Manchester online travel agent (OTA) On the Beach is to become Ryanair’s fourth OTA partnership following an agreement that seemed unlikely at the end of 2023, when the pair were locked in a bitter, long-running court battle over Covid cancellation refunds.
That two-year spat came to a close when On the Beach was awarded over £2m by the High Court in October, although the war of words dragged on a little longer, with Ryanair DAC chief executive Dara Brady describing OTAs as “digital pirates” following the ruling.
The pair appear to have kissed and made up, however, as today’s announcement means On the Beach join Tui, loveholidays and Kiwi.com in official partnership with the budget carrier. It will now offer Ryanair’s flights and ancillaries at the same prices found on Ryanair’s website.
On the Beach said: “This deal guarantees that On the Beach customers will not be overcharged for Ryanair flights and services and will have direct access to their myRyanair account.
“This partnership also guarantees that Ryanair flight information will be provided directly to each customer’s email address, including pre-departure info on Ryanair T&Cs and info in the case of flight disruption.
“Under this new agreement, On the Beach agrees that it will only display Ryanair’s real prices, without mark-ups and will only pass all relevant customer contact and payment details to Ryanair. This means On the Beach customers will not need to complete Ryanair’s customer verification process which unauthorised OTA Pirates customers must continue to do.”
On the Beach will also continue to offer lounge and fast track access on packages built around Ryanair flights.
Addressing the pair’s fractious history, On the Beach chief executive Shaun Morton said: “This agreement enables both parties to move on from outstanding litigation and we look forward to working closely with our new partner.”
Ryanair spokesperson Dara Brady added: “Ryanair is pleased to announce our latest partnership with leading OTA, On the Beach. This new deal will see Ryanair partner with its fourth approved OTA partner – the second OTA we have partnered with this month.”
