(News Bulletin 247) – Ryanair today welcomed the decision of the Barcelona Court of Appeal regarding damages caused by online travel agencies (OTAs) to Ryanair and its customers. OTAs have no commercial agreement with Ryanair and are not authorized by Ryanair to sell its flights.
The Court upheld the first instance decision which had dismissed the criminal complaint filed by ACAVE (a Spanish association of travel agencies) against Ryanair and found that Ryanair’s statements on the harmful practices of OTAs were true and substantiated by extensive documentary evidence.
Specifically, the courts have found that OTAs have a common practice of overcharging customers by applying ‘service charges’, and that some OTAs impede Ryanair’s direct communications with customers and block refund payments by not providing to Ryanair the exact contact details of the customer.
Dara Brady of Ryanair said: ‘We encourage all customers to book their flights directly through the Ryanair website or app to access the lowest fares and direct customer services. ‘
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