In his conclusions in case C-330/17, returned on Thursday 28 June, Advocate General to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Henrik Saugmandsgaard Øe said that airlines were not required to advertise the prices of flights in a given national currency upon publication if these prices are not expressed in euro.
In 2014, a consumer found a flight from London to Stuttgart on the website of the airline Germanwings, the price of which was given only in pounds sterling. Taking the view that the price should have been displayed in euro, the currency used in Germany, a consumer organisation brought legal proceedings before a court in Germany, which in turn asked the CJEU for a preliminary ruling to shed light on the matter.
In his conclusions, Saugsmandsgaard Øe considered that the airline was under no obligation to publish flight prices in a given national currency. Indeed, Regulation 1008/2008 on the operation of aviation services provides only that prices be given in euro or the national currency, without specifying any further obligations.
The Advocate General also takes the view that this absence of any obligation to give flight prices in a specific national currency is consistent with the origin and provisions of the Regulation. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)