Booking offers concessions to EU
Booking Holdings has offered to make concessions to the EU in order to win the approval of its €1.6bn purchase of Sweden’s Etraveli Group
Booking in November 2021 announced its intention to buy Etraveli, which runs brands such as Gotogate and Mytrip. EU regulators are concerned that Booking’s acquisition of the flights-only company will strengthen its market position and will hurt rivals.
Key takeaways
- The Amsterdam-based company is proposing to give travellers who book a flight with Etraveli accommodation options beyond those offered by Booking;
- This would address a key concern that Booking will only offer its own hotel and apartments services alongside booking a flight;
- The proposed concessions come in response to concerns from the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, that the Etraveli deal would allow the travel group a further advantage in the hotels sector, while helping it move into other services like car rentals and flights.
Get the full story at the Financial Times