You'll get a refund
Court Halts Ryanair’s Extra Fees
“Transparency, not trickery,” says the Ministry of Social Affairs. A lawsuit filed by the ministry before the Supreme Court was successful. Starting in mid-September, new transparency rules will apply to the low-cost airline Ryanair. Plus, you’ll get your money back!
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen At first, the flight ticket seems like a bargain—but just a few clicks on your phone later, you’re often in for a surprise. Especially with low-cost airlines like Ryanair, extra fees are charged for check-in, boarding passes, as well as for infants and mandatory family seats. “Many people are disappointed but continue with the booking process anyway because it would be too much of a hassle to start over,” say consumer advocates. Starting in mid-September, however, this will come to an end—at least for bookings made within the country.
14 out of 15 clauses are illegal
The Supreme Court has made it clear: Ryanair may not impose opaque and grossly disadvantageous additional fees on consumers in Austria. The Association for Consumer Information (VKI), acting on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs, challenged 15 fee clauses in Ryanair’s terms and conditions of carriage—and the Supreme Court ruled that 14 of them were unlawful.
“Fees must be clear, understandable, and legally permissible. Hidden costs and unfair clauses have no place,” the ruling states in essence. As the “Krone” learned, these include, among other things, the 55-euro fee for airport check-in, as well as fees such as the 15-euro boarding pass fee, the 25-euro infant fee, fees for mandatory family seating, baggage fees, rebooking fees ranging from 45 to 60 euros, and name change fees ranging from 115 to 160 euros.
Unlawful fees may no longer be charged. Anyone who has paid such fees should check whether they can claim a refund!
Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig, Staatssekretärin
Reimbursement for costs can be claimed
For consumers, this brings improvements not only for the future—but also retroactively. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, anyone who has paid such fees based on these or “equivalent clauses” can also claim a refund.
“Those who cheat lose. This ruling sends a strong message: ‘Budget flights’ must not mean that consumers end up being asked to foot the bill for opaque fees. Anyone booking a flight must know what it really costs. A price must be a price—period,” explains Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig, the SPÖ State Secretary responsible for this matter. This is good news for families, especially ahead of summer vacation.
The European Consumer Center (EVZ) at the Association for Consumer Information (VKI) offers a sample letter on its website (www.europakonsument.at) for claiming a refund of these fees.
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