Italian Competition Watchdog Probes EasyJet Over Bundled Baggage Charges
Italy's antitrust authority launched an investigation into British low-cost airline easyJet (EZJ.L) over a potential lack of transparency in baggage pricing.The Italian Competition Authority, or AGCM, on Tuesday said easyJet provides only the average price for check-in baggage and sports equipment on round trips, and sets bundled purchases as the default option, potentially misleading customers who wanted the service for only one leg of their journey.To buy the service for only half the trip, customers would need to take steps to override easyJet's default option, the watchdog noted, adding that the probe was initiated because easyJet did not change its practices after being called out on the matter.The investigation follows the AGCM's broader scrutiny into the travel industry for potentially "misleading and aggressive" commercial practices. Most recently, online travel agency eDreams Odigeo (EDR.MC) was imposed a 9 million-euro penalty in February for using "deceptive" design strategies and manipulative techniques to pressure consumers into signing up for its "eDreams Prime" subscription service.The regulator also fined Irish budget airline Ryanair (RYA.IR) 255.8 million euros in December 2025 for complicating the process for travel agencies to purchase flights through its website.Meanwhile, another low-cost airline, Wizz Air (WIZZ.L), was charged 500,000 euros by the AGCM in November 2025 for deceptive and ambiguous advertising of its "All You Can Fly" annual subscription.
