Ryanair Settles Legal Dispute Over Misleading Ads With Google and eDreams

Ryanair has reached a legal settlement with Google and online travel agency eDreams, bringing to a close a dispute that has rumbled on for almost two years.

The Irish airline launched legal action in December 2015 to try to force the internet search giant to stop showing what it claimed were misleading ads for Ryanair flights.

At the time, Ryanair said it had received “numerous complaints from Ryanair customers who were deceived into buying on the eDreams website when they thought they were booking on Ryanair.com.”

The warring parties have now come to a resolution, which will remain confidential.

It is not the only disagreement Ryanair has had with online travel players. It ended its relationship with metasearch site Momondo in November last year.

The airline also suspended its own package holiday program after falling out with the technology provider for that product because of “illegal screenscraping and mis-selling of Ryanair flights by the technology provider.”

A Ryanair spokesperson said that the resolution with Google and eDreams did not affect any other disputes, but declined to comment further on ongoing legal proceedings.

“We will continue to offer our customers the lowest fares in Europe and we welcome these measures, which will ensure transparency in relation to the online advertising of air fares, to the benefit of our customers,” Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said in a statement. “We are pleased to have resolved this issue and we welcome these commitments to consumer-friendly advertising on Google’s AdWords platform.”

A Google spokesperson said: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Ryanair and eDreams. We have clear policies on the type of ads we allow on our platforms and we remain committed to enforcing them to best serve consumers.”

Robert McNamara, head of UK and group external affairs at eDreams, said in the statement that the company was satisfied with the resolution and committed to helping travelers get the best prices and most convenient options.

McNamara added: “Our service is for the benefit of our customers and we hope this agreement will allow all those involved to focus on providing even better value and service to European travelers.”