Ryanair Holidays Halted After Only Two Months
Jackie Reddy January 27, 2017
Hailed as the “Amazon of air travel” upon its launch, the airline blames screen-scraping for the sudden suspension of operations.
Low-cost carrier Ryanair has suspended its package holiday program just two months after its launch. The airline blames the illegal practice of “screen-scraping” for the demise of Ryanair Holidays.
This practice allows data or information to be lifted and reproduced on another website. In this context, it would mean that the fares offered by Ryanair could be re-sold via a third-party site. In a statement, as quoted by the Telegraph, the carrier said that, “it will not allow any third-party software provider to ‘screen-scrape’ and unlawfully re-sell Ryanair’s low fares .”
But in an effort to reassure its customers, the airline explained, “All existing Ryanair Holidays bookings are secure and Ryanair is currently finalizing an agreement with a new software provider, who it expects to appoint shortly.”
“Ryanair apologizes to its customers for any inconvenience caused,” it added.
Launched only in December 2016, the carrier vowed that Ryanair Holidays would be the “Amazon of air travel,” offering low-cost vacations to its customers. The idea was that Ryanair would capitalize on its huge network to undercut conventional package offerings.
Ryanair has also said that it has now ended its contract with Logitravel, the program’s software provider. The Spanish company was adamant that it had not used screen-scraping in its dealings with Ryanair.
A spokesperson for Logitravel was quoted by the paper as saying, “We are connected to a Global Distribution System like Amadeus, as well as other air travel consolidators, which provide us with the product. Logitravel cannot operate without air products. Ryanair is the low-cost leader, but of course there are many other airlines and we must show all available flights to our clients so they can make an informed decision when booking a holiday.”
“Logitravel does not make any revenue from air travel, we consider it a commodity and our only intention is to give our clients access to the best travel options available,” the spokesperson explained.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
illegal?
The screenscraping excuse makes no sense. Screenscraping is typically used to extract data (i.e. competitors could use this to offer comparable fares) or it could be used by an intermediary to possibly insert themselves in a transaction to obtain a separate, unauthorized "commission" but they can't "re-sell" unless Ryanair has a completely vunerable booking system.