NOT THE FIRST TIME EDREAMS MISREPRESENT COURT RULINGS

Ryanair today (11 Feb) rejected eDreams’ latest PR spin, in which the overcharging Spanish OTA attempts to deflect from its rising legal defeats by misrepresenting yet another Court ruling in Spain.  Ryanair is already compliant with the July 2025 order of the Barcelona Commercial Court.  The Hamburg Regional Court recently issued another injunction against eDreams for a similar misrepresentation made in its 8 January press release, where this overcharging OTA falsely claimed that Ryanair was in breach of a court order.

Across Europe, Courts continue to expose eDreams’ “misleading” pricing and “clearly deceptive” practices.  Last week, the Hamburg Regional Court imposed further fines after confirming eDreams’ price displays are “misleading”, that its advertised “Prime” savings could not be achieved, and that eDreams breached existing injunctions — for which the Court levied additional fines on eDreams.

These findings have been repeated in Italy, where the Italian Authority recently fined eDreams €9m and ruled that eDreams’ “Prime” scheme is misleading and manipulative, with consumers “in almost all cases” shown higher Prime prices than non‑subscribers, and with discriminatory “discounts” depending on the route by which consumers access eDreams’ site.  Internal eDreams documents even promoted the use of “reverse psychology” to increase subscriptions.

While responsible, price transparent OTAs such as Booking.com, Lastminute and Kiwi have adopted Ryanair’s price transparency standards, eDreams continues to stand alone, refusing to adopt these consumer‑friendly practices because it continues to overcharge unsuspecting consumers for fares and other ancillary services.  Ryanair has even offered eDreams free, direct access to Ryanair’s inventory if/when it adopts the same transparency standards applied by all of Ryanair’s approved OTA partners, yet eDreams ignores this offer because it allows them to continue to overcharge consumers.  

Ryanair’s, Dara Brady, said:

“eDreams’ latest PR spin is just another failed effort to distract from the reality that Courts and Authorities across Europe keep ruling against its “misleading” and “clearly deceptive” business model. The Hamburg Court has again fined eDreams for promoting unattainable discounts and concealing real prices. Italy has ruled that eDreams “Prime” scheme is manipulative and misleading.  Instead of fixing these deceptive practices, eDreams continues to spread false PR spin about court rulings and continues to overcharge unsuspecting consumers.”

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 low fares airline, today (Tues, 10 Feb) released its Feb OTA Survey, showing some OTAs like eDreams, Vola, and Tryp continue to overcharge consumers in some cases more than double Ryanair’s website prices. These OTAs have no distribution agreements with Ryanair because their business models depend on overcharging consumers. eDreams & Vola are this month’s worst offenders, with eDreams selling a reserved seat that costs just €10.00 on Ryanair.com for €20.90 – more than double Ryanair’s price, and Vola selling a 10kg bag for €25.00, which is almost double the €13.49 cost on Ryanair.com.

This latest survey adds to the growing evidence of a small number of OTAs overcharging consumers and mirrors the Italian AGCM’s recent €9m fine against eDreams for “clearly deceptive” and “misleading” pricing – further proving that OTAs like eDreams continue to overcharge consumers across Europe. Ryanair’s recent wins in the Hamburg Court, which ruled that eDreams’ presentation of prices misled consumersis yet another indicator that EU governments need to act quickly to protect consumers.

Ryanair continues to campaign to protect EU consumers from OTA overcharging and calls again on EU Govts (most notably Spain’s useless Consumer Minister Bustinduy) and National Consumer Authorities to take urgent action to protect consumers from these overcharging OTAs. They should insist on mandatory price transparency from all OTAs, in line with the transparent pricing being delivered by all of Ryanair’s “Approved OTA” partners, which protect consumers.

Ryanair’s Dara Brady said:

“Ryanair’s February survey shows that some OTAs like eDreams, Vola, and Tryp continue to overcharge unsuspecting consumers, in some cases more than double the prices on Ryanair’s website. Yet still, Spain’s useless Consumer Minister Bustinduy, refuses to do anything to protect thousands of Spanish consumers from such eDreams overcharging.

This latest evidence also reflects the Italian AGCM’s €9m fine against eDreams for “clearly deceptive” and “misleading” pricing – yet another confirmation that certain OTAs’ anti-consumer practices need to be addressed across Europe. Our recent Hamburg Court win proved what we’ve been highlighting for years – eDreams’ business model relies on overcharging consumers – yet still Minister Bustinduy fails to act. We again call on EU Govts and Consumer Protection Authorities to take urgent action to protect consumers across Europe by insisting on OTA price transparency, in line with the transparency standards applied by all of Ryanair’s approved OTA partners.”

