eDreams ODIGEO Secures Rulings, Ryanair Fined for Breach of Court Order and Forced to Cease Unlawful Practices

Core Viewpoint - The German Court has penalized Ryanair for non-compliance with court orders and declared several of its commercial practices unlawful, highlighting a pattern of disregard for legal authority across Europe [1][4][8]. Group 1: Legal Rulings and Penalties - Ryanair has been fined by the Regional Court of Hamburg for breaching an injunction granted to eDreams ODIGEO in May 2025, with the court ruling that the airline acted with "fault" by failing to remove banned terms from its website [2][3]. - The court's findings of "bad faith" indicate a systematic pattern of obstruction by Ryanair, which continues to ignore binding orders from various jurisdictions, including Spain [5][8]. Group 2: Unlawful Practices - The Hamburg Court dismantled key elements of Ryanair's anti-consumer strategy, including the invalidation of its blanket "non-refundable" policy, which contradicts statutory law and misleads passengers about their reimbursement rights [7][9]. - The court ruled that Ryanair's mechanism for obtaining user consent through a pre-ticked box is deceptive, invalidating the terms used to restrict passenger rights [9]. - Additionally, the airline's "administration fee" for processing government tax refunds was declared void, as it often exceeds the refund amount, allowing Ryanair to retain public taxes that belong to customers [9]. Group 3: Industry Implications - eDreams ODIGEO is urging authorities across Europe to enforce compliance and protect consumers from Ryanair's systematic non-compliance, which undermines fair competition in the airline industry [6][10].