Ryanair Triumphs in Legal Battle Against Online Travel Agency Kiwi

Ryanair welcomed the recent ruling of the Civil Court of Milan against online travel agency (OTA) Kiwi.

In a press release, issued on August 17, 2023, the Irish low-cost carrier group said that it welcomed the court’s decision to prevent passengers who booked Ryanair flights through Kiwi from not using the airline’s “enhanced-security check-in procedures for passengers whose bookings were made by [OTAs]”.

“We welcome this Court ruling which ensures passengers who have booked via OTAs can continue to use our enhanced-security check-in procedures to check-in personally with Ryanair and are notified of important safety, security and public health protocols, and to correct passenger contact details,” Dara Brady, the director of Marketing & Digital at Ryanair, said.

The executive added that the low-cost carrier has no relationship with the OTA, while also strongly objecting to Kiwi selling its flights.

As such, Ryanair encourages its customers “to look out for the Ryanair Verified Seal, a branded tick which guarantees you are booking via an official Ryanair channel, and to book directly with us through our website or mobile app to get the best Ryanair service and the lowest fares”.

In early August 2023, the Irish low-cost carrier reiterated that customers should only use official Ryanair channels to book flights, arguing that OTAs “provide airlines with inaccurate passenger details which can block passengers from managing their bookings and making the necessary security declarations required for travel, as well as preventing them from receiving important travel information from the airline, including potential departure time changes, delays, and cancellation updates”.

“Ryanair has long campaigned to protect customers from the malpractices of OTAs, including the introduction of a customer verification process, which enables passengers who have booked via OTAs to identify themselves to Ryanair in order to comply with flight safety and security protocols,” the airline said at the time.

Brady also said at the time that OTAs “continue to mislead passengers to believe that they are getting the cheapest price available by falsely advertising lower fares than the airlines themselves”.