Ryanair

Before the incursions of Russian drones, Ryanair has its own alternative to the European wall

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“Why are we not shooting these drones?” The question is from Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair. The mandamás of the Air Company verbalized its doubts about the performance of the European Union in an interview with Political. According to its point of view, Europe faces an air navigation problem derived from war in Ukraine. A problem that, according to O’Leary, should not be consent. It is not a security problem. It is a business problem, according to Ryanair CEO. To this aimed the first statements of O’Leary in which the closure of Polish airports echoed as a result of A Russian Airspace Invasion of the country. “There is a risk of continuous interruption, not security,” O’Leary said in words collected by Reuters. While Europe discussed what can be done in these cases, how to act and evaluate the danger of these incursions, from Ryanair they pointed to direct damage to their business. Hybrid war. Is The concept to define those attacks that seek the destabilization of a country and that do not necessarily have to be violent. The intention is for citizens to lose confidence in their leaders either by a feeling of helplessness or because basic services does not work. In the case of the Ukraine War, Russia has been enough to enter the Polish airspace to paralyze its airports. Danish bases They were also paralyzed. The same happened in Oslo and the last to know the effects has been the Munich airport. In addition a cyber attack left unusable or diminished for days the airports of Berlin, Brussels and London-Heathrow. A wall. The solution that has been proposed is to raise a wall in Europe. One that has no concrete or, in fact, is visible. The European Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, opted for lift a wall of drones that protects the entire European Union. The intention is very simple: surround the entire European Union of a drone detection and inhibition system. With him we want Russian devices not attacking European space but that they cannot interfere with the daily activities of citizens. “It’s useless”. Given this idea, O’Leary has signed up for the most absolute disbelief. Of Ursula von der Leyen assured Political that “it is useless and should resign.” To recreate with a “I have no faith in European leaders, sitting there drinking tea and eating cookies.” In his day, O’Leary opted for a British permanence in the European Union but its Shocks with politicians of every sign They have been constant. The CEO of Ryanair is part of those unbelievable businessmen of politics that, in the case of the Irishman, has an invariable constant in time: If it’s bad for the business, it is criticizable. The business. According to O’Leary, the real problem of that European antidron wall is that it would not be worthless: “I don’t think a wall of drones has any effect. Do you think the Russians cannot launch a drone from within Poland?” And I set an example: “If you can’t even protect flights on France, what are the possibility of protecting us against Russia?” This criticism referred to the French strike of aerial controllers that threatens to affect more than 100,000 passengers and 600 flights Ryanair alone. And we could continue with the criticism of the Government of Spain by the Aerial rates and The fine for the collection of hand luggage. And the impact? In economic terms, there is no clear data of how much money it has been lost with Russian incursions in European airspace. What is certain is that the inconveniences of this type of activity are palpable. Only in the last sighting in Germany of drones, 23 flights to Munich have had to be divertedanother 12 have been canceled and there are more than 6,500 affected passengers. It is estimated that during the closure of the Danish and Swedish airports, Other 100 flights They also had to be canceled. And in Brussels more than 140 flights were canceled during the cyber attack of a few weeks ago. Photo | Markus Winkler and State Border Guard Service of Ukraine In Xataka | Ryanair’s paradox in Spain: while drowning small airports, he is adding 100,000 more places

Ryanair has put Spanish province airports with their cuts with their cuts. Despite this, it will grow in 100,000 squares

