If there’s one CEO who embodies the phrase “You can’t make an omelet without cracking a few eggs,” it’s surely Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary.
O’Leary has defended his outspoken ways in the past. In March, he summarized to the Wall Street Journal: “The funny thing we’ve learned over the years is actually the bad publicity sells far more seats than the good.”
However, the Ryanair CEO admitted the tactic wasn’t without its negatives. O’Leary conceded in September that Ryanair’s depressed share price in Europe relative to its American depository receipts in the U.S. may have something to do with his public image.
“In Ryanair there’s always some news flow. We’re fighting some union or some minister or I’m calling some minister an idiot or they’re calling me an idiot.”
Nevertheless, O’Leary didn’t pull back in 2024. Here we recap his biggest battles as he fought to return Ryanair to a share price that would secure him his €100 million bonus.
Wizz Air’s ‘marketing scam’
O’Leary has long used the tactic of name-calling as part of his wide-ranging battle against rival budget airlines.
Most recently, he was perturbed by an astute offer rolled out by Wizz Air in August that would allow passengers to take unlimited flights with a €499 annual subscription. There were some loopholes, most notably that flights could only be booked within 72 hours of departure.
It prompted O’Leary to dismiss the promotion as “a bit of a marketing scam.”
“You can fly as often as you like, but you pay €9 every time you book a flight, and you can only book the flight three days before departure,” he told Newstalk.
“Most of the flights will be full; there’ll be no seat availability.
“It’s an interesting marketing stunt, but that’s all it is.”
O’Leary’s comments sparked outrage from Wizz Air’s chief corporate and ESG officer, Yvonne Moynihan.
“The comments of Mr. O’Leary were not only provocative but they were also inaccurate,” said Moynihan.
Boeing
One obstacle O’Leary has faced this year is a shortage of planes from Ryanair’s supplier Boeing. The plane-making giant was thrown into turmoil at the start of 2024 when an Alaska Airlines Boeing jet suffered a blowout mid-flight, forcing the temporary grounding of 200 737 Max 9s. The blowout caused chaos at Boeing, leading to supply-chain hiccups and regulatory hurdles that had a knock-on effect on Ryanair.
Deliveries fell below expectations, prompting O’Leary to give some words of advice to Boeing’s leadership team, namely: “Never put a pilot in charge of an airline.”
In August, O’Leary said Boeing management “continue to disappoint us” as deliveries still lagged.
His 2025 plans were also disrupted when Boeing workers went on strike in September, meaning he was likely to receive a fraction of the planes he ordered for next year.
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin
O’Leary got into an unintended scrap in August with Sir Tim Martin, the boss of budget U.K. pub chain Wetherspoons, after taking aim at drunken passengers on Ryanair flights.
The Ryanair boss called for a two-drink limit at U.K. airports to stem a rising tide of air rage on his flights, which he said were occurring at a rate of once per week over the summer.
Martin, whose Wetherspoons chain operates pubs in U.K. airports, hit back at O’Leary, claiming Wetherspoons had already stopped serving “shooters” like Jäger bombs in its airport pubs.
“Ryanair in contrast offers a discount on Irish whiskey if a double is ordered,” Martin said.
It seemed O’Leary called Martin’s bluff, however, vowing to introduce his own two-drink limit on Ryanair flights if airport pubs followed suit.
O’Leary conceded drug use among passengers was also a problem contributing to air rage.
O’Leary’s passenger-cap gripe
A thorn in O’Leary’s side has long been the limited number of passengers he can fly out of Ryanair’s main airport in Dublin.
Dublin Airport runs a passenger cap of 32 million per year, even though the building of a second runway allows for 60 million passengers annually.
In a warning to passengers, O’Leary said he would “make a fortune” over Christmas because low supply of seats meant Ryanair could charge in excess of €1,000 for a flight, adding the company would “make out like bandits.”
In August, O’Leary said he was unlikely to achieve his €100 million bonus while the passenger cap stayed in place. O’Leary can obtain his bonus if Ryanair’s share price stays above €21 for 28 consecutive days, or if annual profits surpass €2.2 billion.
Other airlines have lamented the passenger cap, with Wizz Air refusing to fly from the airport owing to the restriction.
Irish teachers
A more unusual battering ram for O’Leary in 2024 was the profession of teaching.
O’Leary made national news in Ireland yet again in November while canvassing for the center-right political party Fine Gael, criticizing the current demographic of the country’s leaders.
“The Dáil is full of teachers. Nothing wrong with teachers. I love teachers, but I wouldn’t generally employ a lot of teachers to go out and get things done.”
Clarifying his comments on Newstalk, O’Leary said, “I want to see more people enter the Dáil from private enterprise, from the private sector, and that’s the energy we need if we’re going to fix the infrastructure challenges we face,” he said.
Ireland’s prime minister, Simon Harris, called O’Leary’s comments “crass and ill-informed.”
