Latest news with #AgustínReyna
Irish Examiner
07-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
How has Ryanair changed its cabin baggage rule and will other airlines do it too?
For all but the most seasoned travellers the metal bag sizers used by budget airlines have become an instrument of fear due to the heavy financial penalty incurred if hand baggage is too big to fit. But as the summer holiday season gets under way there is some good news for those who struggle to travel light: Ryanair has announced it is increasing the size of the small 'personal' bag you can take in the cabin for free by 20%. This sounds unusually generous of Ryanair – is it? Yes. But it comes as airlines fall into line behind a new EU guaranteed bag size of 40cm by 30cm by 15cm. The current dimensions of the Ryanair free carry-on limit are 40cm by 25cm by 20cm. It is increasing them to 40cm by 30cm by 20cm. Ryanair trumpets this is 'bigger than the EU standard'. It says the change 'will be implemented over the coming weeks, as our airport bag sizers are adjusted'. The size change represents a 20% increase in volume and means Ryanair will be accepting free bags one-third bigger than the new EU minimum. But that is the only aspect of Ryanair's baggage policy that is changing. If you get it wrong and a gate check reveals the bag is oversized you will pay a fee of £60. A larger cabin bag can be added to a flight booking for £6 to £36 depending on the route but, again, if it is deemed too large at the airport it will cost £75 to stow. Will other airlines change their luggage rules, too? Some won't have do anything. Rival budget airline easyJet, for example, already allows a more generous free underseat bag. Wizz Air's current free bag policy is the same as the one that Ryanair is moving to. The airline association Airlines for Europe (A4E) says its 28 members have started applying the bag dimensions which were agreed by EU transport ministers last month. 'This will bring more clarity to passengers across Europe,' says its managing director, Ourania Georgoutsakou. 'From city-hoppers to family travellers, everyone will benefit from the same clear rule across our members' networks.' Standardising cabin-bag rules has been on the Brussels agenda for years with the decision to settle on a size enabling frequent travellers to buy one piece of luggage that will be accepted by multiple airlines. All A4E airlines will be following the bag rule by the end of the 2025 summer season, it says, adding that 'carriers will continue to permit larger personal items at their discretion'. Aren't hand baggage fees being abolished anyway? Not yet, but they could be. European consumer groups are calling on EU lawmakers to investigate budget airlines for 'exploiting consumers' by charging for hand luggage. In May, BEUC, an umbrella group for 44 consumer organisations, called for Brussels to investigate seven airlines, including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air for this. BEUC director general Agustín Reyna said the airlines were 'ignoring the EU top court who ruled that charging [for] reasonably sized hand baggage is illegal'. The organisation was referring to a EU court of justice ruling in 2014 that said the 'carriage of hand baggage cannot be made subject to a price supplement, provided that it meets reasonable requirements in terms of its weight and dimensions'. In the meantime, Spain has become a battleground for the issue. Last year, its consumer affairs ministry fined five carriers, including Ryanair, a total of €179m (£150m) for charging passengers for hand luggage and seat reservations. Now low-cost carrier Wizz Air is being investigated, too. Will charges be banned? Ryanair's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, says no. He is dismissive of the Spanish effort, recently telling the Guardian the country has a 'mad minister who's decided that as General Franco passed some law 30 years before Spain joined the EU, passengers are free to bring as much baggage as they want.' A Spanish court has now temporarily suspended the fines on three of the airlines (including Ryanair) while the matter is under judicial review, after a legal challenge. To complicate matters further, last month the transport committee of the European parliament voted to give passengers the right to an extra piece of free hand luggage weighing up to 7kg. Under the new rule, travellers could bring one cabin bag measuring up to 100cm (based on the sum of the dimensions) on board their flight, as well a personal bag, at no additional cost. (MEPs also want children under 12 years old to be seated next to their accompanying passenger free of charge.) The proposed law requires approval from 55% of EU member states, but if adopted after the negotiations due to start this month, would extend to all flights within the EU, as well as routes to and from the EU. The airline industry is predictably opposed, stating that the cost of the bag will be folded into overall prices, pushing up fares. 'Europe's airline market is built on choice,' Georgoutsakou says. 'Forcing a mandatory trolley bag strips passengers of that choice and obliges passengers to pay for services they may not want or need. What's next? Mandatory popcorn and drinks as part of your cinema ticket? 'The European parliament should let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don't,' she says.
