[UPDATED] Ryanair challenges eDreams over screenscraping in YouTube video

Ryanair has come out all guns blazing in its ongoing battle with screenscrapers posting a video on YouTube highlighting how European OTA eDreams retails its flights.

Pictured: Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs

Ryanair has come out all guns blazing in its ongoing battle with screenscrapers posting a video on YouTube highlighting how European OTA eDreams retails its flights.

Kenny Jacobs, the budget airline’s chief marketing officer lays down a direct challenge to eDreams ODIGEO chief executive Dana Dunne to discuss the issue one-on-one in public.

In the four-minute video Jacobs explains how a booking on eDreams is allegedly made to look like it is being made on the Ryanair site and starts off cheaper but ends up more expensive when fees are added.

Jacobs claims eDreams uses the Ryanair name to promote its own services which suggest an economic connection with the carrier that doesn’t exist.

“Ryanair is continuing to fight these screenscrapers in court to prevent our customers being misled,” he said.

Jacobs urges watchers of the video to book directly on Ryanair’s website, to complain to the competition authorities and to Google, for allowing eDreams to advertise.

Ryanair has fought many court battles against screenscrapers down the years and has won jurisdiction to have a case heard in the Dublin courts.

Irish agent Budget Travel is thought to be the first case lined up in Ireland after Ryanair won the right in the Supreme Court to have the case heard in its home jurisdiction in February.

In a statement eDreams ODIGEO said: “eDreams notes Ryanair’s latest attack on the fast-growing online travel agency (‘OTA’) sector. 

“As an OTA, eDreams is perfectly entitled to sell Ryanair tickets, and the tickets of other airlines providing customers with much-needed choice and variety to the flight distribution market. 

“Our sites deliver consumers with the ability to find the best prices and our services are supported by our proven, high customer satisfaction.

“ It is also perfectly lawful for an OTA to use the AdWords service of Google in order to advertise flight booking services provided to its customers. 

“Ryanair has been trying, without success, to prevent OTAs selling its tickets for the last ten years, and they are now invoking new, ill-founded grievances.”