Ryanair has welcomed the ruling of the Barcelona Court of Appeal regarding the “damage” caused by online travel agents to the carrier and its customers.
The Irish carrier reiterated that OTAs have no commercial agreements with Ryanair and are not authorised by the airline to sell its flights.
The ruling affirmed the rejection of a criminal complaint against Ryanair by Acave, which represents travel agencies in Spain.
“The court…found that Ryanair’s statements on OTAs’ damaging practices are true and supported by extensive documentary evidence,” said Ryanair.
“Specifically, the courts found that it is standard practice for OTAs to overcharge customers by applying ‘service charges’, and that some OTAs frustrate Ryanair’s direct communications with customers and block refund payments by not providing Ryanair with the customer’s correct details.
Dara Brady, marketing and digital director at Ryanair, said: “We welcome this court ruling which definitely upholds Ryanair’s right to raise awareness about the damage OTAs cause to Ryanair’s image and Ryanair’s customers by overcharging them, frustrating our ability to contact them directly with important flight updates and blocking refunds they are entitled to.
“We encourage all customers to book their flights directly on the Ryanair website or app to access the lowest fares and direct customer services.”
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