Ryanair has axed an agreement with Momondo to legitimately display its fares, claiming a breach of the contract between the pair.
The European low-cost carrier says Momondo is displaying its fares and then linking to online travel agencies such as Opodo, which it is in dispute with over screenscraping and alleged false advertising.
Travel search site Momondo (part of the Momondo Group which also includes the Cheapflights brand) was one of a number of sites - along with Skyscanner and Dohop - that was given a non-exclusive license to display Ryanair's tickets for price comparison purposes.
Showing Ryanair's fares from Opodo as well as those direct from the airline has led to it ripping up the agreement.
Ryanair revoked a similar agreement with Kayak in 2013.
Momondo is still showing fares from Ryanair and prices from OTAs, including Opodo.
The airline claims brands such as Opodo, alongside its sister site eDreams, "cause problems for Ryanair customers and/or fail/refuse to pass on vital information to both customer and Ryanair regarding issues such as flight changes, web check-in, special needs assistance and contact details".
The Momondo angle is the latest saga in a long line of problems that Ryanair says it has faced with so-called screenscaper sites, most notably eDreams which it is trying to face down in the Irish courts alongside Google.
Ryanair has also named US-based OTA CheapOAir as another brand that it is annoyed with over what it claims is screenscraping and misrepresentation.
An official for the airline says:
"It’s important to note that Ryanair has no commercial agreement whatsover with Opodo or CheapOair, who continue to engage in unauthorised screenscraping and sell on Ryanair’s low fares.
"We again urge customers to book directly on the Ryanair.com website."
Momondo managind director Pia Vemmelund says the company cannot confirm a breach of contract of the exclusivity of its arrangement, but says it no longer has the license agreement.
"Our primary purpose has always been to show the lowest available price to provide our users with transparency. Therefore, we won’t compromise on that transparency by taking out specific travel agencies from our search results just because an airline like Ryanair tells us to. That would be against our principles.
"So, we continue to show Ryanair flights when these are sold through travel agencies, and we’re happy to continue to show our users the lowest prices and offer transparency."