Ryanair launches new price checker and verified seal to further protect customers from OTAs
Ryanair has launched the Price Checker tool and Verified Seal, two new initiatives on the Ryanair website/app to protect customers against Online Travel Agent’s (OTA’s) who may be overcharging customers, providing incorrect customer details and preventing Ryanair from dealing directly with passengers.
The ‘Price Checker’ tool will allow customers who booked through an Online Travel Agent to check the amount paid to Ryanair for their booking vs. the amount charged by the Online Travel Agent. Customers will now be able to clearly see where Online Travel Agents that don’t have Ryanair’s authorisation to sell our flights, have added a mark-up for their flights and flight extras, such as bags and seats.
To further protect customers, Ryanair has introduced a new “Verified Seal” that guarantees customers they are booking directly on Ryanair website/app. Customers should now always check the website they are booking on to see if it displays the Verified Seal and if it doesn’t they should be aware that they are booking through an unauthorised seller of Ryanair flights.
The Verified Seal is displayed as branded tick and will be visible on Ryanair.com and the Ryanair app ONLY. Booking directly where the seal is present guarantees the following for our customers:
Customers get the cheapest price for Ryanair flights with no third-party fees. Customers get the cheapest price for bags, seats and other ancillary products with no third-party fees. Customers’ email address and payment details can’t be replaced by OTAs. In the case of disruptions, any refund due will be paid directly to the customer. If customers require assistance, they will deal directly with a Ryanair Customer Service representative.
Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Dara Brady, said: “We’re pleased to launch our new ‘Price Checker’ and ‘Verified Seal’ on the Ryanair.com website and app. These 2 new features will help customers avoid the pitfalls of booking with online travel agents, who may overcharge, provide incorrect customers information and prevent Ryanair from dealing directly with the passenger.
The new ‘Verified Seal’ symbol – displayed as a branded tick and visible on Ryanair.com / Ryanair app ONLY – is to safeguard the customer by providing them with a simple identifier to ensure they know they are booking their flights directly with Ryanair and not through an Online Travel Agent.
Ryanair has no commercial agreements with online travel agencies (OTA’s) to sell Ryanair flights. Any screen scraping of our website www.ryanair.com, in particular for the commercial purpose of a re-sale of our flights, is strictly prohibited under our T& C’s.
We advise our customers to always book directly through the Ryanair website and Ryanair app where they will have access to the lowest fares, direct Customer Care and speedy refunds.”
