Ryanair calls for action on screenscraping
12.03.2010
Ryanair has called on consumer agencies throughout Europe to tackle the anti-consumer practices of screenscraping websites.
The budget carrier today cited the example of a German travel agent website, billigweg.de, which quoted a price of €8,010 for a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Kerry that costs just €10 when booked directly on Ryanair.com.
“This example perfectly demonstrates the need for consumer bodies throughout Europe to get tough on these overcharging ticket touts who charge extortionate fees while claiming to offer the lowest fares,” said Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara.
“This scam is ripping off passengers to the tune of billions each year and without action it will continue and intensify as these greedy sites make more and more money from unsuspecting consumers who do not realise that it is always cheaper to book directly from Ryanair.com,” he added.
Screenscraping involves online resellers gaining unauthorised access to Ryanair’s website, taking its flight information and selling the airline’s flights with high additional charges that are not made clear to the consumer.