Ryanair Battle Against OTA Pirates: AGCM under fire for Alleged Oversight, Consumer advocacy at stake

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Ryanair has urged the AGCM to clarify its stance on OTA Pirates such as eDreams, questioning why it has seemingly been misled by them and disregarded the recent verdict of the Milan Court of Appeal. This court ruling dismissed false claims by OTA Pirates and affirmed that Ryanair’s direct sales approach is not only reasonable but also results in reduced costs and fares for consumers.

However, Ryanair finds a stark contradiction in the AGCM’s case, alleging that eDreams misled them by suggesting an immediate threat to its survival if it cannot sell Ryanair flights in Italy outside of Ryanair’s “Approved OTA” agreement. This inconsistency highlights the AGCM’s oversight of the Milan Court ruling, which it has failed to acknowledge.

Ryanair emphasizes its commitment to transparency and consumer protection through its “Approved OTA” agreements with various partners, including Loveholidays, Kiwi, TUI, On the Beach, eSky, and El Corte Inglés. These partnerships adhere to EU regulations, ensuring clear pricing for consumers. In contrast, eDreams and similar OTA Pirates engage in unlawful practices such as screenscraping Ryanair.com, inflating prices with hidden charges, and imposing invented fees, ultimately harming Italian consumers.

Despite the Milan Court of Appeal’s recognition of the economic justification behind Ryanair’s direct sales strategy, the AGCM’s failure to address OTA Pirate overcharging remains indefensible. Ryanair reiterates its call for action against OTA Pirates like eDreams, Opodo, and Booking.com, urging the AGCM to prioritize consumer protection.

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:

“The AGCM complaint shows that they allowed themselves to be misled by false claims from OTA Pirates, such as eDreams, particularly when these claims contradict the pro-consumer Jan 2024 Milan Court of Appeal ruling.

The Milan Court of Appeal’s ruling dismissed these false OTA Pirate claims and ruled that Ryanair’s direct online sales policy is “reasonable” and leads to lower costs and lower fares for Italian consumers, whereas unauthorised OTA Pirates like eDreams, continue to scam Italian passengers with hidden mark-ups and inflated prices for Ryanair services as shown above. The Milan Court also ruled that Ryanair “undoubtfully benefits consumers”, which clearly disproves the AGCM case.”

When will the AGCM finally take action to protect Italian consumers from eDreams’ hidden mark-ups and internet piracy and follow the conclusive pro-consumer ruling of the Milan Court of Appeal?”

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