Baggage Charges - time for the EU to act?

MadsL

BA says it will charge £120 for excess baggage

British Airways made no apologies for aping the tactics of no-frills carriers yesterday as it defended its decision to charge passengers up to £120 for excess baggage. From next Tuesday, economy class passengers travelling on half of BA's long-haul routes will have to pay £120 per bag to check in an extra piece of luggage.

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2009055,00.html

Airlines seem to be able to cut allowances and rack up charges willy-nilly...
Is it time for the EU to act on this ala the Directive on compensation for cancelled/bumped flights.

The effect for consumers at the moment is not just the cost, but also the confusion. If I travel with different airlines I need not just to know the baggage allowance, but also the appropriate luggage or bags to use.

Eg Ryanair - carryon 10kg bag, hold 15kg
BA - carryon 6kg, hold 23kg
Aerlingus - carryone 6kg, hold 23kg with a charge for each bag checked
etc

The EU needs to address this, the airlines can and will use this as a revenue generation tool and as such needs regulation for the industry -note the fact that Aer Lingus actively gives commissions to check in staff who charge for bags.

Nuttzz

so they remove the charge and stick it on the air fare, dont see much of a difference either way...

MadsL

so they remove the charge and stick it on the air fare, dont see much of a difference either way...

Transparency

Duffman

Actually, DG Comp, the Competition division of the Commission has been investigating so-called "fuel surcharges".

Several major airlines were suspected of involvement in a cartel, all charging a similar fee that doesn't appear to have been justified by increased fuel costs.

It will certainly take some time, but if the evidence is there expect fines amounting to millions.

The EU pays more attention to this kind of thing than you think.