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Ryanair will increase its seat offer in Spain by 0.5% during the 2025-2026 winter season, which is equivalent to about 100,000 additional places. So far, the airline continued with its strategy of Remove places at regional airports Spanish in response to the increase in AENA’s airport rates. This time, the movement has been the opposite, although it was expected, because the firm prefers to concentrate the fleet in the most profitable destinations. Cuts. Ryanair will reduce its capacity in northern cities and island regions, although The global balance is positive. In addition, there has been airplane repositioning: the two devices retired from Santiago de Compostela will move to Malaga and Alicante, remaining in Spanish territory. The company seeks that its airplanes fly more hours and generate greater return per passenger, something simpler in large tourist cities. This movement adds to The 800,000 squares already eliminated Before summer in airports such as Santiago, Vigo, Tenerife Norte, Santander, Zaragoza, Asturias and Vitoria, who in some cases have meant the dismissal of a hundred employees. Who wins and who loses. The Mediterranean will be the great beneficiary. Malaga, Alicante and Valencia will absorb the bulk of growth, with increases that could achieve Between 10% and 14% At Alicante airport, exceeding 10 million seats. The Costa Blanca Tourism Board of Tourism figure the increase in more than 4.3 million places from Alicante-Elche. This Thursday will start The presentation act of the winter operation with an event in Malaga that will be attended by Mayor Francisco de la Torre, where it is expected to know the increase in routes and frequencies from the Costa del Sol. Seville will maintain its stable offer. The great affected. On the opposite side, Santiago will suffer a collapse Of 80%, Vigo of 73%, Asturias of 16%, Santander of 38%and Zaragoza of 45%. The Canary Islands will lose more than 400,000 places, with the total closure of operations in Tenerife North and descents in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. The Balearic Islands will also notice the withdrawal, with a 6% drop in the middle of the low season. Even Madrid and Barcelona, ​​the two great airports of the country, They will see their capacity fall by 3% and 5% respectively. The airline He has threatened In addition to reducing another million seats next summer if Aena does not reduce airport rates. The pulse with Aena continues. Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair, justifies The redistribution of the fleet through airport rates ensuring that “our personnel costs, route rates, maintenance, sales or fuel are the same in any country. The only variable costs are handling and airport rates, and if they rise in Spain and go down another place, we will go there.” Michael O’Leary, executive president of the airline, will travel to Madrid in October to address with the government the lack of incentives to regional airports and the fine of 107 million euros imposed by consumption for the collection of hand suitcases, a sanction that the airline has resorted to considering it contrary to European regulations. The answer from Aena. Maurici Lucena, president of Aena, responded To Aena’s pressures ensuring that “he uses them because he freely wants to do it and because it is convenient. Contrary to what Ryanair’s public statements hint, Aena will never accept transforming the relationship of symbiosis into a vassalage relationship, as the airline intends, because the Spanish airport system would seriously harm.” Despite the cuts, there is growth. Despite the threats and the announced cuts, Ryanair has requested more holes between hours than last season, a “quantitative discrepancy” highlighted by Lucena himself. The airline It is still the first in Spain with 46.7 million passengers until August, far ahead of Vueling (33.2 million) and the Iberia group (29.6 million). Cover image | Wolfgang Weiser In Xataka | Granada fine from today with its new area of ​​low emissions: who can access, fines and exceptions

Ryanair has put the Spanish province airports in check. Fortunately for them, there is a thing called “capitalism”

