Italy's antitrust authority opens probe into easyJet over baggage pricing
Investigation Details and Company Response
Background of the Investigation
MILAN, May 26 (Reuters) - Italy's antitrust authority has opened an investigation into budget airline easyJet over alleged unfair business practices related to baggage charging, it said on Tuesday.
Allegations Against easyJet
Advertising Practices
The authority said the company's website and app advertised only the average price for checked baggage and sports equipment on round trips, but made bundled purchases the default option, even when customers did not want them.
Impact on Consumers
Consumers could, therefore, be misled about the actual price for each leg of the journey and would have to interrupt the online booking process to override easyJet's default option if they wanted the add-on for only one leg of the journey, it said.
easyJet's Response
Statement from easyJet
EasyJet said in an emailed statement it had "always acted in line with applicable consumer laws and remains committed to ensuring transparency and fairness" for its customers.
Cooperation with Authorities
Next Steps
"We will fully cooperate with the authority throughout its investigation. We will now carefully review the authority's notice and consider our next steps," it added.
(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, editing by Cristina Carlevaro, Bernadette Baum and Jan Harvey)
