An Italian investigation has revealed that eDreams Prime users often faced higher prices than non-subscribers, and ruled that discounts misrepresented and price differences not transparently disclosed based on access method or subscription status.
It cited internal eDreams documents that referenced reverse psychology tactics to boost subscriptions, and reports indicated unwitting subscriptions without clear warnings or free trial applicability.
Ramping up their ongoing battle with the online travel agency, Ryanair has called on European Union consumer and competition regulators to impose stronger measures against eDreams following Italy’s €9m fine for deceptive, manipulative, and misleading practices related to its Prime subscription scheme.
Ryanair maintains that the €9m penalty remains too lenient, leaving consumers exposed to inflated fares and undisclosed intermediary fees. The airline urges regulators to act decisively, noting that eDreams continues to scrape fares while refusing transparency standards adopted by competitors such as Booking.com, Lastminute, and Kiwi. Ryanair has offered eDreams free direct access to its inventory on condition of adopting equivalent transparency and ceasing overcharging.
Dara Brady shared “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.”