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Spanish airports are living a tremendous snake in recent months, and the absolute protagonist is Ryanair. The Irish airline has been using smaller airports for months, such as negotiating weapon in battle against airport ratesthreatening to leave them lying if their conditions were not met. Threatened … and fulfilled, being Valladolid’s one of the most affected airports. But there Where Ryanair closedother companies have seen a chance. And, as the Minister of Transportation says: “To dead king, king on.” What’s happening. AENA is the public company that is responsible for the management of airports in Spain. A few months ago he announced that, as of March 2026, it would increase airport rates by 6.5%. This implies that the maximum entrance per traveler will go from 10.35 euros to 11.03 euros, a rise of 68 cents. The reaction Ryanair was … sound, so to speak. Through several very public profiles, including that of its controversial CEO, Michael O’LearyThe company described the increase as unjustified, stating that regional airports would be less competitive against other European destinations. In general, the defense of Ryanair is based on affirming that Aena acts as a monopoly when the benefits of travelers and regional connectivity are put. Affected. The manager justifies the climb to the need to face a Investment Plan of about 13,000 million euros with the aim of modernizing the network in the coming years before an expected increase in demand. All this led to the president of AENA and the Ministry of Transportation accused Ryanair of being blackmailing the country. Also accuses To the company to use that increase in rates as an excuse to stop operating in regional airports, moving to the “airports in which they can set higher prices in their tickets to earn more money”. In fact, a pulse can be allowed like this. Ryanair’s response? Trim a Million places Facing the Christmas campaign of this 2025 through the cessation of operations in those regional airports in which the airline was the main mode of connection with other airports. The most affectedin addition to Valladolid, Son Vigo or Santiago de Compostela, but also Tenerife Norte, Asturias, Santander, Zaragoza, Jerez or Vitoria. airport Capacity cuts for winter 2025 & 2026 Santiago Base closure (two less aircraft, 80% less capacity) sherry Closing Valladolid Closing Tenerife Norte Closing Vigo Closing Santander -38% Saragossa Closing Asturias -16% Vitoria -2% Canary Islands -10% Dead king, king. The truth is that Ryanair is one of the most powerful companies at European level, especially in these smaller airports, since its model is the one that allows connections between cities that other companies do not cover. However, his withdrawal of some Spanish airports is not something that worries one of the protagonists of this story: the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. Óscar Puente defended A few days ago, Ryanair’s march would be compensated with the arrival of other companies. The minister argued that “no company will condition airport policy with threats, underlining That “to dead king, king placed”, and it seems that those new ‘kings’ are already appearing their heads. To attack. It was the bridge itself who announced that airlines as Vueling would “immediately” cover the routes abandoned by Ryanair for this winter, ensuring that he has worked in negotiations with both vs. with other companies to fill that void left by the Irish company. Vueling will reinforce its presence in Santiago and Tenerife Norte, but it is not the only company that has seen an opportunity in this situation. Iberia Express or Wizz Air They also work to cover part of the routes operated by Ryanair. Specifically, from Independent comment which turning will increase its capacity by 15% in Santiago (reaching 578,000 seats) and 11% in Tenerife Norte (900,000 seats). Wizz Air, meanwhile, will open 40 additional routes until March 2026. Another of those who I could enter the game It is volotea, an airline that is focused on connecting small and medium cities that has already collected the Guante of Ryanair’s abandonment of French airports. Because this struggle of Ryanair against rates are also having it in parallel in France. And the train? Of course, Ryanair has put the increase in rates in the center of the debate, but there is something that has been forged in recent years: the expansion of high speed. A few weeks ago we already commented that that of Santiago and Vigo, airports in which the Irish has closed operations, are two cities to which The arrival of high speed is especially affecting. In Asturias There are still complicationsbut new sections are planned that will allow the train to fight the plane soon. And in Zaragoza not only Renfe operates: Ouigo and Iro They joined not so much. Now, where the train is not an option is in the Canary Islands, where Ryanair will reduce 400,000 places in winter, canceling 36 connections. There will be companies such as Vueling, Iberia Express or Binter who will have to demonstrate whether they can operate without travelers missing Ryanair. This next winter will be the fire test. In the end, Ryanair has been able to blackmail Aena (and other European organizations) to some extent, since if he leaves his routes, due to competition, there are other companies that are looking forward to occupying their place. Images | Ryanair, Robot8a In Xataka | In its extreme obsession with hand luggage, Ryanair has created a new and explicit product: “Backpacks to travel with Ryanair”

In the war between Spain and Ryanair for hand luggage, the European Union has already sent a message. It does not paint well for Spain