Ryanair, Europe’s largest passenger airline, and CFM (a 50/50 joint venture between France’s Safran Aircraft Engines and the US GE Aerospace) have today (Tues, 10 Feb) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar engine material services agreement under which CFM will support Ryanair’s engine maintenance programme, which is expected to include the opening of 2 engine MRO Shops, which Ryanair will open from 2029 to support its fleet of almost 2,000 B737 engines.

This multi-year agreement means that Ryanair has committed to purchase all its engine spare parts directly from CFM in a contract to support Ryanair’s fleet as it grows to 800 Boeing 737 family aircraft, and over 2,000 CFM engines. The contract will support Ryanair’s existing & future CFM56-7B and LEAP-1B engines, which are fitted to the airlines Boeing 737 NG and MAX aircraft, and Ryanair expects to take over the maintenance of these engines directly from CFM when it opens 2 engine MRO Shops in Europe towards the end of this decade. Across the term, Ryanair expects to commit to purchasing spare parts in excess of $1bn p.a. directly from CFM.

In Paris, Ryanair’s Group CEO, Michael O’Leary, said:

“We are pleased to extend our long-term partnership with CFM with this multi-year, multi-billion-dollar spares support agreement. For the last 30 years, CFM has been maintaining all of Ryanair’s CFM56 engines under a long term “power by the hour” contract. However, from 2029 onwards, Ryanair expects to bring the maintenance of its engines “in-house”, and we are pleased to do so with the help and support of our partners CFM. Ryanair will place substantial orders for initial spare parts provisioning with CFM to support the opening of each of these 2 Ryanair engine maintenance facilities. When Ryanair takes over all its engine maintenance in-house, we expect this contract will be worth in excess of $1bn annually to CFM in spare engines and spare parts supplies. This new spare parts agreement extends our 30 year partnership with CFM, and we look forward to working closely with CFM, Safran and GE to support what will be one of the world’s largest commercial aircraft fleets, and one of the world’s largest packages of Boeing 737 engines too.”

Olivier Andriès, CEO of Safran, said:

“This new major milestone further strengthens the strategic relationship we have built with Ryanair over the past three decades, and we are proud to support their continued growth through this comprehensive MRO services offering. With the ongoing success of the CFM56 and the rapid growth of the LEAP fleet, we are investing to build a global MRO network within an open and competitive ecosystem to help our airline customers optimize fleet efficiency and control operational costs.”

H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace, said:

“Ryanair is one of our largest customers, and we value the opportunity to work with them on solutions to increase capacity and reduce turnaround time. This MoU demonstrates our commitment to an open MRO ecosystem that supports growing demand while reducing cost of ownership.”

Ryanair today (6 Feb) welcomes yet another ruling from the Hamburg Courts in Germany, which has fined eDreams for breaching several court orders from January 2023.  This ruling follows mounting pressure on eDreams from Courts (and Regulators) which recently found that eDreams’ presentation of prices is “misleading”.  In this latest ruling, the Hamburg Court confirmed multiple violations on the eDreams‑controlled website Opodo.de, including “misleading” discount advertising and failing to display the airline’s real seat reservation prices

In its decision, the Court ruled that eDreams unlawfully advertised savings and discounts which consumers could not realise, and eDreams also concealed the true seat reservation prices charged by the airline.  eDreams continues breaching this court order, showing blatant disregard for the Court’s rulings, while the fines against it mount.

This ruling reinforces the growing body of German Court rulings confirming that eDreams continues to engage in “misleading” practices — behaviour that sets it apart from most other online travel agencies such as Booking.com, Lastminute, and Kiwi, all of whom have already adopted Ryanair’s price transparency standards.  This ruling also comes at the time when Italy has imposed a €9m fine on eDreams on foot of eDreams’ “clearly deceptive”, “unquestionably manipulative” and “misleading” practices.

For access to transparent airfares and ancillary services, all consumers should book directly on Ryanair.com or through one of our many approved OTA partners, where customers will always see the real Ryanair price for fares and ancillary services.

Ryanair’s Dara Brady said:

“This latest eDreams fine from the Hamburg Courts again highlights eDreams’ continuing disregard for consumers and the Courts of Europe.  eDreams’ continued breach is a blatant disregard of the court’s ruling, particularly where eDreams could easily comply with the law and desist from “misleading”, “clearly deceptive” and “unquestionably manipulative” overcharging of consumers by adopting the same Ryanair transparency standards as all their main OTA competitors do.”

Ryanair today (4 Feb) calls on consumer and competition regulators across the EU to take decisive action against eDream’s Prime scheme following today’s €9m fine in Italy.

While Italy has imposed a €9m fine on eDreams, Ryanair believes this sanction is too lenient.  It leaves Italian and EU consumers exposed to the same harmful practices, especially as eDreams continues to inflate airline fares and/or ancillary services with undisclosed intermediary fees.

