Ryanair agreed to make its flights available to around a dozen online travel agencies over the past two years. But how much does it pay those OTAs in commissions? Zero.
This no-commission arrangement was revealed in a single sentence in Italian in a 194-page decision by Italy’s competition authority, which fined Ryanair 256 million euros ($301 million).
“Ryanair doesn’t pay agencies to sell its tickets (even after the referenced agreements),” the regulator noted.
The OTAs include Booking.com, Expedia, and Trip.com. The policy extends to at least one metasearch site as well: Skyscanner does not receive referral revenue from Ryanair when travelers click on the airline’s links and are directed to Ryanair’s website, according to a source familiar with the arrangement.
Ryanair had long blasted OTAs that accessed its flights without permission as “pirat