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At the end of last year, Spain sanctioned Ryanair and four other airlines with millionaire fines for the collection of hand luggage. Since then, the Irish company has been defending that the sanction is illegal because they are not breaking any regulations. The case has climbed to the European Union … And things do not paint well for Spain. Gathered. In person or by video call, which begins to give an idea of ​​positions. At the end of last week, Apostols Tzitzikostas, European Transport Commissioner, He scheduled a meeting with Michael O’LearyRyanair CEO. Yesterday, Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Consumption, met with that same commissioner by video call. The digital meeting arrives days after the reception to the maximum leader of the company and thousands of kilometers away. A first approach that gives an idea of ​​where the positions are. Affinity. From the meeting between O’Leary and Tzitzikostas they have not transcended holders but in Spain they already begin to fear that the positions between them are closer to Spanish positions, they explain in The country. To start because Bustinduy requested to have that meeting before Ryanair’s CEO met with the European leader but there was no success. And, second, because from the European Transport Commission they have clear that their positions are close to those of low -cost airlines in terms of hand luggage. Your last proposition It does not differ much from what, until now, Ryanair was allowing. 4 liters. It is, according to BBC The increase in space Ryanair assumed with its new measures for hand luggage. The company has gone from 40 x 25 x 20 cm with those that was handled until this summer to some innovative 40 x 30 x 20 cm. Those five centimeters are those that are calculated, increase the size by four liters. As we count a few months ago, the decision comes after the Airlines For Europe (A4E) association of which Ryanair is part of, will sign an agreement to establish a minimum in 40 × 30 × 15 cm bags. A movement that actually serves to make lobby and create a new European standard. And, before the fines, Ryanair herself has pressed so that exact minimum sizes allowed are defined. On the side of the low cost. The A4E agreement arrives just when the European Union has decided to close, at once, the hand luggage chapter. Right now, airlines have to ensure that you can travel with “the essential” in a backpack. But there are no minimum measures. In that strip and loosen to get a new regulation of travelers, The Council of Europe has proposedexactly, that the measures to be collected are those 40 x 30 x 15 cm. That is, Ryanair would already be complying with the minimums. And the Transport Commission also bets on the same measures although it emphasizes that this backpack must be free (and It has discrepancies on other aspects). The fine, in the air. Although there is no record that Ryanair has climbed the disagree to European magistrates, what we do know is that the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid He has suspended the sanction Economic, pointing out that if applied, a hard impact on the treasury of these companies will be generated, for what has applied, for the moment, precautionary measures. In fact, in Spain justice has been shown in favor of users and the airline in contradictory sentences for the same fact. In Salamancathe courts have considered that the free size allowed by Ryanair is not enough for the passenger to carry the “essential” luggage. In SevilleHowever, they do not have the same opinion and have failed in favor of the company. Summarizing. At the moment, the Ministry of Consumer faces a complicated role. Has imposed a millionaire fine to Ryanair (the highest in the history of our country) Justice has caught the sanctions precautionary The company has pressed in the European Union European leaders have previously received the company’s CEO than Spanish leaders (and have done so by video call) And Europe seeks to carry out a new regulation to travel with hand suitcases … with more restrictive measures than those Ryanair offer from this summer. Photo | Nejc Soklič and My Random Photo In Xataka | Lack of a hole, prize on the payroll: Ryanair will upload the prize for employees who discover too large handbags

Ryanair has a professional “trapamaletas” template. And it will improve their rewards so that they yield (even more)

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Ryanair’s hand luggage policy is crystalline: they want you to pay for him. The company is making all possible efforts so that either trips without a suitcase or, on the contrary, you pay for it before entering the plane. And he has had an idea: bonus his best employees. “We will catch you” This is how Michael O’Leary, CEO of the company, its intentions regarding hand luggage has summarized. Words have collected them BBC and in them he directly points to the client whom he accuses of “not complying with the rules.” Therefore, it launches a message if you are thinking that you can climb to one of its planes without paying the extra for the hand suitcase: “We will catch you and hope to reward and bonate our staff to choose those large bags.” More money. A few weeks ago We knew that Ryanair rewards employees that discover the largest number of travelers who try to climb their aircraft with too large hand suitcases. The company has been rewarding 1.5 euros for each “captured” suitcase. The maximum bonus that a worker could receive was 80 euros. Now, that will change. The company will continue to press. According to the British media and as confirmed to us to Xataka The company itself, Ryanair will raise the prize to 2.5 euros per suitcase. But, in addition, it removes the top of the 80 euros that the wage earning could receive. “Large”. What O’Leary refers to “those large bags” is a suitcase with which you can travel in cabin with many other companies. However, Ryanair prevents the plane from traveling to those who travel with a bag that exceeds 40 x 30 x 20 cm, since the company has slightly expanded the allowed measures. This size barely leaves space for a small backpack. In fact, they are so meager that they have ended create your own market niche. In the event that you want to travel with a “cabin” suitcase, you have to go through the box. The ideal is to do it hiring the supplement When taking out the ticket because, of not doing so, The surcharge at the counter is 55 euros. “Without a suitcase”. Ryanair CEO has defended on several occasions that its great goal is that passengers move “without a suitcase”. It ensures that all weight added to the plane implies greater fuel consumption and, therefore, that the expense in it does not compensate for the transfer of suitcases. In fact, he said that “I don’t want the money” of those billing. We explained in Xataka That, despite O’Leary’s word, the truth is that the suitcase is still fundamental in the company’s income. Ryanair is not explained without all expenses associated with the ticket price. The company catches you with a very small price that you will only pay in very specific situations. It travels cheaper than with other companies but, when you add expenses, it is not much cheaper than in other similar flights. A constant fight. The luggage soap opera is being especially relevant in Spain. Last year, the Ministry of Consumer It imposed a historical fine to Ryanair of more than 100 million euros. Along the way, Other companies also received sanctions Low Cost like Vueling or Easyjet, among others. That decision was a bomb in the Spain-Ryanair relationship. Since then, and with Aena’s rates as another reason to define its strategy, The company has taken up to 800,000 squares of regional airports, leaving seriously injured to aerodromes Like Valladolid’s. Now, Keep threatening with taking out another million places from similar size cities. Is it legal? There are two scenarios that we must contemplate. Spain. If we talk about our country, the truth is that justice has proved both Ryanair and employees who have denounced these practices. In the first case, some magistrates defend that the company does not have defined the minimum measures it has to offer and that, as the client accepts conditions with the purchase of the ticket, are obliged to comply or accept surcharges. The magistrates who defend the position of consumers point out that the regulations speak of “essential luggage.” That same position is what the government wields to fine the company. In this case, it is assured that in the measures proposed by Europe There is no place for that “essential” In hand luggage and, therefore, the company is breaking. Europe. At the moment, the position of European justice is about to be resolved. The company’s CEO said just a few days ago in which they were optimistic about the possible fine that could fall from Spain. It is based, perhaps, on the Last movements that have been registered from Europe. The institutions seek a new passenger regulation and it begins to be intuit that finally We will have minimal measures For hand luggage for all companies. But, yes, These measures are very aligned with those offered by Ryanair. It is no accident That the company has chosen this summer, when the European process is underway, the change in its hand luggage policy. The movement reads as a wink to regulators. Photo | Giorgios Savidis and Benjamin Elliott In Xataka | In the war between Spain and Ryanair for hand luggage, the airline has found an unexpected ally: the European Union

