Ryanair has justified cancelling about 500 tickets bought by passengers using other websites.

Published: 27 Aug 2008

Ryanair has justified cancelling about 500 tickets bought by passengers using other websites.

The Commission sought information on whether Ryanair was breaking European law on passenger rights.

Ryanair provided the Commission with detailed documentary evidence to demonstrate that these screenscraper/ticket-tout websites are:

· Guilty of unauthorised and illegal access to the Ryanair.com website.

· In breach of Ryanair.com's copyright.

· In breach of Ryanair's terms and conditions of travel and terms and conditions of use.

· Do not provide consumers with Ryanair's accurate terms and conditions.

· Do not provide consumers with accurate details of Ryanair's pricing.

· Do not keep consumers informed of changes in Ryanair's terms and conditions or flight information.

· Are regularly and consistently over-charging consumers with over 200 percent or 300 percent hidden mark-ups on Ryanair's ticket prices.

Ryanair provided the European Commission with evidence of four specific websites, Bravofly.com, Edreams.com, Volgratis.com, Wegelo.com in which the airline's ticket prices had been inflated by 200 percent or 300 percent, without the consumers knowledge, and these hidden mark-ups are billed to the consumer as if this was the Ryanair ticket price.

The airline has pointed out to the European Commission that the illegal and unauthorised activities of these screenscraper/ticket-tout websites have in recent weeks caused dramatic slowdowns and outages on the Ryanair.com website, resulting in bona fide consumers being unable to access Ryanair's timetables, prices or make bookings on Ryanair.com.

Ryanair's Michael O'Leary stated: "We have responded to the European Commission's enquiries by providing them with documentary evidence of this unauthorised, illegal ticket-tout scam being perpetrated on consumers by these screenscraper websites. It is remarkable, but unsurprising, that a number of European Government agencies and the European Commission has sought to blame Ryanair for blocking the illegal activities of these screenscrapers, instead of tackling the real consumer scandal which is the hidden 200 percent or 300 percent mark ups being levied and over-charged on innocent consumers by these illegal screenscraper/ticket-tout websites."