, he added: "It shows Ryanair can't get away with treating passengers like walking ATMs." "They can only deny boarding of these items for security reasons, linked to the weight or size of the object, but in this case they were typical cabin suitcases that did not exceed 55x35x25cm," he explained. According to Ryanair's website, the airline's carry on bag policy is that passengers are entitled to a free small bag "which must fit under the seat in front of you" and "can be a handbag, laptop back or backpack". The measurement restrictions are 40cm by 20cm by 25cm. Anything above this is subject to a charge. However, in this instance, the passenger and Spanish law thought a standard hand luggage wheelie case of 55cm/35cm/25cm should be allowed. The ruling has raised question marks over whether airlines will be forced to change policies to allow all standard sized cabin bags. A Ryanair spokesperson told The Sun: "Ryanair allows each passenger to carry a generous (40 x 25 x 20 cm) personal bag on board as part of the basic air fare, with the option to add extra bags for an optional fee should they so wish." Passengers have since taken to social media to share their delight at the ruling.
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