Spain - Ryanair boarding pass charge illegal

Spain - Ryanair boarding pass charge illegal
Updated: 17:23, Saturday, 15 January 2011

A judge in Spain has ruled that Ryanair cannot charge passengers for failing to print out their own boarding cards.


Ryanair - May appeal the ruling
A judge in Spain has ruled that Ryanair cannot charge passengers for failing to print out their own boarding cards.
A case was brought by a Spanish lawyer, Dan Miro, who was charged the standard Ryanair fee of €40 for failing to print his boarding card before a flight.
Judge Barbara Maria Cordoba of the Barcelona Commercial Court said in the ruling 'the normal practice over the years has been that the obligation to issue the boarding card has always fallen on the carrier.'
Judge Cordoba continued, 'I declare unfair and therefore void the contractual clause in which Ryanair obliges the passenger to be the one who brings the printed boarding pass to travel or face a penalty of €40.'
Ryanair can still appeal the ruling.
The Consumers Union of Spain (UCE) hailed the decision, describing Ryanair's policy on boarding cards as 'abusive.'
The UCE said in a statement 'International air traffic laws, to which Ryanair is subject, oblige a transporter to provide the travel document.'
Ryanair said in September it had overtaken Spanish flag carrier Iberia as the largest airline in Spain in terms of the number of passengers carried