Ryanair restates its ‘book direct’ call after ‘scam’ third party discount offer
Ryanair has again called on customers to always book directly on the Ryanair website or App, in its latest efforts to limit the influence of ‘screen scraping’ operators.
The airline says it has ‘further evidence of anti-consumer practices by certain Online Travel Agents.’
It has been notified by customers of a bogus ‘discount; scam, where customers purchase discounted Ryanair flights through an intermediary, which has no affiliation to Ryanair.
This ‘bogus OTA’ then uses the customer’s payment details to secure their flight booking and stores the customer’s payment details for fraudulent use at a later date.
Ryanair is cautioning customers to avoid potential scams by booking direct.
Ryanair recently launched a Price Checker tool which allows customers who booked through a third party to check whether they have been charged extra fees.
The Price Checker tool has been used by more than 50,000 customers to date, Ryanair says.
Ryanair claims some OTAs apply up to 40% markups compared to direct bookings.
"This latest OTA scam is yet another reason why passengers should always book direct. Online travel agents are selling our flights but have no commercial agreements with us to do so," said Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Dara Brady.
The budget carrier also launched the ‘Verified Seal’ which shows customers that they are booking directly with Ryanair on the official website or app.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025