Ryanair accuses flight comparators of inflating ticket prices

Ryanair, the low cost Irish airline, accuses Skyscanner of adding hidden supplements when people book a flight… Let’s find out why.

Skyscanner, Opodo, eDreams… Not only do these flight comparators allow you to find the best prices in a few minutes for your chosen destination, they also allow you to quickly book your ticket. It is a valuable service from websites like Skyscanner, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be as transparent as it should be.

According to Ryanair, some comparators introduce hidden costs within flight prices to the detriment of consumers.

The Irish airline explained that flight prices present additional costs that are absent from their direct platform when purchasing tickets with various comparators.

But according to a decree published in July 2016, online comparators should not show any sign of opacity, indicating in a “fair, clear and transparent” way the details of the fares applicable to each flight.

Also according to Ryanair, some sites like Skyscanner charge higher prices than them for baggage without even informing the consumer.

In the same way, comparators do not provide passengers with all the information they need to enjoy a smooth ride, sometimes causing flight losses and complications for customers themselves.

Particularly irritated by these practices, the company has decided to bring the case to court in several European countries. On 16 January 2020, the Hamburg court ruled in favour of Ryanair against Skyscanner, applying provisional injunctions for the German version of the comparator: the site was found guilty for showing the flight fare without mentioning the additional costs charged, exactly as reported by Ryanair.