Ryanair on October 3rd released its October OTA (Online Travel Agent) Survey, revealing that eDreams continues to overcharge its “Prime” members for various services significantly. According to the survey, eDreams charges nearly three times the price (€21.49) for a reserved seat on Transavia, which costs just €8 when booked directly, and more than twice the price (€34.87) for a 10kg bag that costs €16.90 if booked directly on Wizz Air’s website.
The survey also highlights that eDreams has resumed screen scraping Ryanair’s website, leading to further overcharging. Hidden mark-ups for eDreams “Prime” members include a +36% increase (€15 for an €11 reserved seat), +24% (€20.99 for a €16.99 10kg bag), and 20% (€24 for €20) for Priority Boarding, all of which are significantly cheaper when booked directly on Ryanair.com.
These findings demonstrate that eDreams’ “Prime” subscription, which costs consumers an annual fee of €69.99, promises savings but actually results in members being overcharged for flights and services on airlines like Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air. In response, Ryanair continues to advocate for consumer protection against non-transparent overcharging practices by OTAs like eDreams.
In April, Ryanair submitted a formal complaint to the Spanish Consumer Affairs Ministry, urging them to outlaw eDreams’ “Prime” overcharging practices and mandate transparent pricing for all OTAs, similar to Ryanair’s “Approved OTA” partners. However, the ministry has yet to take action to protect Spanish consumers from these overcharges.
