Italy investigates Spain's Vueling over luggage pricing
Italy's competition watchdog said on Wednesday it was opening an inquiry into Spanish airline Vueling for a lack of transparency in the way it charges customers for hand luggage.
The low-cost carrier "does not provide clear information on the fact that the price of additional hand luggage varies "depending if it is bought through the company's website or via the Vueling app, the AGCM said in a statement.
In addition, it said that Vueling used information on the type of device used to purchase the luggage to build a customer profile, which affects the price.
Founded in 2004, Vueling is part of International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns British Airways and Iberia.
Spanish consumer watchdog OCU has warned that the airline headquartered in Barcelona has poor customer service and has previously criticised Vueling along with other low-costs for charging for hand luggage.
Vueling was the airline that received the most official complaints from customers in the second half of 2022, according to complaints portal Reclamio.
Last month, Italy's consumer watchdog also opened a probe into Ryanair for allegedly abusing its dominant market position in Italy.
The Italian government moved this summer to crack down on airlines using algorithms to profile users and inflate prices.
But the law was watered down in September after pushback from low-cost airlines, particularly Ryanair, which threatened to cut flights to Sardinia and Sicily in response.
Italy’s competition watchdog in December launched an investigation into claims that airlines had deliberately raised fares on routes linking mainland Italy with Sicily during the Christmas holidays.
The investigation involved Ryanair, Wizzair, easyJet and ITA Airways, the state-owned successor of former flag carrier Alitalia.
Comments
See Also
The low-cost carrier "does not provide clear information on the fact that the price of additional hand luggage varies "depending if it is bought through the company's website or via the Vueling app, the AGCM said in a statement.
In addition, it said that Vueling used information on the type of device used to purchase the luggage to build a customer profile, which affects the price.
Founded in 2004, Vueling is part of International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns British Airways and Iberia.
Spanish consumer watchdog OCU has warned that the airline headquartered in Barcelona has poor customer service and has previously criticised Vueling along with other low-costs for charging for hand luggage.
Vueling was the airline that received the most official complaints from customers in the second half of 2022, according to complaints portal Reclamio.
Last month, Italy's consumer watchdog also opened a probe into Ryanair for allegedly abusing its dominant market position in Italy.
The Italian government moved this summer to crack down on airlines using algorithms to profile users and inflate prices.
But the law was watered down in September after pushback from low-cost airlines, particularly Ryanair, which threatened to cut flights to Sardinia and Sicily in response.
Italy’s competition watchdog in December launched an investigation into claims that airlines had deliberately raised fares on routes linking mainland Italy with Sicily during the Christmas holidays.
The investigation involved Ryanair, Wizzair, easyJet and ITA Airways, the state-owned successor of former flag carrier Alitalia.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.