Ryanair is abandoning small airports in France. There is an unexpected beneficiary: a Spanish airline

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France is the queen of world tourism. Spain is close, but the neighboring country moved In 2024 almost 90 million visitors. A good part of them depend on the plane to arrive, and the problem is that they will soon pay more money to leave. The reason? A “solidarity tax”. And Ryanair has not been funny. So little that will leave some routes in winter. On the other side of the door, ready to collect the witness, was a Spanish airline. Volotea. Taxes. The trigger is the TSBA. This is the abbreviation of ‘Taxe de Solidarité Sur Les Billets d’Avion’, a tax applied in France to the tickets. It is the French authorities that set the amount of tax with the aim of financing international aid programs or to promote ecological measures. A few months ago, that tax experienced an increase of 180% and, although It depends on the flightdistance and plane, in a Economic flight Within France or Europe, the rate went from 2.66 euros to 9.5 euros. Other countries have other rates and in Spain, for example, there is one that applies to the use of infrastructure, security, shipping and other services that will rise about 68 cents per passenger as of March 1, 2026. It is a 6.5%rise, much lower than French. But well, as we say, Italy, Germany or Netherlands also have their rates. Leave. Ryanair comes into play here. The airline, the largest in Europe by fleet, considers that they are excessive and threatened to state that the increase will make many routes unfeasible. In a nutshell: trips to regional airports to small and medium -sized cities will not be so profitable by reducing the margins of these Airlines ‘Low Cost’ and, therefore, it would cease to make sense to keep them. And so it has been. As we read in Radar TravelRyanair will completely retire from Strasbourg, Brive-La-Gaillarde and Bergerac airports from this winter. In total, it will cut 25 routes and 750,000 seats on those dates, reducing its operations in France by 13%. Proper names. The consequences are devastating for the affected cities: Brive loses routes such as London-Stansted. Strasbourg loses links with Porto and Agadir. Bergerac will lose 33% of the activity, which can even touch the airport. They are the most affected, but other larger airports such as those of Toulouse, Marseille or Beauvais in Paris will also have activity cuts. “Unless the government eliminates this unfair air tax, Ryanair’s capacity and investment in France will inevitably redirect to more competitive European markets such as Sweden, Hungary or part of Italy, where governments are eliminating air taxes to stimulate traffic, tourism, employment and economic recovery,” Comment The CCO of Ryanair, Jason McGuinness. Volotea. This decision has resonated at the Volotea offices, a low -cost Spanish airline that bases its business on connecting small and medium -sized cities in Europe. They are those that do not usually cover the big companies, with 420 Routes in 2025reaching up to 100 cities in 18 European countries. Two names that we have already commented and that covers volotea are those of Marseille and Toulouse. And, how we read in Hosteltur And that Volotea itself collects in its press section, the withdrawal of Ryanair leaves room for the Spanish to stay with the connections of Strasbourg with Agadir (Morocco) and Porto, with the intention of creating 70 jobs to operate. “I don’t want money”. Thus, from this new pulse of Ryanair to the authorities of a country, the Spanish company benefits. And it is a sum and continues in a particular battle that Ryanair undertakes when the margins are at stake, such as when the controversial CEO of the company, Michael O’Learyconfirmed that aspires that passengers fly without suitcaseseven when of the 13,400 million euros that entered 2024, 4,299 million come from Extras how to fly with a cabin suitcase or choose a seat. Images | CJP24 In Xataka | The great secret of Ryanair’s success is that he does not earn money to fly: he does so squeezing you in everything else

