Ryanair Moves To Protect Court Ruling In eDreams Pricing Dispute
Ryanair has filed a protective submission with the Hamburg Regional Court after eDreams attempted to restrict the airline’s public communication about a recent legal ruling. The court confirmed that pricing and discount advertising used by eDreams were misleading. The airline argues the legal move is necessary to prevent limits on publishing verified court findings already made public through official proceedings.
The dispute follows a series of decisions across Europe examining eDreams’ commercial practices. The Hamburg court previously ruled against the online travel agency and issued penalties linked to continued non-compliance. Ryanair states that its press communications simply reflected those rulings and that attempts to block them risk reducing transparency around decisions directly connected to consumer pricing information.
“eDreams’ attempt to censor Ryanair’s publication of Court findings that eDreams’ pricing practices are ‘misleading’ is a blatant attempt to hide the truth from consumers. The Hamburg Court has already ruled against eDreams and fined them over their conduct. Our PR simply explained those rulings. Instead of fixing its business model, eDreams is now trying to censor Ryanair’s communications and shut down criticism. We won’t let that happen."
European regulators have reached similar conclusions in separate investigations. Italy’s Competition Authority imposed a €9 million fine related to practices connected to the company’s Prime subscription model. Consumer authorities in Madrid and Castilla y León also identified multiple breaches of consumer protection rules, reinforcing wider regulatory concern about how travel prices and discounts are presented online.
What Authorities Have Found
- Hamburg court ruled pricing displays misleading
- Italian AGCM issued €9m sanction
- Spanish regional authorities confirmed consumer law breaches
- Legal dispute now centres on publication rights
These findings place renewed attention on how flights are sold through third-party booking platforms. Ryanair maintains that travellers should clearly understand final ticket prices and conditions before payment, particularly when subscriptions or advertised discounts are involved.
The case highlights a growing issue across European travel booking: transparency. Court rulings and regulatory action increasingly affect how tickets appear on comparison sites and online agencies. As more trips are booked online, unclear discounts or extra fees can easily change how much a journey actually costs, especially when plans are made at short notice.
