Ryanair will reduce fares after websites suspend sales – 01/03/2024 – Market

Ryanair has announced it will reduce its fares and warned of empty seats on its aircraft after several online ticketing agents “suddenly” stopped selling tickets for the Irish low-cost airline.

The announcement follows years of tension between Ryanair and internet sales platforms, which the airline called “pirates” and accused of overcharging customers, with a commission on flights and additional fees for bookings, such as baggage or booking fees. of seats.

In Wednesday’s update, Ryanair said that at the beginning of December, “most major” travel sites, including Booking, Kayak and Kiwi, suddenly stopped selling their tickets. The three companies did not comment.

Ryanair said it expects the changes to result in a small number of additional empty seats on its flights in December and January, and added that it has reduced fares to encourage more people to fly on its planes.

However, the airline added that it does not expect a “significant” impact on its passenger numbers or profit forecasts in its current financial year, which ends in March.

Shares fell nearly 4% in afternoon trading on Wednesday, slightly above the losses of competing European airlines.

Analysts at brokerage Davy said the announcement represents “short-term turbulence” for the airline, but they see no impact on profits.

Ryanair said the decision by travel agents to stop selling tickets was welcome and that the segment “represents only a small fraction of Ryanair’s sales”.

Ryanair has long faced problems with online platforms, which prevent it from dealing directly with its customers.

The airline’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, has characterized these agencies as “overcharging scammers” by adding their own fees to the airline’s prices, and Ryanair has previously complained that travel agencies provided incorrect passenger information to the airline. aerial.

The agencies, in turn, complained about Ryanair’s treatment of its customers, which included forcing passengers booking through third-party websites to provide significant personal information in a complex process, including facial verification, to manage their booking or check in. -in online.

On The Beach, which said on Wednesday it was continuing to sell Ryanair flights, was awarded £2 million by the High Court in London in October after suing Ryanair over refunds that had not been paid during the pandemic.

Ryanair said on Wednesday (3) that it carried 12.5 million passengers in December, an increase of 9% compared to the previous year. Competing low-cost airline Wizz Air carried 5 million passengers, an increase of 19%.