Ryanair will add a strike with delays and cancellations to the cocktail

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To the usual mobility problems that are recorded every year during the August bridge, this year the call for the strike personnel of Blue Handling, a company responsible for the Airport services from Ryanair. This labor conflict adds to the long list of open fronts that Ryanair has in Spain, from labor problems with the salaries of your cabin staffthrough the sanctions for the Hand luggage collection or the increase in airport rates. Strike call and its dates. The Earth staff strike Convened by UGT FESMC and CGT affects all the bases and work centers of Blue Handling, the subcontract that operates for Ryanair in Spain. According to the official calendar, the strikes will take place: August 15, 16 and 17 They will be repeated every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and subsequent Sundays until December 31, 2025, which will affect strategic holidays for their traffic volume, such as November 1, the days before Christmas or end of the year. The Handling blue strikes will take place during the highest hours and, at that time, the company’s services will be interrupted by the billing, loading and assistance services in land for Ryanair, with the possibility of delays, cancellations and discomfort for passengers. Between 5:00 and 9:00 in the morning Between 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. Between 9:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. Affected airports. The call will impact the airports of Valencia, Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Girona, Tenerife Sur, Lanzarote and Santiago de Compostela, where Blue Handling provides service in the Earth operation of Ryanair. Users affected by the strikes can know the status of their flights from the page of Company’s travel information. From Facua Rememberthat, in case of cancellation, the European Regulation It establishes economic compensation of up to 600 euros. Why are they going to strike? The trigger for the strike is, according to The statement of the UGT union, a protest to stop “a strategy of precariousness and pressure on the template that violates basic labor rights and systematically disregard trade union demands.” In addition, it demands that the company withdraw the sanctions, comply with the sector agreements and open “a real negotiation process” with its workforce. The concrete claims are translated into the requirement of fair working hours, salary updates and respect for the fundamental rights of the 3,000 employees that form the Blue Handling staff. From UGT they lament for “having to reach these extremes and all the damages that may occur, of which the direct manager will be only and exclusively the company and its reckless acting with the workforce,” says the union statement. A new front for Ryanair. This new strike arrives In a tense context For Ryanair in Spain: the airline was already sanctioned with A fine of 150 million euros Retailing hand luggage as an additional service. In addition, the Airport rates rise and the closure of operations In some airports –How it happened recently In Valladolid– They accentuated the disagreements between the company, workers, government and users. Recently, the company has taken holders for labor pressure About your cabin staffas well as for repeated breaches of the Spanish regulatory frameworks. The company has also been forced to modify certain practices before judicial pressuresalthough from Ryanair they have declared that They will keep Your model “Low Cost“In the country. In Xataka | Ryanair charges extras almost even for breathing. Now he will also charge a supplement to whom he misses during the flight Image | Ryanair

Ryanair loaded 800,000 squares this summer at the Spanish “small” airports. Threatens to do it again

