Ryanair has vehemently challenged the claims of eDreams CEO Dana Dunne made to the Spanish media, alleging that eDreams offers more competitive pricing than Ryanair. Ryanair maintains that irrefutable evidence gathered over several months demonstrates that eDreams and its Prime subscription model consistently overcharge consumers.
This contradiction between eDreams’ statements to investors and regulators has raised concerns about the company’s honesty towards both parties and extends to its recent misrepresentations to the Spanish media. Ryanair has implemented ‘Approved OTA’ partnerships with various reputable travel agencies, ensuring transparent pricing and compliance with EU law. In contrast, eDreams and other OTA Pirates engage in illegal digital piracy (screenscraping) of Ryanair.com, inflating prices with hidden charges and invented ‘fees,’ causing significant financial harm to Spanish consumers.
Ryanair remains steadfast in its advocacy for consumer protection against overcharging online travel agencies like eDreams. On April 29th, Ryanair submitted a formal complaint to the Spanish Consumer Affairs Minister, Pablo Bustinduy, urging him to prohibit the deceptive and overpriced eDreams ‘Prime’ scheme. This program entices customers with promises of substantial discounts but employs concealed mark-ups and fictitious discounts on Ryanair airfares, ultimately tricking consumers into paying a yearly subscription fee of €64.99 without realizing that they are actually paying inflated prices due to eDreams’ hidden mark-ups.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, demands that eDreams CEO Dana Dunne provide a thorough explanation for these contradictory claims and the unlawful practices employed by the company. O’Leary emphasizes the need for Dunne to address the false claims made to the Spanish media, the deceptive ‘Prime’ subscription scheme, and the illegal screenscraping of Ryanair’s website.
Ryanair strongly believes that eDreams’ ‘Prime’ program exemplifies an anti-consumer scam and urges Minister Bustinduy to take immediate action to outlaw this predatory practice. Ryanair remains committed to protecting consumers from overcharging OTAs and safeguarding fair competition in the travel industry.
