Historical investigation reveals “extensive evidence of Ryanair’s strategy to illegally dismantle travel agencies”.
The conflict between Ryanair e eDreams, which has reached the courts, has been going on for some time.
Ryanair and eDreams, which in theory could even be allies in travel-related businesses, are in “judicial war” obvious.
eDreams, a travel subscription platform, and Ryanair, an aviation company, of defaming the platform. Ryanair complied with the court’s order and a formal criminal warning followed.
More recently, Ryanair accused online agencies of excessive fees for baggage and seat selection – with a focus on eDreams.
Now, in December, a statement from the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) was published, which considered that Ryanair committed a “very serious” abuse of dominant market position.
In a raid on Ryanair’s headquarters, documents were seized showing that the aviation company’s top management knowingly misled shareholders and the Board of Directors, on the financial performance of the airline in late 2023 and early 2024.
There is evidence to show that the drop in sales reported by Ryanair in this period was direct consequence of a deliberate internal decision to block reviews carried out through online travel agencies. This was done with a blocking program codenamed “Shield”. And Ryanair “concealed this circumstance”.
eDreams classifies these findings as “historical”, adding that Ryanair “used its dominant position to orchestrate a sophisticated strategy of coercing competitors through illegal means”.
“This confirms that Ryanair’s leadership team spread a false narrative in official financial communications, shareholder meetings and media statements, attributing the deterioration of its financial performance to a “external boycott” by online travel agents”, reacts to eDreams.
In a statement sent to ZAP, the platform describes this “illegal multi-phase plan to eliminate competition.”
It is an “anti-monopoly decision that exposes Ryanair’s misleading of the financial markets and an illegal plan to asphyxiate competition”.
Ryanair’s strategy, describes eDreams, goes through several phases to “eliminate” competition from online travel agents: illegal technical blocking (‘Shield’), discriminatory obstacles aimed at customers, denigration and defamation campaigns, and coercive distribution agreements.
