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Ryanair has intensified its long-running dispute with online travel agencies, publishing new survey data that points to significantly higher charges for reserved seats and priority boarding when passengers book through third-party platforms instead of directly with the airline.
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Fresh Survey Data Puts Extra Fees in the Spotlight
Ryanair publishes monthly surveys comparing what passengers pay on its own website with prices advertised by selected online travel agencies, and the latest dossiers continue to show substantial gaps on ancillary services such as seat selection and priority boarding. According to recent survey material compiled in early 2026, several OTAs listed fees for reserved seats at more than double the prices shown on Ryanair.com for the same flights.
Examples highlighted in these surveys include instances where an online agent charged just over €20 for a standard reserved seat that cost around €10 when booked directly with the airline. In other cases, OTAs bundled extras such as priority boarding and cabin bags at combined prices that exceeded those sold via Ryanair’s own channels by a wide margin. The airline frames these comparisons as evidence that many travelers booking through third parties may be paying a premium without realizing it.
These latest findings build on a pattern documented in earlier overcharge dossiers released in 2024 and 2025, where Ryanair tracked markups on ancillaries including seat reservations, priority boarding and checked baggage. In some previous reports, the carrier recorded markups of well over 100 percent on specific services, reinforcing its message that the lowest fares and add-on prices are available only when customers book direct.
Seats and Priority Boarding at the Core of the Dispute
Reserved seating and priority boarding have become central to Ryanair’s low-cost model, accounting for a meaningful slice of the airline’s ancillary revenue. Industry data and company disclosures indicate that add-ons such as seat selection, early boarding and luggage now represent roughly one-third of total income for the carrier, making the way these extras are priced and sold a key commercial issue.
In its latest public-facing survey summaries, Ryanair singles out specific examples where OTAs advertised standard seat reservations at more than twice the direct-booking price, citing one case in which a €10.50 seat on Ryanair.com appeared at €21.82 on a third-party site. Similar gaps appear around priority boarding and cabin bag bundles, with recent documents pointing to offers in excess of €25 for options sold for under €20 directly.
The airline argues that such discrepancies can leave customers confused about the true cost of their journey, especially when OTA search results foreground total package prices without clearly itemizing the markups attached to seats and boarding priority. For travelers hunting for low fares, relatively small per-seat differences can add up quickly across a family or group booking.
Ryanair’s Strategy: Partnerships for Some, Pressure on Others
The latest survey release comes against the backdrop of a broader digital distribution strategy in which Ryanair distinguishes sharply between what it describes as approved partner agencies and unauthorized OTAs. Over the past few years the airline has signed content agreements with a limited number of online and offline intermediaries, including package-holiday brands, under terms that commit those partners to display the same fares and ancillary prices as Ryanair.com.
By contrast, the carrier continues to publish dossiers focusing on agencies that do not hold such agreements, accusing them of scraping its website, reselling inventory and adding undisclosed markups to flights, seats and priority boarding. Publicly available corporate material describes these monthly surveys as part of a consumer-protection effort intended to document how far third-party pricing can diverge from direct-booking levels.
Regulators have taken notice of the wider distribution battle. In late 2025, competition authorities in Europe imposed a substantial fine on Ryanair over practices judged to restrict the ability of travel agencies to sell the airline’s tickets, characterizing some of its technical and contractual measures as obstructive. Coverage of that case notes that the airline has simultaneously accused parts of the travel agent sector of overcharging and misrepresenting prices, while regulators have questioned aspects of Ryanair’s own approach to third-party sales.
What the OTA Clash Means for Travelers
For passengers, the latest survey adds another layer to an already complex decision about whether to book flights directly or through an OTA. Booking via a third-party platform can provide convenience, especially when bundling multiple airlines, hotels and ground transport into a single itinerary, but it may also introduce extra charges or different conditions for changes, refunds and customer support.
Consumer-focused travel outlets reviewing Ryanair’s recent survey data emphasize that the most pronounced differences appear on ancillaries rather than base fares. In many examples, the headline ticket price on an OTA closely matches or even mirrors Ryanair’s own, while charges attached to add-ons such as seat selection, carry-on bags and priority boarding diverge more sharply. For travelers who value a specific seat or faster boarding, those extra amounts can materially change the overall trip cost.
Analysts also point out that Ryanair’s campaign is part of a wider industry trend in which low-cost carriers try to keep customers within their own digital ecosystems. Direct sales allow airlines to control communications, push app usage, promote loyalty programs and avoid commissions or integration fees associated with external distributors. OTAs, meanwhile, argue that their comparison tools and packaging options deliver value by helping travelers navigate a fragmented marketplace.
Growing Scrutiny of Transparency and Ancillary Pricing
The dispute over seat and priority boarding fees feeds into a broader debate about transparency in airline pricing, particularly in Europe’s short-haul market. Regulators and consumer advocates have increasingly focused on how clearly airlines and intermediaries disclose optional charges, with concerns that complex booking flows can obscure the final amount passengers will pay.
Ryanair’s latest survey is likely to add momentum to that discussion, especially if the reported price gaps encourage more scrutiny of how OTAs present ancillaries linked to low-cost carriers. Some industry observers suggest that clearer itemization of extras and standardized presentation of seat and priority fees across platforms could make it easier for customers to compare like for like, potentially reducing the scope for misunderstandings or unexpected costs at the checkout.
For now, Ryanair continues to use its monthly reports to encourage passengers to check prices on the airline’s own website and app before completing any booking through a third-party site. With ancillary revenue playing an ever larger role in airline economics, and with OTAs seeking to protect their share of the booking funnel, the clash over who controls and communicates the true cost of a reserved seat or priority boarding slot shows little sign of easing.
Ryanair May OTA survey summary