(Bloomberg) -- Ryanair Holdings Plc’s processing of personal data will be reviewed by Ireland’s data protection regulator after some customers complained about the airline asking for additional identity verification for tickets bought on third-party booking websites.
The Irish Data Protection Commission opened an inquiry into Ryanair’s customer verification process for passengers who book flights through third party websites and online travel agents, it said on Friday in a statement.
Numerous customers complained to the DPC about having to submit extra identification after booking Ryanair flights, DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said. The Irish carrier’s verification process included requesting facial recognition technology using customers’ biometric data, he added.
Ryanair in an email said it welcomes the inquiry. The airline’s booking verification process protects customers from the “few remaining non-approved OTAs, who provide fake customer contact and payment details,” the statement said.
“Customers who book through these unauthorized OTAs are required to complete a simple verification process (either biometric or a digital verification form) both of which fully comply with GDPR,” the company said in the statement.
The inquiry will consider whether Ryanair’s use of its verification methods complies with the EU’s data protection rules, Doyle said.
(Updates with Ryanair comment in fourth paragraph.)
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