The Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 imposed a fine of 90,000 euros on the airline Vueling (IAG subsidiary) due to the maintenance of a website that lacks accessibility for people with certain disabilities. The resolution, signed by Secretary of State Nacho Álvarez, indicates that the Spanish company fails to comply with 26 of the 38 required indicators by the law. The sanction is classified as a "serious in its maximum degree" infraction, since Vueling had already been subject to a similar inspection and sanction in 2015.
Since then, according to the document, "it has not worked on improving the accessibility of its website." Vueling's web accessibility has barely improved, since in 2015 27 of the 38 requirements were not met, 17 of them on more than 90% of pages. In 2018, this figure decreased to 26 breaches, 15 of them in more than 90% of pages. Non-compliance with level A criteria increased from 13 in 2015 to 11 in 2018.
The investigation and sanctioning file began in 2018 after a user reported Vueling for non-compliance with accessibility conditions for people with disabilities. A report from the National Center for Accessibility Technologies (CENTAC) indicated that only 4 of the 38 required requirements were fully met, while 26 requirements were not met at all. Of the 16 errors detected, more than half were found on the majority of the pages, which indicated a systematic problem in the application of accessibility criteria.
Besides, 11 of the errors were concentrated in priority level A, which is considered mandatory. The deficiencies affected perceptibility, operability and comprehensibility, which significantly hindered access for people with visual, motor and cognitive disabilities.
The Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 stated that Vueling did not take substantial measures to improve compliance with current regulations, which resulted in the sanction. The company has stated that around 50% of the required indicators are already implemented and that they are working on the application of the rest.
