Skift Take
The Expedia-Ryanair hotel partnership earlier this year was an early signal that the two big travel companies were on the precipice of settling long-standing differences.
Expedia Group and Ryanair settled a long-running dispute, which will culminate in several months with Expedia customers being able to book the airline’s standalone flights and vacation packages “with a path to Ryanair,” the companies said.
“Travelers can expect to book Ryanair flights directly through Expedia Group in the coming months,” an Expedia Group spokesperson said Thursday.
It’s unclear exactly what that booking path will look like at this point.
Today, you can’t book a Ryanair flight or holiday package on Expedia websites.
Approved Online Travel Agencies and Unauthorized Sites
Expedia became the latest online travel agency to get the Ryanair seal of approval. Other approved websites include Google Flights, Kiwi, Lastminute,com, eTraveli Group, loveholidays, and OnTheBeach.
Booking.com, which began selling flights in 2019, and eDreams Odigeo, the largest flight seller in Europe, are among the online travel agencies that don’t have access to Ryanair flights.
Ryanair has accused some online travel agencies, such as eDreams Odigeo, of inflating seat prices and overcharging for bags.
“Ryanair notes that eDreams is not selling Ryanair fares in July but is still overcharging for other airline flights and services,” the airline said.
“eDreams continue to scam Prime members with hidden markups still more expensive than booking airlines direct,” according to Ryanair. eDreams has a subscription plan called Prime that purports to give subscribers flight and hotel discounts in exchange for a monthly membership fee.
Expedia-Ryanair Battles
Ryanair, the largest airline in Europe, had a years-long battle, including several litigation face-offs, with Expedia over the years in the U.S. and Europe. The airline accused Expedia of illegally scraping Ryanair’s fares and other content off its website without authorization, and Expedia answered back that Ryanair was using monopoly power to stifle competition.
Expedia wouldn’t say Thursday what changes took place to transport the company into Ryanair’s good graces.
Susan Spinney, Expedia Group senior vice president for trips partnerships, noted that the two companies established a partnership earlier this year where Expedia furnishes the airline with hotel inventory to be booked in flight-hotel holiday packages.
“Soon Ryanair flights will be available directly on Expedia Group’s marketplace, expanding the way travelers’ benefit from this powerful combination,” Spinney said in a statement. “Ryanair’s extensive network of budget-friendly flights, together with Expedia Group’s comprehensive travel offerings, creates an unbeatable value proposition for travelers seeking affordability and convenience.”
Ryanair Chief Marketing Officer Dara Brady said in a statement that Expedia Group customers will soon be able to book the airline’s flights and vacation packages “with the guarantee of full price transparency and full access to their booking.”