Changed Ryanair booking terms present ‘barriers’ to corporate travel

The Business Travel Association (BTA) has warned new booking terms imposed by Ryanair present “substantial barriers” to travel management companies (TMCs) and their clients and could “limit access”.

The BTA said the new terms “create hurdles for TMCs to deliver core services” and reported it had raised “serious concerns” with Ryanair in relation to “liability, post-booking servicing, refund processes and data protection” to which it said the carrier had failed to respond.

The association noted TMCs “are now required to obtain express passenger consent and use Ryanair’s Travel Agent Direct platform for all post-booking changes rather than the original GDS booking tool” by terms that “prioritise airline commercial models at the expense of passenger safety and corporate efficiency”.

Implementation of the terms has varied by GDS provider. The deadline for Sabre and Travelport users was March 31, for Amadeus it is May.

The BTA wrote to Ryanair in October 2025 setting out its concerns and said it had subsequently sought to engage with the carrier “on behalf of member TMCs and their corporate customers”, but Ryanair “declined to engage and proceeded with implementation of these terms”.

BTA chief executive Clive Wratten said: “Employers must be able to include airlines in travel programmes without creating blind spots in service, safety or audit.”

He warned: “Some TMCs may conclude they can’t accept the terms on commercial, operational or compliance grounds. Ryanair content may no longer be available through parts of the managed travel channel and TMCs may direct customers towards alternative carriers.”

The BTA pointed out TMCs “help employers meet essential obligations around duty of care, traveller tracking, policy compliance, disruption management, reporting and financial reconciliation [which] complement the airline product by making it possible for employers to book and manage travel safely, efficiently and at scale”.

It said Ryanair’s new terms “create barriers to delivering those functions in the way employers and business travellers expect” and warned this “raises practical questions about whether TMCs can continue to provide the consistent servicing, support and oversight that employers require, particularly during delays, cancellations or other disruption.

“It may also create additional operational and financial exposure for TMCs and their clients in areas such as refund handling, servicing responsibility and compliance.”

Ryanair has been approached for comment.