Court Finds Ryanair Booking Practices Violate Consumer Protection Laws
The tribunal determined that numerous procedures within Ryanair's digital booking platform breach consumer protection statutes, including package fare bundling, deceptive scarcity alerts like "only 5 seats left at this price," fraudulent baseline pricing in promotional offers, and inadequate separation of checked luggage costs for departing versus returning journeys.
The decision stems from an injunction Testachats submitted last May, charging that Ryanair's reservation infrastructure misled customers and obscured transparent pricing.
In its verdict, delivered last week, the court said Ryanair's fare packages are presented in a way that encourages passengers to purchase more expensive options without clearly indicating that services such as priority boarding, reserved seating, and hand luggage can be added individually later at a lower cost.
"Ryanair is careful not to mention this when the package is selected, and not to indicate the price of additional services, in order to encourage the purchase of more expensive packages," Testachats said, adding that the law requires the final price to be clearly displayed from the start of the booking process.
The court additionally struck down the carrier's deployment of urgency tactics, such as warnings claiming limited seat availability at specific rates, observing that fares subsequently dropped in multiple instances. Promotional discounts calculated against fabricated reference prices were similarly ruled unlawful.
Furthermore, the judge mandated that Ryanair must itemize checked baggage fees distinctly for outbound and inbound legs, declaring current formatting misleading.
"Several aspects of Ryanair's booking process are currently unclear or misleading," said Jean-Philippe Ducart, a spokesperson for Testachats, calling for clearer price breakdowns to help consumers compare airlines and avoid unnecessary purchases.
Ryanair has received three months from official notification to achieve compliance. Non-adherence will trigger penalties of €5,000 ($5,902) daily.
Nevertheless, the court dismissed grievances regarding hand luggage inclusion in base ticket costs and supplementary fees for seating minors beside guardians, determining these methods remain lawful under existing regulations.
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