Ryanair sued by online travel agent On The Beach

Online travel agent On the Beach is suing Ryanair for blocking it from booking flights with the airline, in an escalation of a long-running dispute between the travel groups. According to legal documents filed with the High Court, On The Beach claims Ryanair breached competition rules by blocking the company’s credit cards and preventing its customers from managing bookings online. On The Beach claims Ryanair abused its “dominant” position in the market and caused it loss by unlawful means. The travel agent claims Ryanair stops it from creating a “my Ryanair account” required to make a booking and has made false and disparaging claims about the company. Ryanair has long tussled with online travel agents, which prevent the airline dealing directly with customers. CE Michael O’Leary has characterised online agents as “overcharging scam artists” for adding their own fees to the airline’s prices, and Ryanair has previously complained that travel agents have provided incorrect passenger information to the airline. Airlines prefer to deal with customers directly, particularly as it allows them to sell extra products ranging from seat selection to car rentals and hotel bookings. These so-called ancillaries are crucial to Ryanair’s low-cost business model in particular, and the airline pioneered using them in Europe to keep headline fares low. On The Beach is seeking damages from the airline and claims Ryanair sought to “degrade the experience for On The Beach customers by making it less convenient and/or more expensive for . . . customers to use Ryanair than for direct customers”.<br/>