Euronews
11-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Amazon to call on EU judges for online platform rules exemption
Amazon will on Thursday try to convince EU judges that it should not have to comply with the strictest requirements under the bloc's online platform rules – the Digital Services Act (DSA) – because it does not pose the systemic risks that the rules intend to combat. The DSA entered into force in 2023 and obliges platforms to prevent illegal activities online as well as to counter the spread of disinformation. Amazon is one of the 25 Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) that were designed by the European Commission because they have more than 45 million users per month. To them, the strictest rules apply. Amazon challenged that decision before the court and argues that its marketplace activities do not fall in the scope of the rules. A spokesperson told Euronews ahead of the hearing in the EU's highest court in Luxembourg on Thursday that the DSA was designed to address systemic risks brought by those companies "with advertising as their primary revenue and that distribute speech and information". The Amazon Store, as an online marketplace, "does not pose any such systemic risks; it only sells goods, and it doesn't disseminate or amplify information, views or opinions," the spokesperson added. The court last year already dismissed interim measures requested by Amazon in a bid to avoid full implementation until the challenge had been decided. The Big Tech company said that making their advertising public, as the DSA requires, would give away trade secrets to their competitors. However, the ruling said that EU interests prevail over Amazon's material interests and stressed the importance of the timely implementation of the law. The Amazon spokesperson said that despite it contesting the VLOP designation, the company is 'committed to protecting customers from illegal products and content". Consumer group BEUC, which will intervene in the court hearing on the side of the Commission, said in a statement that illegal products have 'regularly' been found on sale on online marketplaces, including Amazon. Agustín Reyna, BEUC's director general, said that 'it is crucial that the DSA applies in full to Amazon and consumers are protected from any illegal practices once and for all". The Commission has opened several probes into breaches of the DSA, including into TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram and AliExpress since the rules came into force. None of the probes, including the one against Temu on suspicion of the sale of illegal products, have been wrapped up. Besides Amazon, German fashion website Zalando also challenged the Commission designation as a VLOP. Zalando said in a court hearing in March that the way the EU executive calculates the user numbers to designate VLOPs can be different from company to company. It also claims that its 'hybrid business model' with a retail business and a partner business does not fall within the scope of the DSA. If the court sides with Zalando, this could mean a breakthrough for other platforms with similar business models, as well as those that also appealed their designation including Amazon, and porn websites Pornhub and Xvideos. Rulings in both the Amazon and Zalando case are expected at a later time. Four of the world's biggest artificial intelligence (AI) companies saw the indirect carbon emissions of their work grow by over 150 percent in the last three years, according to a report from a United Nations agency for digital technolgoies. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) tracked the emissions, energy use, and climate commitments of 200 leading digital companies between 2020 and 2023 using public databases. The report found that Amazon, Microsoft, Google's parent company Alphabet, and Meta have seen a rise in emissions that is either produced or purchased by the companies because of "expanding data infrastructure and energy use". Indirect emissions are those that come from purchased electricity, heat, steam, or electricity use, like in data centres, telecommunication networks, or office buildings. Amazon saw the highest emissions increase at over 182 per cent in 2023 compared to 2020, followed by Microsoft at 155 per cent, Meta at 145 per cent, and Alphabet at 138 per cent, according to the report. The consumption of data centres, which power the AI models that these companies are working on, also rose 12 percent year over year from 2017 to 2023, which is four times faster than global energy growth. The report "underscores the urgent need to manage AI's environmental impact," the ITU said in a statement. Euronews Next reached out to the relevant technology companies regarding this report but did not receive an immediate reply. The report also found that half the assessed companies in their report had committed to reaching net-zero by at least 2050 if not earlier. Despite these actions, the report found that overall emissions still rose meaning that net-zero targets "have not yet translated into real-world reductions".
