Intervention of the Commissioner for Human Rights, proceedings of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. Ryanair under the microscope

“The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection decided to initiate explanatory proceedings aimed at preliminary determination whether, in connection with the practices of the air carrier Ryanair towards passengers who were denied boarding, there was an infringement justifying the initiation of proceedings regarding practices violating the collective interests of consumers,” he wrote. UOKiK in a letter to the Commissioner for Human Rights.

“The proceedings in question currently only concern a possible violation of the provisions of the Regulation by the content of the electronic forms used by the Carrier, which do not provide for the possibility of filing a complaint in the event of denied boarding (they only concern flight cancellation or delay).

Moreover, the refund form available on the Carrier's website does not provide for the option: 'denied boarding', but only the following options: 'Cancelled flight', 'Flight delayed > 5 hours and I will not travel', 'Application for tax refund government (for an unused flight)', 'Death of a customer who had a travel reservation or a member of the immediate family)' – adds the Office.

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, in response to the Commissioner for Human Rights' question about the possibility of “a general examination of the issue of passenger rights in air traffic in the context of consumer protection”, explains that the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) constantly analyzes signals of irregularities regarding the activities of air carriers in terms of possible violation of the collective interests of consumers or the application of prohibited provisions. contract templates.

“If irregularities are identified, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection takes appropriate actions to eliminate them, in accordance with the powers provided for in the Act on Competition and Consumer Protection. Currently, apart from the proceedings regarding practices violating collective consumer interests conducted against Enter Air Sp. z o. o. based in Warsaw, the President of the Office is conducting two proceedings appropriate against the air carrier Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. based in Budapest (in the case of practices violating the collective interests of consumers and in the case of declaring the provisions of the standard contract as prohibited),” the Office reports.

We asked Ryanair for a comment on this matter, but by the time of publication we had not received a response.

Overbooking this means overbooking customers with an excess number of seats on the plane, which may lead to bumping, i.e. refusal to fly in the absence of available seats. Airlines use overbooking to avoid empty seats in case not all passengers show up for a given flight. Selling more seats than are actually available helps airlines maintain attractive ticket prices and also guarantees steady revenue. Unfortunately, for passengers, this procedure often ends with bumping, which prevents them from reaching their destination on time.