Source: Sharecast
The carrier said any customer with a pass issued by the third-party website would be refused boarding “as they have not complied with Ryanair’s safety and security protocols during check-in”.
Ryanair said EU rules require passengers complete the Ryanair check-in process directly to ensure passengers are informed of all safety and regulatory protocols required when travelling.
It accused Kiwi.com, based in the Czech Republic, of circumventing the “essential” regulations by issuing their own boarding cards.
Ryanair has secured a court order in the Czech Republic ordering Kiwi.com to “stop replacing customer email addresses with fake email addresses, and preventing Ryanair from communicating directly with its passengers”.
However, it added that Kiwi had not complied with the order. Ryanair said from Wednesday customers could retrieve an official boarding pass from the airline's website or mobile app.
Ryanair said third party agents, such as Kiwi.com, “do not have authorisation to sell Ryanair flights or to issue boarding passes”.
The airline’s marketing director Dara Brady said a “small number” of passengers who booked their flights through Kiwi.com arrived at an unnamed boarding gate without official Ryanair passes last week.
“If you made a booking through Kiwi.com we urge you to contact Kiwi.com to obtain the necessary Ryanair booking reference and email address so that you can complete check-in in line with our safety and security protocol,” Brady said.
Kiwi.com, along with other third-party online travel sites such as Opodo and lastminute.com, have been accused of inflating airline prices by imposing surcharges for extras such as baggage and seat reservations.
Further add-ons such as emailed boarding passes, SMS updates and lost baggage cover further increase costs. Kiwi charges €30 on top of the advertised fare for “basic” customer service.
