A Barcelona Commercial Court has issued interim measures against Ryanair, directing the airline to immediately cease its denigrating behavior towards eDreams ODIGEO and its products.
This ruling reinforces a previous decision upheld by Spain’s Supreme Court, which had already mandated Ryanair to halt its unfair tactics and anti-competitive behavior against the online travel agency.
The pre-trial order from Barcelona Commercial Court No. 12 is based on compelling evidence of Ryanair’s long-term smear campaign against eDreams and its Prime programme.
The airline allegedly disseminated multiple false claims to mislead consumers and compete unfairly, violating Article 9 of the Unfair Competition Law (LCD). The Court approved these measures due to Ryanair’s persistent denigrating statements.
eDreams ODIGEO is a global travel subscription platform and one of the largest e-commerce businesses in Europe.
A “Perfectly Organized Campaign”
In a strongly worded judgment, the judge characterized Ryanair’s actions as a “perfectly organized campaign. He said it was “designed to promote Ryanair.com for booking flights and associated services.”
The court deemed this campaign as denigrating advertising, providing consumers with false information about eDreams and its Prime service.
This legal victory for eDreams ODIGEO extends beyond Spain. In Germany, courts have ordered Ryanair to cease multiple anti-consumer and misleading practices.
These include charging consumers for specific payment methods, and lacking transparency in pricing throughout the booking process. It required consumers to create user accounts to purchase tickets.
Ryanair’s Wider Strategy and its Consequences
Ryanair’s strategy has now targeted multiple online travel agents. It appears to be part of a broader plan to coerce competitors into signing anticompetitive and anti-consumer distribution agreements.
This tactic also seems intended to deflect scrutiny from Ryanair’s own controversial practices. This is currently under investigation by authorities across Europe.
eDreams ODIGEO is actively leading or participating in multiple cases against the airline. This includes antitrust proceedings in Italy for alleged abuse of market dominance.
A vast majority of the Italian travel industry, including federations, trade bodies, and consumer associations, supported this case. It allegedly prompted Ryanair to launch a smear campaign targeting the complainants, particularly eDreams and its Prime programme.
The Italian Antitrust Authority (AGCM) has not remained silent on this issue. It defined Ryanair’s actions as a smear campaign aimed at dissuading consumers from using travel agents. It highlighted the airline’s use of false and misleading claims.
Investigations and Legal Actions Across Europe
Data protection authorities from several European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and Poland, are reportedly probing Ryanair’s allegedly discriminatory practices towards customers.
These investigations include allegations of privacy-invasive practices that breach GDPR. This includes requesting unnecessary biometric data and imposing additional fees on consumers based on their booking channel of choice.
The mounting legal and regulatory pressure on Ryanair for its anti-consumer practices is further evidenced by a landmark fine imposed by the Spanish government.
Estimated at around 100 million euros according to consumer bodies, this fine is the highest ever issued by Consumer Protection authorities to a single business. It dwarfs the previous record by 17 times.
In France, courts have recently issued a severe sentence against the airline for deliberately violating passenger rights regulations.
This includes infringing on consumer rights, failing to compensate for flight cancellations and delays, and engaging in deceptive and aggressive practices.
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