A Spanish judge in Barcelona commercial court has ruled Ryanair’s charges on passengers who failed to print out their own boarding cards are unfair. Judge Barbara Maria Cordoba said the onus was on carriers, not passengers, to issue boarding cards.
The case was brought by Spanish lawyer, Dan Miro, who objected to being charged €40 for failing to print his boarding card before a flight.
"The normal practice over the years has been that the obligation to issue the boarding card has always fallen on the carrier," she said. "I declare unfair and therefore void the contractual clause in which Ryanair obliges the passenger to be the one who brings the printed boarding pass to travel or face a penalty of €40".
Ryanair’s defence was that as a low-cost airline it should be permitted to require its passengers to print their own boarding passes. However the judge ruled that just because it described itself as a low cost carrier, it should not “alter its basic contractual obligations”.
Ryanair has said it will appeal the ruling.