"I was buying a low-cost airline ticket to save money, but I didn't expect that the extra charge would be more expensive than the ticket price!Recently, Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost airline, has once again sparked a controversy over the introduction of new regulations for charging "electronic boarding pass fees". Some even consider this regulation to force passengers to pay and is a "shameful act".
Ryanair has always offered "just the bare bare bare bare services", and while airfares are low, they come with a lot of names and high extras. In August this year, an elderly couple was charged 110 pounds (about 1,000 yuan) for reprinting their boarding passes, which sparked heated discussions on social platforms. ”
Data map (source: Shangguan News).
They almost installed a coin machine in the toilet of the plane.
In addition to the fees for seat reservations and printed boarding passes, Ryanair's new regulations require online check-in passengers to pay an additional fee of 8 pounds (about 72 yuan) to 21 pounds (about 190 yuan).
According to one passenger, he was told at the time of online check-in that he had to pay to get an electronic boarding pass, otherwise he would have to collect a paper boarding pass at the airportSome people even bluntly said that this new rule is to force passengers to pay.
It is reported that this is not the first time that Ryanair has been caught in a storm about charges.
As early as 2009, it was revealed that the airline had ** the problem of toilet charges, saying that in the future, passengers who want to use the toilet must first put in a £1 coin, and consider the possibility of installing a coin machine on the toilet door of the plane. This plan was boycotted by many passengers, and Ryanair eventually had to abandon it.
In 2019, Ryanair was complained by passengers because of the new "baby fee". It is reported that before this, children between the ages of 0 and 2 did not need to pay when taking the company's low-cost flights, but after the introduction of the new regulations, this free service will be changed to pay 25 euros (about 194 yuan).58 yuan).
Not only is there an additional fee, but the passenger's booking experience is also very "tortuous". It was stated that after selecting the newborn option when booking online,** there would be no information about the €25 infant fee, but at the final payment stage, the cost would be included in the total amount of the ticket.
A fine of 3 million euros was imposed for additional carry-on baggage fees.
While low-cost airlines like Ryanair offer low fares, their "famous" extra charges have many consumers crying out "scared".
In March 2015, Ryanair announced that it would open routes from London Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom, Dublin in Ireland and Berlin in Germany to New York, Boston, Chicago and Miami in the United States within four or five years, with a minimum fare of only 10 pounds (about 91 yuan).
As soon as this news came out, it was ridiculed by many netizens. Someone said, "It's Ryan's message, so it's New York, it's probably New Jersey, and it's not necessarily going to land you in Iowa!."Someone else said: "It's true that the ticket is £10, but if you don't keep it, you have to pay £200 for luggage, £200 for seating, and £1 for going to the toilet?"”
It is not surprising that people have such a reaction. In August 2018, Ryanair announced that from November onwards, passengers would only be allowed to carry one small piece of hand luggage on board, and it would only be stowed under the passenger seat in front of them. If a passenger brings a suitcase on board, they will need to pay a fee of up to 9 euros (about 70 yuan).
Some consumer associations were dissatisfied with this policy and complained to the Italian antitrust authorities. Italy's antitrust authority said in a statement that hand baggage is a "necessary element of transportation" and that Ryanair and other airline operators should therefore include this part of the cost in their tickets**.
Italy's antitrust authority said it had opened an investigation into whether Ryanair's new hand baggage charge policy was reasonable. According to the Italian antitrust authority, Ryanair's new carry-on baggage policy distorts the eventual outcome of air tickets, resulting in passengers not being able to make true comparisons with fares with other airlines, which is an unfair commercial practice.
In March 2019, the Italian Competition and Markets Authority issued a notice that Ryanair was suspected of deceiving and misleading consumers by imposing additional fees on passengers' hand luggage. The Italian authorities decided to impose a fine of 3 million euros on Ryanair.
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