Jaunted

Ryanair

Is Ryanair The World's Crassest Airline?

November 3, 2008 at 9:20 AM | 1 Comment

Ryanair still hasn't decided if and when it'll start offering those super-cheap transatlantic fares, but the carrier just announced that it made $275 million in profit over the first half of 2008. Though that number was way down compared to last year's haul, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was confident enough in his own carrier to say it would outlast the five or six more European airlines he thinks will go bust before Christmas.

He also added that Europe "needed a recession" and predicted that by the end of it the Continent would have just four airlines: British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and, obviously, Ryanair.

It'd be easy to write this off as the bloviating of a large-than-life CEO--but Ryanair's accountants also signed off on zingers like these:

In the UK we continue to call for the removal of Mr. Harry Bush, the hopeless CAA regulator, as well as the sale of Stansted by the BAA monopoly. Mr. Bush has rubber stamped almost all of the BAA’s cost increases and [capital expenditure] proposals including their crazy plan to waste £4bn on Terminal 2 despite the unanimous opposition of all Stansted airline users to this gold plated Taj Mahal.

After getting slammed like this, Bush might want to sign onto the Facebook group "Ryanair: A Love/Hate Relationship."

Related Stories:
· Ryanair's First Half of 2008 Financial Results [Official Site]
· Ryanair Boss Predicts Airline Slump [PA]
· Blame Ryanair for the Most Annoying Song of 2008 [Jaunted]

[Photo: elward-photography]

Ryanair

Adventures of Link: Transatlantic Tickets for Twenty Bucks?

October 7, 2008 at 5:00 PM | 1 Comment

Whether we believe him or not, Michael O'Leary did indeed say that he'd start flying passengers across the Atlantic for less than $20 by 2011, thanks to a global financial crisis that's sure to crush the airline industry.

How likely is it really that we'll be flying across the pond on Ryanair 2.0 for 10 quid? Who knows. But our pals on Twitter certainly had some opinions on the possibility.

Related Stories:
· "If that happens I will run through Times Square naked" [Twitter]
· "I'd stomach the whole interior of a plane wrapped with ads & $20 Cokes for that price." [Twitter]
· "Really? I'll believe it when I fly it." [Twitter]
· Ryanair CEO Promising $18 Transatlantic Airfare by 2011 [Jaunted]

[Photo: elward-photography]

Ryanair

Ryanair CEO Promising $18 Transatlantic Airfare by 2011

October 7, 2008 at 1:10 PM | 1 Comment

The beds-and-blowjobs airline that Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary promised earlier this year may actually happen. We're talking £10 ($18) transatlantic airfares if and when the new flights start in as few as two-and-a-half years.

more ›

In-Flight Cell Phones

In-flight Cell Phones Coming to Ryanair

September 25, 2008 at 2:30 PM | 0 Comments

Ryanair will start letting passengers make in-flight cell phone calls on some flights in the next couple weeks, and the carrier will charge about £2 ($3.50) a minute for the privilege.

Worried about having to hear stupid conversations? "Stop whining!" says CEO Michael O'Leary:

If you want a quiet flight, use another airline. Ryanair is noisy, full and we are always trying to sell you something.

Such refreshing honesty from an airline!

Related Stories:
· "Hello? I'm on the Plane." [The Independent]
· In-Flight Cell Phones coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: aromano]