Is this the End for Michael O Leary and Ryanair
Posted on October 06, 2009 by Fiona Hilliard
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For 15 years he’s fed us a no-frills diet of gratuitous publicity stunts, tacky photo shoots and loud-mouthed quips, but his reign as Ryanair boss may soon be at an end.
Yes, Michael O’ Leary, chief executive of Ryanair is currently preparing to stand down – that’s if a report by business website CityAM.com is to be believed.
At a recent investor day, O’ Leary allegedly revealed that he is planning to leave as soon as a deal is done with Boeing and once the disagreements with authorities at Dublin Airport and Stansted Airport have been resolved. This could be as early as 2010.
But a Ryanair without O’ Leary is unthinkable, right? I mean, who’s going to fill his shoes? Imagine the job spec…
Vacancy: Low Fares Airline Chief Exec
Skills and Attributes:
· Brass neck
· Ability to churn out quotes such as: “I don’t give a toss where people want to go. I’m in the business of creating a market for people to go where they have never heard of. ”
· Must be willing to play dress up
Discussion: 12 Comments
12 Responses to “Is this the End for Michael O Leary and Ryanair”
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John Twohig
- 6th Oct, 09 11:10pm
Well I have to say business will be all the poorer for Michaels retirment. This man has single handedly made flying available to everybody and at an incredibly low price.He has fought the Aer Lingus monoploy and won and this despite the government and the unions.I hope before he goes he gets control of Aer Lingus and blows the whole operatiom wide open.I do feel it is easy to poke fun at Michael O Leary but when you have created some thing as large and successfull as Ryan Air, it will only be then that any comments by you and the other begruders of an Irish success story should be given any air time.
Fiona (author comment)
- 7th Oct, 09 10:10am
You must be joking! In the last few years, Ryanair has managed to single-handedly take both the comfort and dignity out of air travel. With hare-brained ideas like ‘pay-as-you-go-toilets’ as well as first-come-first-serve seating, you might pay less for your flights, but you’ll certainly pay in stress and worry about lumping all of your belongings into one carry-on bag and making the deadline for online check-in before you’re slapped with hefty charges.
Derk
- 11th Oct, 09 06:10pm
Nobody holds a gun to your head to travel Ryanair. If you want pre-allocated seats then pay for it with BA who have now introduced a charge and will sting you fuel surcharges too!
I find it extraordinary that educated people can’t be bothered to read the information they are given and then complain when they try and take 2 bags on the plane or they are over the weight or size.
Use your eyes and brain and understand the terms and conditions you agreed to and you will have a stress free journey at a fraction of the cost of high fares alternatives.
Derk
- 11th Oct, 09 06:10pm
By the way, have you looked at how much business Argus does thanks to Ryanair carrying so many passengers to the smaller regional airports. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.
And another thing, no one has ever paid to go to the toilet on a Ryanair plane. That scheme was knocked on the head when Boeing explained how many millions of dollars it would cost to fit the coin machines.
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)
- 12th Oct, 09 09:10am
It’s the airline we love to hate, I mean have you ever heard anyone say they’ve just had a wonderful travel experience with Ryanair? Time after time you get people complaining about their awful customer service yet they’ll be first in line to snap up a 1p flight. I’m well aware that Ryanair doesn’t charge to use its toilet facilities. Yet.
It’s money-grabbing ideas like this though that insult the intelligence and tolerance levels of its passengers. Obviously Ryanair assumes that people will put up with anything to save a few quid. As a fan of the airline, I take it you’ll be tuning in to see Panorama tonight on BBC1. They’re devoting a whole show to Ryanair.
derk
- 13th Oct, 09 08:10pm
yes I did tune in and as usual the BBC paraded a list of misinformation. The only complaints they could put forward were down right lies. No one need pay £40 to print off a boarding pass , only people too lazy to read the website and the many follow up emails warning about baggage and online check in. No hidden charges only the infantile comment by Vivian White stating that Ryaniar claims no hidden charges then proceeds to rubbish them.
Did you watch that enterprising young man who has been to several destinations at a fraction the cost of other airlines and the other one who pays 1p to travel to Dublin.
Nma eon thing that Vivian White could prove Ryanair wrong please?
derk
- 13th Oct, 09 08:10pm
yes I did tune in and as usual the BBC paraded a list of misinformation. The only complaints they could put forward were down right lies. No one need pay £40 to print off a boarding pass , only people too lazy to read the website and the many follow up emails warning about baggage and online check in. No hidden charges only the infantile comment by Vivian White stating that Ryaniar claims no hidden charges then proceeds to rubbish them.
Did you watch that enterprising young man who has been to several destinations at a fraction the cost of other airlines and the other one who pays 1p to travel to Dublin.
Nma eon thing that Vivian White could prove Ryanair wrong please?
derk
- 13th Oct, 09 08:10pm
And how do you feel about bting the haqnd that feeds you please?
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)
- 14th Oct, 09 09:10am
Hi Derk
Thanks for your comments. I wouldn’t call it biting the hand that feeds me, I’m just telling it like I see it…and the way I see it is that Ryanair may offer great value in terms of getting you from A to B, but their customer service policies and cost-cutting measures leave a lot to be desired.
Derk
- 15th Oct, 09 04:10pm
That’s right, you get what is says on the label and that’s exactly what 67 million people want throughout Europe otherwise they would have been out of business a long time ago.
The romance of air travel is long gone as anyone who goes through terminal 3 Heathrow will tell you. The days of only a privileged few being able to afford the luxury of air travel are over and egalitarianism has arrived, at last!
d dullaghan
- 20th Jan, 10 07:01pm
well after hearing o learys comments about air traffic controllers that they are handling less flights by 25% well we are in a recession and its also clear his companys profits are down by the same margin but i believe the ATC are right to strike they have a big responsibility for peoples lives he has only a responsibility to profit and hidden charges over 2 years ago when everybody was making big money like him nobody was talking about how much they earned or anybody in the public sector just shout the hole underneath your nose you and your ryanair are like tesco in the air you think your getting a good deal but you are not
Fiona Hilliard (author comment)
- 21st Jan, 10 09:01am
I think you’re right there – basically O’ Leary piggybacks any airport-related news to get a plug for Ryanair in the media. I don’t think Tesco would even stoop as low….