Jurídicos y Administrativos

✈ Ryanair won a legal battle in the United States against Booking over "screenscraping" as the District Court of Delaware ruled in the Irish airline's favor. The U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act was cited, with the OTA found to have acted with intent to defraud, causing economic harm. CEO Michael O'Leary hopes this ends internet piracy and excessive OTA charges. All counterclaims by Booking, including defamation and unfair competition, were dismissed.

🛃 Hotrec, Europe's major hotel federation, accuses Booking of unfair practices, with 40% of hotels experiencing undercutting—where Booking cuts hotel prices by reducing its commission—and 75% stating no consent was given for such price reductions. More than half of affected hotels report 6-10% price cuts, and 10% experience 11-15% cuts. Additionally, 44% of hotels are subjected to unauthorized "multi-sourcing" by Booking, which controls over 70% of OTA hotel bookings. Complaints include pricing inconsistencies, booking errors, lack of guest contact, poor service, financial losses, operational strain, and reputational damage. Despite the supposed elimination of parity clauses on July 1, unfair commercial practices persist daily.

🛫 FTI Group declared insolvent in early June; travelers with packages to be reimbursed in autumn. German Travel Security Fund, set up post-Thomas Cook collapse in September 2019, to handle refunds. No exact refund date given, but the process is underway. 250,000 combined trips canceled, 60,000 clients abroad during insolvency. Fund covers combined trips, not individual services like hotel or flight bookings. TUI and DER Touristik helped stranded FTI customers complete vacations.

💰 Renfe awarded a multi-million contract in November 2022 to Juan Carlos Barrabés, associate of Begoña Gómez. Details of the contract are concealed. Innova Next, led by Barrabés, won over Telefónica to manage the TrenLab startup accelerator for four years starting 2018. Barrabés, under scrutiny for possible corruption with Begoña, secured significant public contracts in 2021-2022. The contested contract is worth 1.6 million euros (excluding VAT) with options for two one-year extensions, with subjective criteria accounting for 40 out of 100 points.

🏨 Hoteliers in the Valencian Community threaten to leave the Imserso's social tourism program unless conditions improve to prevent losses as in past seasons. Toni Mayor, president of Hosbec's Imserso Commission, demands a price increase; current reimbursement is around 25-26 euros per person, with a desired increase to 34-35 euros. Benidorm has frozen Imserso reservation quotas for 2024/2025 until new terms are set. A decision is expected by the end of the month, aiming to avoid ERTEs and maintain employment during winter.

🏦 Three octogenarian tenants with indefinite lease contracts in Valencia are holding up a luxury hotel project by Hoteles Santos for seven years. They refuse to vacate their apartments in a nine-story building and have filed a joint lawsuit alleging harassment by the landlord, a family-owned REIT (Socimi) that includes the Santos hotel chain’s real estate assets.

🛫 Ukrainian Deputy Finance Minister Alexandrer Kava estimates airport recovery and reconstruction at $1.68 billion, with hopes of resuming some commercial flights by late this year or early next in an "optimistic" scenario. Discussions with the European Union for financial support are underway, as six airports previously managed 98% of the country's air traffic. Security studies must align with EASA, Eurocontrol, FAA, and IATA standards, while Kyiv-Boryspil and Lviv require enhanced air defenses.

🏨 Hotel Guadalpín Banús in Marbella partially sealed by court order last Thursday, raising concerns among its employees. Owned by 40 proprietors, Caja Rural de Granada and SPV Spain sought to reclaim their assets from Grisoma Hotelera, affecting services during high season with 75% occupancy. Worker representative Jackeline Largacha met with tourism officials on Monday, seeking a favorable resolution to protect 180 jobs. The hotel's partial closure comes after a protracted legal battle and a previous year's makeshift kitchens for dining services.

🏛 Spanish travel agencies express strong opposition to the current senior travel programs offered by regional governments. CEAVE demands a review and clarification of the criteria defining social tourism programs. The criticism targets Madrid’s Rutas Culturales para Mayores, Castilla-La Mancha's senior program, and the 2025 Club de los 60 travel initiative. Agencies argue for equal participation conditions, including age and income requirements, and market-standard conditions for travel agencies.

🏖️ In Gran Canaria, the local government of the Canary Islands and the Spanish State are locked in a legal dispute over a 4-star hotel, Beach Club, facing partial demolition due to a 14-year-old ruling. The hotel, located beachfront on San Agustín, is in violation of the coastal public access law. Despite the Supreme Court's decision, the order hasn't been executed, leading to a new legal battle, similar to a previous case involving Riu hotel in Fuerteventura, over coastal jurisdiction.