Barcelona Court dismiss Ryanair appeal in eDream case

The airline believes that eDreams intermediation in the sale of tickets "causes a deterioration of its reputation and constitutes an act of unfair competition and violation of their efforts and intellectual property".

Barcelona Court dismiss Ryanair appeal in eDream case

The low-cost carrier decided to take eDreams to court for "illegally" using a software tool called "screen scraping", and offered its customers direct information on Ryanair flights.

The airline believes that eDreams intermediation in the sale of tickets "causes a deterioration of its reputation and constitutes an act of unfair competition and violation of their efforts and intellectual property".


The Court, however, has dismissed the appeal filed by Ryanair against the Mercantile Court ruling and determined that eDreams course does not take advantage of the prestige of the Irish company when included among the searches for flights that the airline offers directly on its website.

The service eDreams offers, the Court in its ruling, "does not alter the competitive structure or the operation of the market."



"Moreover, this behaviour fosters competition because it allows consumers to compare different offers of flights that fit their interests better, or worse as the case may be," said the court. The Court considers that eDreams using "screen scraping, software" as completely legal.

The statement also emphasizes that if a customer is interested in booking a Ryanair flight through eDreams, the fare charged is the same as the airline, subject to that, separately, the agency may charge for its services, "which undoubtedly exist, they are legitimate and worthy of a commission."

"What this might mean some users go directly to the travel agent and not Ryanair's website, with the loss of visitors by the latter is only the consequence of free market competition," says the hearing.

The court thus confirmed the decision of the Mercantile Court number 2 of Barcelona, pro eDreams, and imposes on Ryanair the costs of prosecution.



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