The Italian investigation found that “Prime users access, in almost all cases, a higher Prime price than that shown to non‑subscribing users” and stated that “the actual extent of the discounts associated with the subscription was misrepresented, and price differences were not transparently disclosed, depending on whether consumers accessed eDreams directly or through metasearch engines, or on their Prime subscription status.”  Internal documents of eDreams even “comment on the suitability of reverse psychology to facilitate significant increases in subscriptions…”  The Italian investigation further said that there are “numerous reports… that [consumers] are unwittingly subscribed… without any warning… that the free trial period does not apply.”

This investigation confirms that eDreams’ approach to pricing is “clearly deceptive”, “unquestionably manipulative” and “misleading” – setting it apart from most other online travel agencies such as Booking.com, Lastminute, and Kiwi, all of whom have adopted Ryanair’s price transparency standards.  For access to fares that are not “misleading”, we encourage all customers to book directly on the Ryanair.com website, or through one of our approved OTA partners—where consumers always see the true, accurate Ryanair price.

Ryanair’s Dara Brady, said:

“Today’s Italian decision confirms what we’ve been saying for years: eDreams’ business model depends on “clearly deceptive”, “unquestionably manipulative” and “misleading” practices, while disguising its own intermediary fees inside inflated airline fares and ancillary services.  In Germany, the Hamburg Court has already ruled these displays are “misleading”, and now the Italian authority has independently documented these same abuses against consumers in Italy.  

Despite Ryanair’s repeated objections, eDreams continues to scrape our fares and ancillary services to overcharge consumers.  eDreams remains the only large OTA that refuses to adopt the transparency standards already adopted by Booking.com, Lastminute, Kiwi and others.  Ryanair has offered to provide eDreams with free, direct access to Ryanair’s inventory – if they wish to compete on a level playing field – but only if/when they adopt the same transparency standards as their main OTA competitors, and desist from “misleading” or overcharging consumers.”

Ryanair today (Wed, 4 Feb) released its Jan 2026 traffic stats as follows:

TEST ACHATS HAS STATUS DOWNGRADED BY BRUSSELS COURT

Ryanair today (3 Feb) welcomed the Brussels Enterprise Court’s ruling which fully confirms that Ryanair’s cabin baggage policy complies with EU law and the Court of Justice of the EU’s authoritative Vueling judgment.  The Court held that every Ryanair passenger is entitled to carry on board a free underseat bag of reasonable size and weight, capable of holding passengers’ personal effects and meeting all safety requirements.  The Court expressly rejected Test Achats’ claim that airlines must include a larger overhead‑locker bag in the basic fare.

In its judgment, the Court stated “It cannot be argued that RYANAIR does not comply with Article 23 of Regulation 1008/2008… This baggage meets the requirements of Regulation 1008/2008, as specified by the Court’s case law.”  The court continued: “Neither Article 23 nor the Vueling caselaw requires an air carrier to accept free carryon baggage of a size larger than that authorised by RYANAIR…” and added “TEST ACHATS’ argument that RYANAIR is legally obliged to include… free carriage of carryon baggage to be placed in the cabin luggage compartments is not upheld… This grievance lacks merit.”

This ruling brings Belgium into line with a long list of authoritative judgments across the EU that have upheld Ryanair’s cabin bag policy, including the CJEU’s Vueling decision, the Italian Council of State, the Berlin Regional Court, the Berlin Higher Regional Court, as well as the Barcelona, Valencia, Valladolid, Sevilla, and Madrid courts, just to mention a few. These courts have consistently confirmed that Ryanair’s free underseat bag satisfies Article 23 of Regulation 1008/2008 and that airlines are free to set prices for optional services such as larger cabin bags and checked baggage.

The Brussels Court also dismissed Test Achats’ claims concerning other Ryanair policies.  On Ryanair’s demand-based pricing, the Court found “This grievance lacks merit.” On seat choice, it held “It cannot be considered that the way in which RYANAIR operates is likely to significantly impair the consumer’s freedom of choice.”  On family seating, the Court concluded “It cannot be argued that RYANAIR’s practice is illegal.  This grievance lacks merit.”  With respect to Ryanair’s baggage presentation, the Court stated “This is not objectionable… This grievance lacks merit.”

Importantly, the Court recognised that Test Achats did not hold the required “qualified entity” status, meaning it can no longer rely on rights reserved for EU‑recognised qualified entities—such as presumed standing, participation in cross‑border representative actions, or access to court‑ordered publicity measures.

Ryanair’s Dara Brady said:

“We welcome this clear and comprehensive ruling confirming—once again and in line with EU and national courts across Italy, Germany, Spain, and the CJEU—that Ryanair’s cabin bag policy is fully compliant with EU law.  Our free underseat bag meets all legal and safety requirements, and customers continue to enjoy Europe’s lowest fares by choosing only the optional services they wish to purchase. We also note the Court’s finding that Test Achats was unlawfully granted ‘qualified entity’ status, significantly reducing its ability to bring abusive and unfounded actions of this kind.”