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Dana Dunne: ‘You have


to be clear that you may compete [with rivals] in certain areas and may


collaborate in other areas’


‘OTAs help airline partners sell seats at higher prices’


The boss of eDreams Odigeo believes airlines are more profitable thanks to online travel agents. Ben Ireland reports


business breakfast


OTAs play a vital role in helping airlines operate more profitably, according to the boss of European travel retail giant eDreams Odigeo.


Speaking at a Travel Weekly Business Breakfast, chief executive Dana Dunne said the company boosted carriers by advertising their product in its marketplace, bringing more customers to the table.


80 travelweekly.co.uk 31 August 2017


He said this meant eDreams helped airline partners sell seats at higher prices, which boosted profits in a sector traditionally poor at providing long-term return on investment. The Opodo parent is currently


embroiled in a legal dispute with Ryanair, which is taking action against both it and Google for the way they advertise the budget carrier’s fares.


Ryanair argues eDreams misleads customers into thinking they are booking direct and adds costs, whereas eDreams says it is giving customers more choice and a platform to shop for fares. Dunne, a former business consultant who originally entered the travel industry as chief commercial officer at easyJet, would not comment directly on the Ryanair case, but said: “Having worked in the airline industry, what you’ve got is a fixed asset – a £50 million aircraft. That’s the number-one cost and it swamps


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