An antritrust authority probe into
Ryanair for possible abuse of its dominant market position "will
make it clear to passengers that they can book directly on
Ryanair.com to get the lowest fares", the company said in a
statement Wednesday.
"In this way, we will then be able to communicate directly with
(passengers) to ensure that they make the necessary security
declarations and are informed of all security protocols and
regulations, as required by law," said Ryanair.
"However, we are surprised that the antitrust authority has
shown no interest in the fact that the prices of Ryanair flights
and optional services on online travel agency sites are often up
to 200% higher than the prices on Ryanair.com," it added.
"Ryanair continues to offer licensed access to its fares to
compare prices on online platforms; travel agents can also
access Ryanair inventory through our GDS partners," it
concluded.
On Wednesday Italy's antitrust authority said it had opened a
probe into Ryanair in a move CEO Eddie Wilson said was
"welcome".
The antitrust authority is looking into reports it received from
May onward over the airline's alleged attempts to "extend its
market power" by offering additional services, such as hotel and
car-hire bookings, and whether it was harming travel agencies -
both online and offline ones - and consumers by doing so.
It said Ryanair seems to hamper the acquisition of air tickets
by travel agents directly from its site, while allowing
traditional agencies to buy them via the GDS platform, but under
less favourable conditions.
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