Ryanair breaks the rules again

Ryanair is one of the most important low cost airlines in Europe, but it is also one of the most criticised.

The most recent attack comes from Judge Barbara Maria Cordoba of the Barcelona commercial court who has ruled that Ryanair is breaking international law by charging customers £40/€40 for issuing a boarding pass at check-in.

In May 2009 Ryanair introduced this fine for passengers who did not bring their pre-printed boarding pass to the airport prior to departure.

The no-frills company claims that without this penalty, it would have to start employing handling staff to issue boarding passes and at present, around 99% of its passengers arrive at the airport with the pass.

If the airline looses its appeal, Ryanair may stop issuing boarding passes to passengers who have forgotten to bring them to the airport.