Summary
- Ryanair wins US court case against Booking.com for unauthorized ticket sales.
- Ryanair fights against third-party booking platforms for selling tickets at higher prices.
- Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary hopes ruling will end illegal screen scraping and overcharging.
Ryanair, a major player in European aviation, has won a cause in the United States court against Booking.com, one of the world’s largest online travel agencies. The US court has ruled that the Dutch agency violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act by accessing the Ryanair website without permission. Court documents identified that Booking.com would on-sell unauthorized tickets by screenscraping the airline’s website.
This isn’t the first time that Ryanair, the largest carrier in Europe and one of the world’s biggest low-cost carriers, has taken legal action against third-party booking platforms, to which they sell the carrier’s tickets at a higher markup, without permission. Ryanair is renowned for its low fares for travel across its network, and the airline noted that screenscraping software then finds and resells tickets to passengers with extra fees. It is also alleged that third parties limit personal contact information, making it difficult for the airline to contact the passengers directly.
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock
The jury in the District Court of Delaware decided unanimously that Booking.com violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act with ‘intent to defraud’ the Irish carrier. It is also clear that the court rejected counterclaims that Ryanair had ‘defamed’ the Booking.com platform and that the airline was looking to monopolize and engage in unfair competition. As reported by Reuters, Booking.com noted it was disappointed with the court’s decision and disagreed with the verdict. It released this statement:
“We maintain that allowing customers to access and compare fares across the travel industry promotes consumer choice, and plan to appeal.”
Related
Ryanair Takes Aim At Screen Scraping Booking Websites
O’Leary’s response
As usual, the vocal Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary has released his own statement and sequence of events against Booking.com and emphasized his opinion on the matter. He reiterates that he hopes the ruling will force other agencies to take action to outlaw the ‘illegal screen scraping and overcharging of consumers’. These charges are not limited to airfares but extend to ancillary services such as seat selection, baggage, and other fees.
Photo: Jason Wells | Shutterstock
O’Leary stated:
“We expect that this ruling will end the internet piracy and overcharging perpetrated on both airlines and other travel companies and consumers by the unlawful activity of OTA (online travel agent) Pirates.”
While Ryanair has taken action against Booking.com, it has, however, signed agreements with other online travel agents for the authorized resale of airline tickets, which include LastMinute.com, eSky, Loveholidays, Kiwi, TUI, On the Beach, and El Corte Ingles.
Related
Ryanair Wins Clash Against Online Travel Agent In French Court
Ryanair continues its fight against third-party ticket sites.
What is screen scraping?
In the airline world, screen scraping essentially sees one company scanning an airline’s website and then selling its tickets with a profit. As far as the scraping company is concerned, everybody is happy: Ryanair gets the fare, the passenger receives a ticket, and they get their share cut.
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Ryanair
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- FR/RYR
- Airline Type:
- Low-Cost Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Dublin Airport, London Stansted Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1985
- Airline Group:
- Ryanair Group
- CEO:
- Eddie Wilson
- Country:
- Ireland
