Ryanair won a temporary court injunction against online travel agent eDreams in Germany yesterday preventing the OTA from advertising a claim to offer the best price on all flights.
The Regional Court of Hamburg granted the interim injunction against eDreams in the latest of a series of legal actions brought by Ryanair against the Barcelona-based company and other OTAs it accuses of screen scraping its site.
Ryanair argued the claim to offer the best price on all flights was misleading because eDreams adds a fee to the carrier’s fares.
In a statement welcoming the injunction, Ryanair said screen-scraper sites across Europe “cause problems for customers”.
The carrier argued the sites “fail/refuse to pass on vital information to both passengers and Ryanair regarding flight changes, web check-in, special needs assistance and contact details”.
It said this resulted in “missed flights and repeated problems for customers”.
A Ryanair spokesman said: “This is a highly important victory for consumers, particularly those who have been subjected to additional fees at the hands of screen-scraper websites such as eDreams.
“Ryanair will continue to pursue these screen scrapers to prevent consumers being misled over price and booking conditions.”
The spokesman said: “We urge customers to book direct on the Ryanair.com website to guarantee the lowest fares and best customer service.”
The eDreams.co.uk site has a section solely dedicated to Ryanair.
The company is part of the eDreams Odigeo group which includes Opodo, Go Voyages, Travellink and Liligo and is partially listed on the Spanish stock market.
The group reported a turnover of €4.4 billion last year. Private equity firm Permira is majority shareholder of eDreams.