Ryanair calls Spanish minister a 'clown' and threatens to raise ticket prices
The low-cost airline will hike up flight prices if Spain doesn’t drop a 197-million-euro lawsuit
Tensions between Spain and the low-cost airlines over unfair baggage policies are reaching boiling point. The latest row has come from outspoken Ryanair CEO Michael O’ Leary, whose new ad campaign blatantly labels Spain’s Minister for Social Rights and Consumption a “clown”.
The unfolding drama stems from the Ministry’s plans to fine Ryanair and four other budget airlines 179 million euros for charging for hand luggage. This week, O’ Leary warned Spain to back down or face an increase of two or three euros per flight as a result of the legal action.
To hammer home the point, Ryanair held a press conference in Madrid during which the CEO referred to Pablo Bustinduy as the “crazy minister”. He also posed beside a cardboard cut-out of Mr Bustinduy kitted out in an orange fuzzy wig and bright red nose.
He also unveiled a new promotional poster, which features the same photo and urges customers to book their flights now “before a clown raises the prices.”
Ryanair has already issued an appeal against the fine alongside Vueling, easyJet, Norwegian and Volotea and we should know the outcome sometime around May. But the Irish carrier is adamant that if the Spanish Consumer office rules against them then ticket prices for flights to and from Spain will go up.
These inflated prices could last for at least a year or two, until the European Commission concludes its own investigation to determine whether the fine in Spain is legal or not.
Ryanair argues that European legislation recognises the freedom of airlines to set the price of their services and “prevents” EU governments from “interfering” in this regard.
“The only person who does not comply with the law is the clown Bustinduy,” he added, calling the Spaniard a “communist minister.”
This is not the first time that Ryanair has launched an attack on the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in Spain and after this latest press conference, Mr Bustinduy insisted that he will continue to “rigorously” apply the law in defence of consumer rights and that O'Leary's “pressure” will not “intimidate” him.
“This is obviously an issue where different interests clash, the defence of consumer rights and very powerful commercial and economic interests. I am the Minister of Consumption and my obligation is to defend the rights of citizens and consumers and no insult will intimidate me in this task,” he said.
Hours later, in the corridors of the Senate, he described O'Leary's words as “the eccentricities of a foreign millionaire.”
The fine for charging its passengers for carrying hand luggage is not the only dispute that Ryanair currently has with the Spanish Government; a couple of weeks ago, Ryanair announced that it would stop operating in two regional airports and reduce its activity in another five if AENA did not lower its rates.
Image: @naturapisuena on X
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