Italy's competition authority has initiated an investigation into easyJet over allegations of "unfair commercial practices" related to the advertising of checked baggage fees. The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), Italy's antitrust watchdog, opened the inquiry on Tuesday, focusing on how the airline presents additional baggage charges on its website and mobile app.
The AGCM claims that easyJet advertised "only the average price of the service" and set bundled purchases of checked baggage and sports equipment for round-trip flights as the default option, even when customers did not intend to book extra baggage on return flights. This practice, the regulator asserts, "misleads customers" regarding the actual cost of the service for each leg of a journey. Passengers wishing to add luggage for just a single leg were forced to interrupt the booking process to override this default setting.
According to the Authority, easyJet's conduct constitutes a "misleading and aggressive commercial practice."
In response, an easyJet spokesperson stated: "We are aware of the proceedings opened by the AGCM and will fully cooperate with the Authority throughout its investigation. We believe we have always acted in line with applicable consumer laws and remain committed to ensuring transparency and fairness for our customers. We will now carefully review the Authority's notice and consider our next steps."
EasyJet is not the only airline to face scrutiny from the Italian competition watchdog. In December, Ryanair was fined €256 million (£224 million) by the AGCM for allegedly employing an "abusive strategy" to obstruct third-party travel agencies. The regulator claimed that the budget airline intentionally complicated the process for agencies to purchase flights via its website, a practice observed from April 2023 until at least April 2024.
