The comparison platform eDreams is said to have ripped off customers with excessive fees on Ryanair flights. With a targeted technical measure, Ryanair cut off the access interface from eDreams and within a few days caused the stock value of the travel provider to plummet.
What exactly happened? Flight prices have always been somewhat opaque, at least from the perspective of those who just want to travel quickly and cheaply for their well-deserved break. The fact that the prices displayed do not always correspond shows a dispute between the airline Ryanair and the comparison and booking platform eDreams.
According to current reports, Ryanair blocked the automated query (“screen scraping”) of prices by eDreams. The mechanism blocks bot access to the airline’s website, so prices cannot be automatically retrieved. As a result: bookings through eDreams for Ryanair are said to have dropped by up to 80% in the last two months (via Xataka).
The further consequence: the share price of eDreams fell by around 40% in a single day.
In addition, Ryanair stated in official communications that eDreams was “the only large online travel agent” demanding “excessive prices” for Ryanair tickets, while other OTAs (English: Online Travel Agency, German: Online-Reiseanbieter) agreed to a transparent price access (via investegate).
Ryanair vs. eDreams
How is the conflict progressing in the meantime? eDreams views Ryanair’s actions as “abusive, illegal and anti-competitive”. In a corresponding statement, eDreams accused Ryanair of systematically excluding travel agents.
However, the airline has already clarified in its statement regarding the internal company standards that this is not true. It states in the statement:
[…] These standards are successfully implemented by most other major online travel agencies, including Booking.com, Lastminute, Kiwi, and many others. Ryanair’s offer to grant eDreams free access to our ticket offer remains in place as long as eDreams is willing to commit to the same principles of price transparency that competitors have committed to in the last two years (via marketscreener).
However, eDreams has already initiated legal proceedings against Ryanair – in July 2025, Ryanair was ordered by a Spanish court to distance itself from the accusations against eDreams after Ryanair accused eDreams of piracy. Ryanair immediately filed an appeal. At least that is what the Spanish business and finance newspaper Cinco Dias reported.
Who controls sales, prices, and customer data? For you as travelers, this means: not only look at the price but also at booking paths, providers, and the choice of transport. Here you can read why the train has literally left everyone behind in one country and why flying there suddenly brings no advantages: Flying no longer pays off on a distance of 1,300 km
