Ryanair faces defamation allegations over statements about travel-search websites

Ryanair, a low-cost Irish airline, recently suffered a setback in their legal battle against Booking.com. The airline had filed a lawsuit claiming that Booking.com had engaged in site-scraping, a process where a website copies information from another website without permission. However, a court has refused to block counterclaims made by Booking.com, marking a significant victory for the hotel booking website. This article will discuss the details of the case and the potential consequences for both companies involved.


A case involving Ryanair and Booking.com has seen the airline accused of making defamatory statements. The dispute centres on communications Ryanair is accused of sending to customers to discourage them from using third-party travel-search websites, such as Booking.com. Booking.com filed counterclaims against Ryanair, pointing to statements made by the airline that third-party sites used screen scraping software, applied large mark-ups and provided false contact and payment information. While Ryanair had sought the dismissal of some claims on the basis they were opinions and not entirely provable, a judge allowed some to proceed, holding that some of Ryanair’s statements were factual in nature and potentially untrue.


In conclusion, Ryanair’s legal battle against Booking.com continues as the airline fails to stop counterclaims in the ongoing site-scraping lawsuit. This decision signals yet another setback for Ryanair in its attempts to keep control of its pricing strategies and protect its revenue streams. It remains to be seen whether Ryanair will be able to successfully defend its claims against Booking.com, or if the case will have wider implications for the travel industry as a whole. Regardless, it is clear that the implications of site-scraping lawsuits and the use of digital technologies in the travel industry are issues that require continued attention and scrutiny in the years ahead.