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The Irish airline React hard to the 6.57% increase in the airport rates that AENA will apply in 2026, from 10.35 to 11.03 euros. The company requires the Government and the CNMC to reject this rise and threatens to reduce routes and seats in regional Spain if measures are not taken. A threat that is not new. This is not the first time that Ryanair uses pressure on regional airports as a negotiating weapon. During this summer, The company already executed a replication Significant: he abandoned completely Valladolid and Jerez, and reduced his operation in Vigo, Santiago, Asturias, Santander and Zaragoza. In total, has eliminated 800,000 squares In these airfields between April and October, although at the national level it has maintained its growth. Keep leading. The striking thing is that Ryanair maintains its dominant position in the Spanish market despite these strategic withdrawals. In the first half of this year, the airline transported 32.64 million passengers in Spain, 6.6% more than the previous year. This consolidates it as the company with the highest traffic volume in the country, expanding its advantage over eating to almost 10 million passengers apart. Beyond rates. Although Ryanair presents the rise in rates as the main reason for his threat, the reality is more complex. The company keeps a legal battle with the Spanish government for The record fine of 107.78 million euros imposed by its hand luggage policies. This sanction, the greatest in Spanish business history, is part of a package that also punished Vueling and Easyjet for similar practices. The strategy behind the pulse. The withdrawal in regional airports fits perfectly into the Ryanair strategy. These aerodromes depend greatly on the connectivity provided by the Irish low cost, as evidenced by the case of Valladolid, which It went from touching the 100,000 passengers In the first semester of 2024 to just 41,725 in the same period of 2025. The company knows that its withdrawal causes a disproportionate impact on regional connectivity, which gives negotiation power. The coming answer. The CNMC (National Commission of Markets and Competition) must pronounce on the tariff increase before the end of the year. Ryanair seeks to keep the freezing of fees that has been in force during the last decade, while Aena defends that his rates are internationally competitive and that he cannot make exceptions that violate the regulations. We will have to wait to know if this dispute will finally lead to a new reduction of places in the Spanish regional area. Cover image | Ryanair In Xataka | Michael O’Leary, Ceo de Ryanair: “I don’t want money. That they fly without suitcases”

Someone has made a ranking with the greatest fines in the history of Spain and an old suspect is in the lead: Ryanair

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The fine imposed by the Government of Spain to Ryanair is the highest in the history of our country. The more than 100 million euros of sanction exceed all the records we had until a few months ago. To get an idea, the highest fine until then was just over three million euros. These are the most large fines and the companies that have received them. The highest. Without any discussion and without competitors. Ryanair received a sanction of 107.78 million euros last November 2024 on the occasion of his hand luggage policy. The sanction did not arrive alone and also punished Vueling (almost 40 million euros) and Easyjet (almost 30 million euros) for the same issue. However, Ryanair’s traffic volume is so high That by punishing the same fact repeatedly, the economic amount for the company is very high. So much so that, as we see, the two companies that accompanied him in it were well below the punishment to the Irish airline. Unprecedented. The list with the 15 toughest fines imposed by Spanish entities to companies operating in our country has collected Facua. This classification shows how, before the sanction to the airlines, the toughest fine had been for Unicaja and had stayed at 3.17 million euros. At that time, the Junta de Andalucía punished Unicaja in a package that extended to other banks that had imposed land clauses to their customers in mortgages. Rapier It was considered abusivehe entailed a very small fine with Ryanair’s. Despite being the first until very recently, Ryanair’s fine is 3,400%. Who appears? In addition to the aforementioned airlines, Norweigan was also part of that package and slipped between the 10 largest sanctions in our country. In between, Movistar (receivable in the time of the calls), CaixaBank (soil clauses), Vodafone (seven fraud among which is the deceptive advertising) and Endesa (for applying illegal rates for the rental of their light counters). It should be noted that, in addition, Movistar is the company that repeats the most in the ranking, adding up to three fines, the aforementioned and two other sanctions worth 1.53 million euros. Vodafone also repeats with a second fine of 1.19 million euros. Volotea, the fifth and final sanctioned airline, also appears here with a fine of 1.4 million. Banco Mare Nostrum (BNM) and Caja Rural de Granada are two other financial entities that close the breakdown. Has there been any consequence? Yes, although Ryanair has camouflaged him In response to rates, supposedly abusivefrom Aena at airports. Its response has been the abandonment or partial exit of some regional airports. A change of strategy propitious to the company And that, in addition, it has served to press the government, aware of the importance of these spaces. While Ryanair has been winning passengers in Spain, now he faces new fines. Some of the routes survived by the commercial agreements that Ryanair maintained with municipalities and other entities for advertising that acted as Covering line of the line. That has caused the complaint of, among others, The Mayor’s Office. Who is right? It remains to be seen. At the moment, the sanction is imposed but in Spain justice has proved both to the government and the company Despite judging the same fact: the possibility or not of Ryanair to charge for hand luggage. Until now, aerial regulations force airlines to let a lump pass that allows the “essential” to transfer. That, according to the government, cannot enter the brief measures that The company applies. Ryanair alleges otherwise And emphasize that there is no paper that proves the minimum size that the backpack has to have. The latest changes. Everything indicates that Europe is going to put on the side of Ryanair. The institutions are advancing in a new regulation to fly in which you want to stipulate a minimum measure for cabin luggage. This is slightly higher than that forced by Ryanair and The company has already made the changes to adapt to the regulations. It remains to be seen, to leave that new regulation ahead, the company would end up claiming Spain the money of the large fine with which it has punished it. This listing list shown can completely change if your claims get ahead. Photo | Nejc Soklič AND FACUA DATA In Xataka | Ryanair’s new competition does not come from any European airline: it comes from India and has an ambitious plan

