The high-level executives at Booking Holdings have allegedly discussed their preference for certain airlines, including Ryanair, to not be sold by online travel agents. Ryanair claims to possess evidence supporting this claim.
Ryanair has accused Booking Holdings’ CEO, Glenn Fogel, of leading an illegal scheme by acquiring Etraveli, a website that allegedly grants unauthorized access to Ryanair’s website.
In 2020, Ryanair filed a lawsuit in Delaware against Booking Holdings and its subsidiaries, claiming that they engage in screen-scraping, which involves accessing an airline’s website and reselling fares on their own platforms. Ryanair alleges that these fares are often priced higher than what is available directly through Ryanair’s website.
This method of selling fares makes it challenging for Ryanair to communicate with passengers regarding flight delays or cancellations. As a response, Ryanair has requested the court’s permission to depose Glenn Fogel, as well as other Booking Holdings executives.
Booking Holdings had also sought to depose Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, but the airline objected to this request. Ryanair has now asked the court to compel Glenn Fogel to participate in the deposition.
In addition, Ryanair has requested the court’s permission to depose Steve Hafner, CEO of Kayak, and Omri Morgenshtern, CEO of Agoda, as it believes they were aware of the risks associated with selling Ryanair flights without authorization.
Ryanair’s allegations suggest that Kayak continued accessing Ryanair’s website despite the termination of a previous license agreement, implying that Steve Hafner was aware of the risks involved.
Ryanair believes that Booking Holdings’ executives, including Alexandria Weltert and Laura Bornet at Kayak, as well as Anne Housseau and Chris Humphries at Booking.com, should also be deposed to gather more information regarding their alleged involvement in unauthorized access to Ryanair’s website.
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