OSLO (AFX) - Irish budget airline Ryanair Holdings PLC has been fined 500,000 Norwegian kroner (76,000 usd, 63,000 eur) by the Norwegian consumer protection agency for unfair treatment of passengers, NTB news agency reported today.
The agency said the airline had failed to improve customer care on three points on which Ryanair had previously been warned, NTB said.
In February the agency, backed by consumer groups in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, petitioned Norway's commercial court, the Markedsraadet, over Ryanair's policy of charging high handling fees when refunding unused tickets or transferring tickets between passengers.
The carrier was also criticized for being unclear towards travellers about liability rights if planes are delayed or baggage is destroyed, lost or damaged.
The court had given the airline until mid-March to change its policy.
'Because Ryanair has not taken the steps set out by the Markedsraadet, the Consumer Ombudsman has imposed a 500,000 kroner fine,' Bjoern Erik Thon spokesman for the consumer group said.
'If Ryanair fails to pay the fine, we will take the case to court,' Thon added. newsdesk@afxnews.com afp/bam COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited