RYANAIR ADVISES PASSENGERS TO BOOK DIRECTLY ON RYANAIR.COM AND AVOID HIGH-CHARGING ONLINE TRAVEL AGENTS

OVER 300 COMPLAINTS RECEIVED FROM PASSENGERS WHO BOOKED WITH ‘ON THE BEACH’ SCREENSCRAPING WEBSITE

2012-08-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost airline, today (21 Aug) warned passengers to book directly with Ryanair.com and not through online travel agents (or “screenscrapers”), following persistent calls from passengers who have suffered problems having booked with screenscraper websites. Some of these websites are charging hidden administration and handling fees without providing even basic services, such as confirming special assistance arrangements, advising passengers of flight changes or advising of Ryanair’s Terms and Conditions of travel.

In some cases, these passengers have not received e-mail reminders from Ryanair about web check-in requirements (because customer emails are not passed on by some screenscrapers) and have had to pay the boarding card reissue fee of €60/£60 solely because of the non-existent or inadequate service provided by these high-cost low-service intermediaries, some of whom have been:

1. Mis-selling Ryanair flights with hidden agent mark-ups as part of packages;
2. Failing to provide consumers with a proper breakdown of the flight price;
3. Failing to notify passengers of Ryanair’s Terms and Conditions of Travel at the time of booking;
4. Failing to provide Ryanair with contact details, preventing Ryanair from communicating directly with passengers in the event of schedule changes/flight disruptions.
5. Failing to notify Ryanair of special requirements (e.g. wheelchair assistance).

Ryanair has received calls from over 300 passengers in recent months who have experienced problems after booking with screenscraper ‘On The Beach’, whom Ryanair has initiated legal action against for breach of Ryanair.com’s Terms of Use and intellectual property rights. Ryanair is seeking to prohibit On The Beach from unauthorised screenscraping and mis-selling of Ryanair seats at inflated prices to consumers.

In the interests of consumers and price transparency Ryanair allows and encourages “price comparison only” websites to access its timetable and pricing information, for an annual charitable donation of just €100

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:

“Online travel agents or “screenscraper” websites continue to cause problems for passengers with their non-existent or inadequate after-sale service. Many of these sites fail to pass on vital information to both passengers and Ryanair regarding issues such as flight changes, web check-in, special needs assistance and contact details, which has resulted in missed flights and repeated problems for their misguided customers. Our message to passengers is simple: book directly on www.ryanair.com for the guaranteed lowest fares and best customer care.”

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