The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has criticized Ryanair for potentially misleading consumers and exerting psychological pressure to direct passengers toward more expensive service packages, according to a statement referenced by EFE.
GVH has highlighted that Ryanair provides “confusing” information to consumers during online ticket purchases. Among other criticisms, it points out that for return or multi-passenger tickets, the airline fails to adequately inform customers about the need to purchase additional services for each journey and each passenger.
The authority stated that “the way optional service prices are presented [on Ryanair’s website] likely constitutes an unfair commercial practice as it encourages consumers to make purchasing decisions they might not otherwise make.”
The airline also employs pop-up windows and multiple messages during the purchasing process, which “probably significantly limits consumers’ freedom of choice and behavior in relation to the product,” potentially constituting an unfair commercial practice, the statement adds.
GVH emphasized that the initiation of proceedings, which could result in an unspecified fine, does not imply that the company has committed a violation.
In recent years, GVH has noted a growing number of complaints and reports about the practices of airlines, the statement added.
Hungary fined Ryanair 764,000 euros in August 2022 after the Consumer Protection Office found that the airline had misled consumers by raising ticket prices to offset the extraordinary tax on large companies imposed by the government.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, labeled the tax as “robbery” and “idiotic,” going so far as to call the then Minister of Economic Development, Márton Nagy, “a complete idiot.”
Ryanair connects Budapest with 68 European destinations, including Lisbon, Porto, and Faro.
