Populist joy on social networks in the Peninsula and Las Palmas against tourism is directly proportional to the damage to the destination and employment in the south of Gran Canaria because air is the only transportation scheme that the destination has. Raising the costs of plane tickets will result in a lower margin for the hotel sector and, therefore, the same person as always will pay in a chain: the worker. A further devaluation of the cost of tourism labor is in the offing.
The president of the Association of Airlines (ALA), Javier Gándara, who is the general director of Easyjet in Spain, hopes that Brussels will put order in this because it goes against all parties but, above all, in employment. The unions in Madrid have begun to celebrate the measure without having any qualms that this sneeze in the airline accounts will be a blow to the handling workers and the hotel sector of Gran Canaria, not to mention Alsa or Salcai in the warehouses. of planes and delays in connections.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has imposed a crazy fine of 150 million euros on four airlines Ryanair, Vueling, EasyJet and Volotea for charging passengers for hand luggage, following complaints received by different consumer associations, including Facua, of podemita as well as the file, which comes from the time when the minister of the branch was from Unidas Podemos.
The Association of Airlines, which brings together 85% of air traffic in Gran Canaria, has rejected the Consumer decision, which implies prohibiting the charging for cabin luggage made by some airlines. ALA points out that this will harm tourists, “by suppressing the option of passengers to hire exactly what they need.” Gándara has considered that it would be more appropriate for the Government to wait for the European Commission to define the guidelines on the standardization of what sizes of suitcases can be accepted on board and whether they can be charged or not, which he is working on before make decisions like this fine. He has pointed out that, apart from the four companies mentioned, he does not know which ones are actually affected because it is not known whether absolutely all those that follow this practice are or are not included in the files.
The millions of passengers who come to the south of Gran Canaria on vacation who today do not carry a cabin suitcase on board and only travel with hand luggage under the seat could not benefit from paying only for essential services, “forcing them to contract services that they do not use.”
The affected airlines are already preparing appeals (before the Administration itself) and are also not ruling out judicial proceedings, where the president of the Association of Airlines is convinced that they will be proven right. Gándara has considered that, with the fine, Consumption intends to force millions of passengers who usually travel only with hand luggage to contract additional services that they do not need.
In his opinion, the intention of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 to fine this practice with “disproportionate” amounts will harm tourists, by suppressing the option of passengers to hire exactly what they need. The organization, which brings together more than 60 airline companies and 85% of the country's air traffic, understands that the Consumer decision goes against European regulations, specifically the principle of freedom of pricing recognized in a community regulation of 2008 and represents “interference in rate setting.”
Likewise, the fact that a country unilaterally takes such a measure creates in the end a competitive disadvantage and a bit of chaos. As for the rest of the elements, such as the charge for assigning seats for certain vulnerable groups such as accompanied minors or people accompanying people with reduced mobility, all airlines already have established in their algorithms that they can sit together.
