Ryanair has agreed a deal with Booking Holdings to let its Booking.com and KAYAK websites resell the airline’s tickets, the companies said today, apparently drawing a line under their years-long legal dispute over the issue.
Ryanair has in recent years launched a series of legal actions against third-party booking platforms that resell its tickets without agreement, including Booking. It has accused them of adding additional charges and making it difficult for the airline to contact passengers.
Since the start of last year, it has signed agreements with a number of platforms, including Kiwi.com and Expedia to allow the resale of tickets.
A joint statement by Ryanair and Booking said the deal would provide “full price transparency” and allow customers to receive essential flight updates directly.
The statement did not say whether a final resolution had been secured in a US legal case between the two over the legality of the scraping of Ryanair’s site by Booking websites.
The case was brought initially by Ryanair in 2020, but has been subject to a series of appeals.
The agreement also relates to Booking’s Priceline and Agoda websites, the statement added.
Ryanair’s CMO Dara Brady said the new partnership with Booking Holdings is welcome news for all customers who book or compare prices through Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, and Agoda, where they will be assured of full price transparency and receive all essential travel updates from Ryanair directly to their phone.
“This partnership shows how “Approved OTAs” and Ryanair can work together to protect and benefit consumers, giving them more choice at lower fares,” he added.
Booking Holdings SVP Corporate Development Todd Henrich said the company was pleased to partner with Ryanair to continue giving travellers greater choice and value when booking their journeys across its platforms.
“In bringing together access to Ryanair’s low-fare flights and network of more than 235 destinations with the innovative, intuitive technology, ease and flexibility offered by our brands, this partnership builds on our commitment to provide a trusted, seamless booking experience to customers all over the world,” he added.