Euronews
06-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
EU countries green lights charges for cabin baggage
Proposals to allow charging air passengers for carry-on cabin baggage were green-lit by EU transport ministers on Thursday as part of wider reforms of EU air passenger rights, despite resistance from Germany, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. As Euronews reported, the proposal would create a new free hand luggage item, one that can be slipped under the seat, leaving other stowed cabin bags exposed to charges. The agreed proposals would mean airlines must reroute passengers at the earliest opportunity, including through other carriers or transport modes when appropriate. If rerouting isn't offered within three hours, passengers may book their own travel and claim up to 400% of the original ticket cost in reimbursement. Delays of over four hours on short and intra-EU flights (under 3,500 km) will trigger €300 in compensation. Long-haul flights (over 3,500 km) will warrant €500 after six hours of delay. Airlines would no longer be permitted to invoke "extraordinary circumstances" unless they prove all reasonable measures were taken to avoid disruption. Airlines would also be explicitly required to provide food, drinks, and accommodation during delays. If they fail to do so, passengers may arrange these themselves and claim costs back. To bolster enforcement, the rules impose stricter information requirements. Airlines must clearly inform passengers of their rights at booking and during complaints handling. New timelines are foreseen: passengers would have up to six months to submit a claim, and airlines must respond within 14 days. 'The position finally adopted today answers to an urgent call by air passengers and airlines for up-to-date, clearer and more straightforward rules. The revised rules will bring over 30 new rights to the air passengers, applicable from the moment when they buy a ticket, until they arrive at their destination, and in some cases even beyond. It is a historical milestone as an agreement couldn't have been reached in the last 12 years,' Dariusz Klimczak, Minister of Infrastructure of Poland, whose country holds the presidency of the Council, told reporters. European consumer organisation BEUC criticised the position adopted by member states, saying it 'substantially decreases several key rights'. 'Although the deal improved some rights on paper, giving consumers improved access to information in case of disruption, care and assistance, it represents a substantial rollback of other key rights. Take compensation for instance. The new eligibility thresholds will deprive the majority of passengers from their compensation rights as most delays are between two and four hours,' Agustín Reyna, BEUC's director general, said after the vote. 'Consumer groups have already pointed out that airlines should stop charging passengers for their hand luggage by lodging a complaint with the consumer protection authorities and the European Commission last May. Such practices are contrary to EU rules and EU top court case law which states that hand luggage is an essential aspect of passengers' carriage. On the contrary, the text adopted by the Council legitimises charging for reasonably sized hand luggage,' the director added. The next legislative steps Now it is the turn of the European Parliament to adopt its position on the file. If it does so, the text will enter interinstitutional negotiations with member states, the Parliament and the Commission to find a common position on the new rules. BEUC lamented the fact that the revision is being conducted through an expedited procedure that gives shorter deadlines in the Parliament, which will only need to approve the proposal by an absolute majority. Global police organisation Interpol says that 20 people have been arrested as part of a major international operation against the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material. The arrests were made between March and May in an operation that spanned 12 countries. It was led by the Spanish National Police in collaboration with Interpol and Europol. "The operation was initiated by Spain in late 2024, when specialised officers carried out online patrols and identified instant messaging groups dedicated to the circulation of child sexual exploitation images," Interpol said in a statement. Through Interpol and Europol, Spanish officers alerted authorities in countries where the alleged perpetrators were residing. Spanish authorities arrested seven suspects, including a healthcare worker and a teacher. "The healthcare worker allegedly paid minors from Eastern Europe for explicit images, while the teacher is accused of possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material via various online platforms," Interpol said. In Spain, the searches carried out by police resulted in the seizure of desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, tablets and digital storage devices. Authorities in seven Latin American countries detained 10 suspects, including a teacher in Panama. The remaining arrests were made in the US and other parts of Europe. "Bulgaria, Italy and Portugal participated at the European level," an Interpol spokesperson told Euronews. So far, 68 additional suspects have been identified and further investigations are underway globally, according to Interpol. "Information gathered during the operation has been shared with law enforcement authorities in 28 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania," Interpol added. The arrests were preceded by talks between Interpol and Spanish investigators in Chile at the Latin America Victim Identification Task Force meeting. The operation was presented there to specialised officers from across Latin America. Authorities exchanged information on cases, provided concrete leads and launched coordinated actions.
