Dublin Airport Overcharged 4,400 Customers During 'Flash Sales', CCPC Secures €350,000 in Refunds

Over 4,000 Dublin Airport car park customers will receive full refunds totalling €350,000 after being overcharged during promotional "flash sales" earlier this year, following intervention by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

The Dublin Airport Authority has agreed to refund customers who were misled during flash sales in March and May 2025, where promotional parking rates of €10 or €12 per day were advertised but customers were actually charged more than regular prices available before and after the promotions.

Consumer complaints to the CCPC revealed that parking was often cheaper outside the promotional periods than during the supposed "flash sales". In one example, 10 days' parking cost €83 the day before a sale, rose to €110 during the promotion, then reverted to €83 when it ended.

The CCPC investigation found that 4,405 of the 14,854 transactions made during the sales resulted in overpayments, with customers collectively overcharged by €25,838. The average overpayment was approximately £5.90, with one customer charged £64 more than they should have been.

Under the Consumer Protection Act 2007, providing incorrect or misleading information about price promotions is illegal. The daa acknowledged the overpayments resulted from an error and has committed to issuing full booking refunds within five to 10 days.

Brian McHugh, Chair of the CCPC, said:

"We welcome the swift action taken by daa following contact from the CCPC alerting it to potential breaches of consumer protection laws. The CCPC was able to take this action thanks to consumers who took the time to report concerns about misleading sales pricing."

The flash sales coincided with increased competition in the airport car park market following the opening of Park2Travel on the former QuickPark site. The CCPC had previously blocked daa's attempt to purchase this site due to concerns over higher prices and reduced service quality for consumers.

McHugh added that whilst competition is vital for driving choice and innovation:

"any promotions need to be grounded in real benefits to consumers."

The affected flash sales took place on 10-11 March 2025 and 6-16 May 2025. Customers who booked parking during these periods should receive automatic refunds directly from daa without needing to take any action.