Ryanair and Easyjet have been fined more than €1 million by the Italian competition watchdog due to the mis-selling of travel insurance.
Ryanair received an €850,000 fine and Easyjet €200,000.
The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) said both airlines had infringed its consumer code by not supplying adequate information or by giving misleading information.
It said there was a “lack of transparency” during the on-line purchase of air-tickets and for obstacles created when making a claim.
Ryanair recently pledged to make the company more consumer-friendly as well as targeting business travellers with a new product that will enable passengers to access flexible tickets, reserved seating and fast-track through selected airports.
The AGCM criticised Ryanair for its “unfair, cumbersome and misleading” practice of opting customers into buying travel insurance.
The Irish carrier has been given 30 days to respond and to remove this “unfair behaviour”.
Easyjet received a much smaller fine because the authority took into account the changes made in the on-line booking process and in the refund procedure.
In a statement Ryanair said it would appeal the ruling while amending its website to comply.
Easyjet said it’s disappointed at the fine, stating all of the issues raised “have already been remedied”.
Ryanair.com
Easyjet.com