Ryanair is embroiled in a dispute with airport authorities in Spain following its fall out with Alicante airport and engaged in court action against a consumer group in Ireland.
The combative carrier has threatened to slash flights at Alicante after the airport insisted all airlines use air bridges to board passengers. Now it is under fire from Spanish airport authority AENA for failing to comply with carry-on bag rules.
Passengers in Spain are allowed to carry separate bags of duty-free shopping on flights in addition to the one cabin bag permitted. Ryanair insists on a single bag to make boarding quicker and charges for additional items.
A senior AENA figure said: “Ryanair must obey the rules. When we told them, they said they would comply with Irish law rather than Spanish. We said this was not acceptable. They must follow the rules at Spanish airports.”
Airports association ACI Europe wants the shopping-bag rules extended across Europe, amid airport concern that budget carriers’ charges for added bags are hitting retail sales.
AENA said: “The airlines ask us to reduce landing charges, but we need to grow commercial revenues to do this and that is made difficult by restricting passengers to one bag.”
At Alicante, where Ryanair has threatened to axe 80% of flights rather than use air bridges because of the cost, the airport director said the additional cost per passenger would be euro0.30 (19p).
Meanwhile in Dublin, Ryanair is seeking a court order to have statements by passenger claims website airtaxrefund.com declared false and defamatory. A hearing is set for June. Airtaxrefund.com claims Ryanair is “hoarding” taxes and fees on fares paid by passengers who fail to fly.