Ryanair harmony opens up Irish market for online holidays group On the Beach
Manchester-based online travel business, On the Beach, has launched a new booking site in Ireland, aided by its deal with budget carrier Ryanair earlier this year.
The group signed a long term distribution agreement with Ryanair, bringing an end to a long running legal battle between On the Beach and its CEO, Michael O’Leary, who referred to the company as “pirates” even after the conclusion of an often bitter two year court case in October 2023 which found in favour of the travel agent.
The case was brought by OTB after it took action against Ryanair regarding refunds to its customers during the pandemic, when the travel industry was severely impacted by restrictions and lockdowns.
At the launch of the partnership, Ryanair Marketing Director Dara Brady confirmed that “On the Beach customers can now book Ryanair flights, seats, and bags as part of their holiday package with the guarantee that they will have full price transparency of Ryanair products.”
On the Beach CEO Shaun Morton labelled the agreement as “transformational”.
The new Irish site opens up holidays, bookable in euro, from Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Knock and Shannon airports.
On the Beach sends more than 1.5 million people on holiday every year.
On the Beach Chief Customer Officer, Zoe Harris, said: “Our launch in Ireland means we are able to provide more choice and great value to holidaymakers who want to book a holiday from their local airport – as well as the protection they need to book with confidence.
“With our Ryanair partnership up and running, the sheer volume and variety of Ryanair flights from airports like Cork and Dublin are now available to book as part of a package, so our customers can easily find their dream holiday to popular destinations like Spain, Turkey and the Balearics.”
In May this year, On the Beach announced interim results for the six months to March 31, 2024, that showed the group achieved an 11% improvement in revenues of £80.8m, while its total transaction value (TTV), showing the holidays booked in the period before cancellations and adjustments, rose 22% to £597.8m.
A pre-tax loss last year of £5.9m was transformed into a £600,000 pre-tax profit.
The TTV figure was driven by increased passenger bookings during the period (+15%) as well as an increase in the average value of holidays sold.
