"Stop taking action against Ryanair when we offer the lowest prices in the Italian market and instead do something against pirate OTAs (online travel agencies) like eDreams which have a reputation for defrauding consumers and inflating ticket prices." This is the appeal made by the CEO of the Ryanair group, Michael O'Leary, in a press conference, to the Agcm on the affair of the online agencies and its alleged dominant position in Italy.
O'Leary then recalls that the Milan Court of Appeal "recently rejected the requests of the Ota pirates", according to which Ryanair had "abused a dominant position" on the Italian market. During the conference the OTAs eDreams, Opodo and Booking and the Agcm itself were represented with cardboard cutouts of pirates. “Agcm is the Jack Sparrow of the group,” O'Leary joked. "The inability of the ACGM to protect Italian consumers is indefensible in the wake of the ruling of the Court of Appeal of Milan, which recognized that Ryanair's direct sales policy is economically justified as it eliminates the costs associated with intermediation in the sale of tickets and has led lower costs and lower tariffs, as well as undoubted advantages for consumers", thundered O'Leary.
Tomorrow morning at 9am Ryanair representatives will be heard by the Antitrust regarding the precautionary proceedings brought by the AGCM against the Irish company for the restrictions on the sale of flights to online agencies. "I expect to lose but we will appeal to the Lazio Regional Administrative Court and there I expect to win", said Ryanair's number one.