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Ryanair welcomes complaint regarding hand luggage fees
Ryanair has welcomed the filing of a complaint with the European Commission against it and six other European airlines over fees charged for hand luggage. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) filed the complaint last week, alleging the carriers are charging "undue fees to consumers for their hand baggage". It is calling for an EU-wide investigation into the commercial practices of the targeted airlines and the wider sector. Ryanair, along with EasyJet, Norwegian Airlines, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling, and Wizz Air are listed in the complaint. Director General of BEUC Agustín Reyna said the seven airlines "are exploiting consumers and ignoring the EU's top court, which ruled that charging for reasonably sized hand baggage is illegal." "This was confirmed by recent fines in Spain, which made clear that passengers can bring their reasonably sized hand baggage onboard at no additional cost," he added. In response, Ryanair said the complaint "will confirm that Ryanair's baggage policy fully complies with EU Law (EU Reg 1008/2008), which grants all EU airlines the freedom to set prices, including prices of optional services". The airline added that it allows each passenger a "generous" 40cm x 25cm x 20cm personal bag on board free as part of its basic air fare, with the option to add extra bags for an additional fee should they wish. It said "this policy promotes both low fares and consumer choice. If airlines were forced to include additional carry-on bags as part of the basic fare, it would reduce choice and drive-up air fares for all passengers, which would harm consumers". In 2014, the EU Court of Justice ruled that "carriage of hand baggage cannot be made subject to a price supplement, provided that it meets reasonable requirements in terms of its weight and dimensions and complies with applicable security requirements". Ryanair said this ruling confirmed that "airlines are entitled to charge passengers for carrying extra bags, as long as the carriage of passengers' precious and indispensable items (i.e, a small personal bag) is included in the price of the ticket". In addition to the complaint over hand baggage, the European Consumer Organisation also wants the EU to clarify what services should be included in the basic ticket price. It said its data "show that consumers expect to see a small item and a piece of hand luggage when buying basic tickets." "Policymakers should also define hand luggage's 'reasonable size and weight' to avoid surprises at the airport and ultimately reduce the number of disputes costing consumers and airlines time and money," it added.
The Journal
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Calls for EU-investigation into seven airlines - including Ryanair - for unfair hand luggage fees
AN UMBRELLA GROUP for European consumer organisations has called for an EU-wide investigation into seven airlines – including Ryanair – for charging 'undue fees' for hand baggage. BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, this week filed a complaint to the European Commission and the EU's Consumer Protection Network against the seven airlines for 'exploiting consumers'. Agustín Reyna, Director General of BEUC, said the airlines are 'ignoring the EU top court who ruled that charging reasonably sized hand baggage is illegal'. In addition to Ryanair, the other airlines targeted include Easyjet, Norwegian Airlines, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling and Wizzair. BEUC said that both EU law and associated case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) entitle consumers to fly with reasonably sized hand baggage without additional costs. However, it said many airlines 'continue to impose additional fees on consumers for this service'. It noted that last year, the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs imposed fines on airlines for a total of €179m in relation to fees on hand baggage. While BEUC acknowledges that the decision was issued in Spain and mainly applies to consumers in Spain, similar practices by the same airlines and others are still taking place across Europe. Reyna said this court decision in Spain 'made clear that passengers can bring their reasonably sized hand baggage onboard at no additional cost'. BEUC also accused airlines of using 'different and inconsistent wording' in relation to luggage in order to 'mislead consumers'. Meanwhile, the CEJU has ruled that baggage that is not checked in must be considered as a necessary item for passengers and there should not be subject to a price supplement if it meets reasonable requirements in terms of weight and dimensions. Elsewhere, Reyna remarked that data from BEUC shows that consumers 'expect to see a small item and a piece of hand luggage when buying basic tickets'. 'Policymakers should define hand luggage's 'reasonable size and weight' to avoid surprises at the airport and ultimately reduce the number of disputes costing consumers and airlines time and money,' he added. In a statement to The Journal , a Ryanair spokesperson said the airline 'welcomed the filing of this complaint to the EU Commission, which will confirm that Ryanair's bags policy fully complies with EU Law, which grants all EU airlines the freedom to set prices'. Ryanair allows each passenger to carry a 40 x 25 x 20 cm personal bag on board for free as part of its basic air fare, with the option to add extra bags for an extra fee starting at €30 per flight, and €60 if done at the airport. While Ryanair described its personal bag allowance as 'generous', it is smaller than all the other airlines targeted by BEUC. 'If airlines were forced to include additional carry-on bags as part of the basic fare, it would reduce choice and drive-up air fares for all passengers, which would harm consumers,' said Ryanair. Ryanair also hit out at online travel agents, who the spokesperson said 'continue to induce unsuspecting consumers into paying unjustified hidden mark-ups for flights that cost much less when booked directly on airlines' websites'. 'Outlawing these harmful OTA overcharges and enforcing transparency in OTA pricing would be a much better use of BEUC and its members' resources,' said Ryanair. Meanwhile, A4E (Airlines for Europe) claimed the action by BEUc 'would decrease consumer choice and oblige all passengers to pay for additional services that they may not all need'. It added that the decision of the Spanish Consumer Protection Agency on cabin bags is currently under appeal and the European Commission is looking into whether it complies with EU law. Advertisement Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
