Ryanair has selected Booking.com to run hotel search and reservations on the airline’s website following its acrimonious split with Expedia in late-2008. The hotel channel directs to a Ryanair-Booking.com branded microsite and includes the same functionality as the hotel category on the online travel agency’s main site. Booking.com, formerly known as Active Hotels, currently has around…
Booking.com steps up to run hotels on Ryanair.com
Ryanair has selected Booking.com to run hotel search and reservations on the airline’s website following its acrimonious split with Expedia in late-2008.
The hotel channel directs to a Ryanair-Booking.com branded microsite and includes the same functionality as the hotel category on the online travel agency’s main site.
Booking.com, formerly known as Active Hotels, currently has around 71,000 hotels on its books and operates 21 language sites.
The deal comes just three months after Ryanair and Expedia fell out publicly over the termination of the existing contract.
Expedia and Ryanair have since started proceedings in court in London to settle the dispute for unpaid revenues to the carrier to the tune of around £5 million.
Ryanair’s other partners on the website include Hostelworld (hostels), Hertz (car hire) and Isango (tours).
Sinead Finn of Ryanair said: “Ryanair will carry 67 million passengers this year at our guaranteed lowest fares and no fuel surcharges and we are delighted that our partnership with booking.com will ensure they gain access to the best hotel accommodation in Europe.
“Ryanair passengers will benefit from a wide selection of hotels at great prices which will cater to the needs of every budget.”
Nick Monaghan, director of distribution, Booking.com said: “We are proud to welcome such a key partner and to be a part of Ryanair’s commitment in meeting their customers’ needs.
“With highly competitive hotel rates, a vast choice of properties, multilingual content and the flexibility to make last minute reservations, we believe this partnership offers great added value for Ryanair customers.”
