The potential for Ryanair to strike more deals with online travel agents was predicted by On the Beach chief executive Shaun Morton, who believes such moves are “really positive” for the industry.
Last month, On the Beach became the fourth by the local authorities to reach an agreement with the low-cost, Irish, airline, meaning Ryanair seats can now be offered as part of package holidays.
Mr Morton noted that the carrier has since signed other deals and expressed the view that more will follow.
“I think there will be more deals and ultimately the industry and holidaymakers will benefit from the fact that an airline that has historically only operated direct [now] is working with tour operators.”
During the Classic Package Holidays Festival in Belek, Turkey, Mr Morton referred to the “huge change” in the partnership with Ryanair.
“We’ve been in various legal battles with Ryanair over the last 14 years and it hasn’t been particularly trade-friendly during that period, so what it’s doing now, starting to form some formal relationships with the industry, is a huge change,” he said. He added: “We need to see this as something really positive for the industry and the consumer. It’s the biggest airline in Europe by far – people are interested in flying with it.”
Describing the benefits of Ryanair’s deal with On the Beach, Mr Morton said, it secures the supply of seats with a very important airline, so this is good news.
However, the agreement with the carrier does not extend to On the Beach Group’s B2B brand, Classic Package Holidays.
“This business is still at a fairly early stage of its development and there is significant scope for growth with a product that we can access with 18 airlines and more than 5,000 hotels and an ever-growing distribution to tour operators,” Mr Morton noted.
