Ryanair has agreed a partnership with Expedia allowing the online travel giant to sell the carrier’s flights to its customers. The pact is the latest of several struck this year by the Irish airline with digital travel companies.
Under the latest agreement’s terms, Expedia customers can buy Ryanair flights as part of a holiday package or as a stand-alone booking.
The companies said customers would have direct access to their Ryanair accounts and to flight updates without having to complete a customer verification process.
A statement added that travellers could expect to book Ryanair flights directly through Expedia Group in coming months.
Dara Brady, Ryanair chief marketing officer, said the airline looked forward to working with Expedia and carrying its customers on its network.
Susan Spinney, Expedia’s senior vice-president for trips partnerships, dubbed the agreement “a significant step” in its partnership with Ryanair.
She noted that earlier this year, the pair had collaborated on Ryanair Rooms, allowing the airline’s travellers to book hotels alongside their flights.
US-based Expedia is one of the world’s biggest digital travel companies, its sites include Expedia, Trivago, Hotels.com and ebookers. Its profits topped €900 million last year.
Irish-based Ryanair is Europe’s biggest airline and one of the world’s largest carriers. The company earned €1.92 billion profit in its last financial year, which ended on March 31st, flying almost 184 million passengers.
That figure could approach 200 million in Ryanair’s current financial year, depending on several factors.
The carrier has clashed with several other online travel agents, saying they have sold its flights without the airline’s approval and charged customers more than the Ryanair site or mobile apps.
The company is suing Expedia’s rival, Booking.com, which has filed counterclaims of its own, in a US court.
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