Ryanair's war with online travel agencies continues: carrier accuses On The Beach of overcharging 117% for flight changes and eSky demands 33 euros to cancel flights 'that cannot be cancelled'

Ryanair has once again accused online travel agency 'pirates' of overcharging customers and using 'fake fares'.

The budget airline has been embroiled in a long-running dispute with online travel agencies (OTAs), who not only complain that they overcharge customers for Ryanair flights, but that they sell their flights without permission.

In its latest post, Ryanair has claimed that On The Beach is 'the number one pirate, overcharging customers by as much as 117 per cent (£125) for flight change fees that cost just £45 on Ryanair.com'.

Opodo was also highlighted in the report for 'charging 60 euros' [£51] service charge' for what was described as 'a non-existent service'. While eSky will charge a cancellation fee of 33 euros (£28) 'for flights that cannot be cancelled', the budget airline added.

In its research, Ryanair reiterated calls for the UK and Irish governments and EU consumer agencies to 'take action to stop OTA piracy and consumer fraud' as part of its campaign to 'protect holidaymakers from overcharging and mis-selling'.

Ryanair's Dara Brady said: 'Our February investigation continues to expose OTA Pirates' scams and overcharging, with On The Beach highlighted as February's number 1 pirate for the blatant overcharging of £125 from £125 for a £45 flight change fee at Ryanair. .com.

'While Opodo charges a “service fee” of 60 euros for a non-existent service and eSky charges a “cancellation fee” of 33 euros for flights that cannot be canceled.

“These are just the latest examples of hundreds of cases where OTA pirates are unlawfully abusing Ryanair.com to overcharge, mislead and defraud unsuspecting consumers for Ryanair products and services.

'It is unacceptable that the UK and Irish governments and EU consumer groups continue to ignore this rampant digital piracy and anti-consumer mis-selling.

“Ryanair will continue to campaign against these OTA pirates, exposing their digital piracy and excessive scams, and will continue to call for these OTA pirates to be banned and their scams to end.”

A Ryanair analysis revealed the price of adding a 20kg suitcase to a Ryanair flight when booking with On The Beach (£34.99)

Ryanair isn't the only one issuing warnings about OTA fees. Last year, travelers were warned by Which? to take apparently 'bargain' airfares offered by some OTAs 'with a grain of salt', with research from the Consumer Champion showing their deals can be more than £100 more expensive than booking directly with airlines due to 'eye-watering' charges for extras such as luggage and seat selection.

Meanwhile, Ryanair warned in January of the consequences of a series of OTAs' move to remove the Irish airline from their websites.

The airline said that since early December, many of the larger sites such as Booking.com, Kiwi and Kayak have taken Ryanair off their sites.

It said the sudden removal of what the OTA said were 'pirates' was 'welcome', but added that this would impact so-called 'load facto' – a key measure of how well airlines fill their planes – with one to two percent per year. cents in December and January.

Ryanair claims online travel agencies (OTAs) are charging 'fake fees'. The airline emphasized this in red pen in Opodo's general terms and conditions, which stipulate 'a service surcharge of up to 60 euros'.

The Irish airline doesn't hate all OTAs, though – it recently signed a deal with loveholidays to offer its flights as part of package holidays.

Responding to Ryanair's latest analysis, an Opodo spokesperson said: 'The accusation of 'fabricated fees' is completely unfounded. In reality, travelers pay less for their holidays with us. Ryanair opposes this simply because we give travelers access to the competition.

'This baseless claim is hypocritical of Ryanair as they are notorious as the King of Charges, imposing up to 28 different service charges on consumers and charging for everything imaginable. We compare and combine flights from 700 airlines to give travelers cheaper and more convenient routes than Ryanair's limited options.”

In its analysis, Ryanair circled what it called “fake fees” charged by eSky, including a cancellation fee of 33 euros – “for flights that cannot be canceled”

Deniz Rymkiewicz, spokesperson for eSky Group, said: 'Once again Ryanair, which is in conflict with OTAs, is trying to portray OTAs as the 'bad guys' of the industry. We believe that the report released on February 9 should not be treated as such due to fundamental inaccuracies in the methodology.

'Firstly, comparing baggage prices without providing broader context is misleading. It is standard practice for airlines, including Ryanair, to dynamically adjust both flight and baggage prices based on various factors such as destination and booking time.

'Regarding the cancellation charges, I would like to point out that these have been taken out of context and apply to every airline, not just Ryanair. This fee covers services provided in processing flight cancellations, including communication with the airline to verify cancellation policies and possible refund options.

Ryanair highlighted that eSky (price circled on the left) charges more than Ryanair.com (price circled on the right) for Priority Boarding

'Ryanair flights are non-refundable, so this charge applies to airlines that allow cancellation with a partial or full refund, depending on their policy.'

A spokesperson for On The Beach said Ryanair 'compares changes on flight-only bookings with ATOL-protected package holidays', which is 'akin to comparing a single apple with a whole basket of fruit'.

They added: 'Our holidays include flights, accommodation, transfers and any activities or excursions, plus flexible payment plans to best suit our customers' needs – something that can't be offered if you book flights alone.

'The flight is only part of a holiday and comparing changes to a package holiday and all its components is simply not a fair comparison.'