On the Beach has welcomed a High Court decision that Ryanair must refund flights that were cancelled or subject to a major change during the pandemic.

The court found Ryanair had no real prospect of successfully defending the claims that it was obliged to refund the monies to On the Beach, firstly under Regulation 29 (Right of Redress) of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018; and secondly under the law of unjust enrichment.

On the Beach has been awarded the sum of around £2 million and says it will also be seeking to recover its legal costs.

The online travel agency said it will now start to recover money in cases where Ryanair has not yet provided a refund, but which On the Beach has reimbursed its customers.

On the Beach Chief Executive Shaun Morton said: “We welcome the High Court’s decision to uphold our application for Ryanair to pay back what was owed.

“Today’s outcome sends an important message on how refunds should be handled and emphasises the industry’s responsibility to holidaymakers.

“On The Beach is committed to doing the right thing for its customers and provided full cash refunds for flights that were cancelled or subject to major changes during the pandemic whether or not airlines had complied with their obligations.”

Ryanair said it welcomed the ruling, which confirms that OTAs must demonstrate they have paid refunds to customers before being reimbursed by Ryanair.

Director of Marketing, Digital and Communications Dara Brady added the airline has no commercial agreement with On the Beach and that customers can claim directly from Ryanair, rather than go through On the Beach.

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