US Court Rules Against Booking.com in Ryanair’s Screen-Scraping Showdown

A U.S. court has ruled that Booking.com violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in a case brought by Ryanair. The low-cost Irish carrier claimed Booking.com accessed its website without permission, causing significant losses. The Delaware District Court jury found that Booking.com engaged in screen scraping with “intent to defraud” and dismissed the OTA’s counterclaims of defamation and unfair competition against Ryanair.

Booking.com expressed disappointment with the ruling and announced plans to appeal, stating, “We maintain that allowing customers to access and compare fares across the travel industry promotes consumer choice.”

In contrast, Ryanair has welcomed the ruling. CEO Michael O’Leary stated, “We expect this ruling to end the internet piracy and overcharging perpetrated by OTAs like Booking.com. Ryanair has fought to protect consumers and ensure they have direct access to our low fares without OTAs overcharging unsuspecting consumers.”

Ryanair has recently authorized several OTAs, including Expedia Group, Etraveli Group, and Lastminute.com, to resell its tickets, while labeling others like Booking.com and eDreams as “pirates” for allegedly misleading consumers and inflating prices.