Ryanair workers have a good reason for passing passengers with too big suitcases: collect more

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When we approach the shipping doors, it is quite common that part of the airline team is responsible for looking sideways at passengers to see if We comply with the regulations of luggage and we do not carry excessively large bags in the cabin. In addition to because it is part of their work, Ryanair employees also have another motivation behind: collect more. The airline pay your employees 1.50 euros For each suitcase that detects that it does not meet the rules, a practice that the company’s own CEO itself, Michael O’Leary, not only defends, but even considers expanding. Why this happens. The Irish airline has confirmed that this economic incentive pays for its staff for catching passengers that carry luggage that exceeds the allowed dimensions. Those who catch can fall a sanction of up to 75 euros for billing it in the cellar. O’Leary justifies This policy as a way to “eliminate the scourge of passengers with excessive luggage.” The numbers that explain the business. Each employee can win up to 80 euros per month for this practice. Although it should be said that, according to the company, more than 99.9% of travelers comply with luggage standards. It should be said that the difference between what Ryanair pays to its employees for detecting a suitcase and what charges the passenger for sanction (up to 75 euros) is a considerable margin that contributes in part to the spectacular results that the airline has had. And is that Up to 820 million euros in the last quarter, shooting their shares 4.7% in the stock market after exceeding all forecasts. The growth of 7% in auxiliary income, where these luggage penalties are included, has been key next to the 21% rise in average rates up to 51 euros per ticket. Ryanair is not the only one. This practice makes employees at the boarding door also act as a kind of luggage guards. It is not for less, since if in addition to making passengers to comply with the regulations, they take a pinch, better than better. Todo esto teniendo en cuenta además que Ryanair anunció que would expand the dimensions of the permitted suitcases in cabin. Although the truth is that the practice is not exclusive to Ryanair: other airlines like Easyjet have also implemented similar schemes Through subcontracted companies such as Swissport, which pays 1.20 pounds for each pillada suitcase. The workers, who usually charge around 12 pounds per hour according to The Guardian, also face tense situations with passengers, since no one makes it funny to have to pay more just when you are going to ride on the plane. The context of the sector. Ryanair is now in a sweet moment, especially knowing that it has become the main airline in Spain by passengers with a growth of 20.6% this last quarter and maintains this country as its second most important market after Italy, with income of 772 million euros. The European Parliament Press so that airlines allow luggage in cabin and hand for free, but O’Leary predict that this proposal “will not prosper due to the lack of space in the airplanes.” According to its latest financial report, the airline operates with virtually 94% occupation flights, where approximately half of the passengers can carry two packages and the other half only one. And now what. Ryanair does not rule out increasing the incentives paid to its employees for detecting excess bulk, although O’Leary expects detections to decrease in the coming years as passengers adapt better to the standards. Meanwhile, the airline benefits from a European market with a limited capacity until 2030. “We will be at least five years old, until 2030, with the constrained offer,” Neil Sorahan accountfinancial director of the airline. This allows them to keep high rates and strict policies. For travelers, this means that we will have to take special care in the boarding gates, especially to comply with the regulations and not take an unpleasant surprise later. Cover image | Niels Baars and Anastasiia Nelen In Xataka | Ryanair’s new competition does not come from any European airline: it comes from India and has an ambitious plan

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