Ryanair hits back after OFT criticism

RYANAIR has responded angrily to a sharply worded attack from Britain’s business watchdog, who labelled the airline’s online charging mechanism “puerile” and “almost childish”.

The criticism came from chief executive of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in Britain, John Fingleton.

He said the no-frills airline had been playing a “funny game” when it came to levying online charges.

He told the London Independent: “Ryanair has this funny game where they have found some low frequency payment mechanism [paying with Ryanair’s recommended Mastercard debit cards] and say: ‘Well, because you can pay with that [the charge is optional]’.

“It’s almost like taunting consumers and pointing out: ‘Oh well, we know this is completely outside the spirit of the law, but we think it’s within the narrow letter of the law’.”

Mr Fingleton also said that the automatic addition of insurance to flights by airlines, including Ryanair, unless customers opted out, was a “grey area” legally.

But Ryanair said this was wrong and that its insurance services are purchased by customers on an opt-in, not an opt-out basis.

It also hit back at his other claims, suggesting Mr Fingleton’s accusations were disappointing and wrong.

Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said: “As a general rule, anything that comes from an office that has chosen to ignore fuel surcharging airlines like British Airways and remained mute while London air passengers were being ripped off by the BAA monopoly should be taken with a pinch of salt.”

Ryanair said it would sell one million £4 (€4.48) “Fingleton Fares” for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in late January and February, before by midnight Thursday.