Ryanair has won a victory in a long-running battle with online travel agent eDreams, whose bid to force it to open up ticket sales was blocked by competition authorities.
Italian regulator AGCM has refused eDreams’ request for an injunction against Ryanair, which would have forced the Irish carrier to let eDreams sell tickets to its flights.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief, said the watchdog had seen through eDreams’s “false claims” that the airline’s policy of selling flights direct to customers posed a danger to competition.
The Irish company has fought for years to block what it calls “pirate” agents from selling tickets on its flights at what it contends are vastly inflated prices. Ryanair claims platforms have duped customers who could book cheaper tickets through its own website. It claims online agents have added hidden markups on fares, baggage and seats.
eDreams has in the past said it is “fundamentally incorrect to make…