Overview

• A Salamanca court ruled that Ryanair must refund £124 to a passenger for hand luggage fees charged across five flights between 2019 and 2024.
• The court emphasized that hand luggage is an indispensable element of air travel and cannot incur extra charges, citing a 2014 EU Court of Justice decision.
• The ruling was supported by Article 97 of Spain's Air Navigation Law, which obligates airlines to transport hand luggage without additional fees unless size or weight poses security concerns.
• The court also found Ryanair acted recklessly by forcing the passenger to litigate and ordered the airline to cover legal fees.
• Ryanair and Spain's Airline Association plan to appeal, arguing that EU law permits airlines to determine their own fare structures, while consumer groups see this as a significant victory in ongoing legal battles over ancillary fees.