RYANAIR HAS BEEN fined €3 million by Italy’s antitrust authority over its cabin baggage policy introduced late last year.

The fine relates to the airline’s policy which allows small bags into the cabin free of charge only if they can be stowed under the seat in front of passengers.

Bigger bags of up to 10 kilos require a luggage fee, or a fee-paying priority boarding pass.

The Italian antitrust agency said that most passengers expected to travel with a larger carry-on bag and that by imposing an extra payment of between €5 and €25 the airline was raising ticket prices in a “non-transparent” manner.

After Ryanair announced its new cabin bag policy in August, Italian regulators ordered the airline – as well as Hungary’s Wizzair – to suspend the measure, saying it misled consumers and distorted competition with carriers that transported cabin luggage for free.

Wizzair was also fined by the agency, and ordered to pay €1 million.

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Ryanair rejected the Italian decision, saying its policy was transparent and helped flight punctuality as it speeded up boarding.

It came into effect in November.

With reporting from AFP