Summary
- Ryanair’s partnership with Kiwi, a Czechia-based online travel agent (OTA) has begun, providing benefits to the agent’s customers.
- This includes full price transparency and independent management of customers’ bookings.
- The low-cost carrier has fought a long fight against OTAs, including some that have ended up in court.
Ryanair, the Irish low-cost carrier, has continued signing agreements with online travel agents (OTA). Now, after the airline has added Kiwi to the approved OTA list, Ryanair’s tickets are now bookable through the agent’s systems for the upcoming summer season.
First OTA partner with bookable fares
According to Oliver Dlouhý, the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kiwi, the organization was proud that Europe’s largest airline chose the OTA as its first partner for booking flights. The CEO pointed out that this recognized the investments Kiwi has made into its product and customer experience, reflecting its commitment to establishing relationships with airlines to benefit the OTA’s customers.
Photo: Ryanair
Meanwhile, Eddie Wilson, the CEO of Ryanair, added that Kiwi’s customers can book the low-cost carrier’s flights with full price transparency with no overcharges or hidden mark-ups. The OTA’s clients will also have direct access to their bookings through their myRyanair accounts. Previously, passengers who had booked flights with Kiwi had to rely on the OTA’s staff to make changes to their bookings, including check-in procedures.
“With the peak summer season just around the corner, we look forward to seeing lots of happy Kiwi customers onboard our low fare Ryanair flights not only from our 4 Czech airports to 39 destinations, but right across Europe.”
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Agreements with OTAs
Ryanair detailed that the partnership with Kiwi means that the OTA’s customers can now book its low fares combined with Kiwi’s interlining services while receiving all flight-related communication directly and having direct access to myRyanair accounts. Lastly, Kiwi’s customers do not have to complete Ryanair’s verification processes.
The Irish low-cost carrier highlighted that in the past few months, it has signed agreements with six different OTAs, including Kiwi, On The Beach, eSky, loveholidays, and others. The company has been publicly criticizing OTAs, including some of the brands that it eventually signed agreements with, for overcharging its customers.
Photo: Ryanair
For example, on January 10, the airline issued its January OTA Pirate survey, detailing the overcharges applied to customers booking Ryanair flights through the agencies’ systems. The Irish carrier exemplified that in January, eDreams, Opodo, and On the Beach overcharged travelers 125%, 108%, and 63% for various products, such as an allocated seat or checked baggage.
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The two sides have previously conflicted publicly, calling each other out in public statements.
Fighting in court
Some OTAs, including Lastminute and Viaggiare, have sued Ryanair, alleging that its exclusive online distribution model constitutes an abuse of a dominant position. In February, the Milan Court of Appeals (Corte di Appello di Milano) ruled that the model was justified, adding that it helped Ryanair contain its operating costs and eliminate costs associated with intermediation in ticket sales.
Photo: Toni. M | Shutterstock
In response to the ruling, Ryanair stated that it has long campaigned to protect travelers from price gouging by OTAs, as well as customers being unable to access their booking information when buying tickets through these agencies.
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