easyJet Faces Italy Baggage Pricing Probe
Italy’s competition watchdog has opened a formal investigation into easyJet over the way baggage fees are shown on the airline’s website and mobile app. The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato is examining whether the carrier used unfair commercial practices by giving customers an unclear view of baggage costs during the booking process.
The case focuses on bundled prices for checked baggage and sports equipment on return trips. According to the authority, easyJet’s platform set these extras as the automatic default for both legs of a journey and showed customers an average overall price, even when they did not intend to buy baggage for the full return itinerary.
The regulator says passengers who wanted baggage for one leg only had to interrupt the booking process and change the default setting. The investigation will look at whether this made prices harder to understand and limited customers’ ability to make informed choices. easyJet had not publicly commented on the case at the time of the report.
The probe could matter for anyone booking low-cost flights where the final fare often depends on extras. Clearer baggage pricing would make it easier to compare routes, choose between hand luggage and checked bags, and avoid paying for services that are not needed on both legs. It may also help passengers travelling with sports equipment or irregular luggage.
The case adds to wider scrutiny of airline booking platforms in Italy. The AGCM previously fined easyJet, Ryanair and Volotea over reimbursement issues linked to cancelled flights, and later fined Ryanair in a separate competition case. This latest probe does not prove wrongdoing, but it shows regulators are watching how airlines present costs before passengers pay.
