Italy’s consumer watchdog has rejected a request from eDreams ODIGEO for an injunction against Ryanair over direct ticket distribution, saying there was no danger of serious and irreparable damage to competition.
A spokesperson for eDreams stated that the decision was procedural and did not change ongoing antitrust proceedings, supported by the Italian tourism industry and consumer associations, with the first hearing expected in February 2025 in a case brought by FIAVET and Confcommercio.
Ryanair has won a case against Bookingcom in Delaware and reached agreements with eight OTAs to stop “screenscraping” its website and overcharging consumers, leading to accusations of unfair competition and price fixing from eDreams.
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary welcomed the ruling and accused eDreams of scamming and overcharging Italian consumers, calling for urgent action from the AGCM to protect consumers from OTA “Pirates”.
