Clearly Michael O’Leary is as gifted at writing as he is at delivering financial results for Ryanair PLC. Anyone who has read one of his letters to the press must admit that he writes with a certain force, a touch of humour and a large dose of arrogance. Here is a recent comment from “MOL” on the subject of mobile phone usage onboard Ryanair flights.

“We’ve thus far had no complaints of any passengers who are annoyed by their cathedral-like sanctity of a Ryanair flight being besmirched by somebody on a mobile call“

Here is why I think Ryanair / Michael O’Leary should publish a blog :

• They are already the kings of free publicity. This would help cement their position and feed the flames.

• The blog would get hundreds of comments on every post, partly just because of who he is but also because each post would most likely be controversial and would incite comments from all over the world.

• As above but for inlinks from other blogs and websites. This will help the blog and the Ryanair website in search engines.

• The Ryanair blog could be used in the same way the Ryanair news section is now – to announce route changes, special offers and the more “political” manoeuvrings such as threatening to close bases if this and that doesn’t happen in Ryanair’s favour.

Airlines with successful blogs include Iceland Express and Southwest airlines. A lesser known example is the flyforbeans blog which doesn’t have many posts but has at least got articles from the most of the management of this long planned start up airline. Richard Branson also has a blog.

Ryanair pulls aircraft out of Liverpool base

Ten destinations are being cut from Ryanair’s Liverpool base with a reported loss of 50 pilot, cabin crew and engineering jobs.

Flights to Budapest, Faro, Paris, Friedrichshafen, Gdansk, Lodz, Salzburg, Santiago, Szczecin and Valencia have been cancelled this summer. Despite announcing a new route to Ibiza from Liverpool to start at the end of March, only two weeks ago, Ryanair is blaming Air Passenger Duty and the falling value of the pound for the cancellation of the flights.

The airline said more cuts to its winter schedule would be announced in due course.

The news means Ryanair will be shadowed by easyJet at Liverpool John Lennon airport. easyJet will have 8 aircraft based at LPL from the start of June.

Ryanair optimistic about the future despite huge loss

Ryanair has reported a loss of over €100million for its third quarter earnings. The airline blamed rising fuel costs for the loss but says Q4 will be much improved due to the fact the fuel prices have now eased. Here is a summary :

• Q3 2008 loss of €102m compared with a profit of €35m last year.
• Ancillary revenues account for 22% of total, up from 19% year on year.
• 3% reduction in non fuel costs.
• Doubtful that Ryanair will continue to pursue Aer Lingus takeover.
• Eager to buy debt on aircraft at current low interest rates
• Positive outlook – strong cash, lower fuel, weak competitors

Happy New Year

Here are the most read stories published here in 2008

Jan
BA to start up new trans-Atlantic airline
BA 777 crash lands at Heathrow

Feb
A2 plane – day trip to Australia
Ryanair plans for Euro recesssion

Mar
Mileage runs
A380 landing at Heathrow

Apr
Brussels airlines flies slower to save fuel
Aer Lingus revenue management blunder

May
Jet2 to New York
jetBlue seats passenger in toilet on overbooked flight

Jun
Emirates launch FlyDubai low cost airline
Never drive close to a jet aircraft

Jul
Thomas Cook Expansion
Air France plans rail services

Aug
747 used as a hostel at Stockholm airport
Virgin Galactic

Sep
Condor out of tuifly and germanwings merger
Gatwick airport for sale

Oct
Lufthansa to takeover bmi
BA to add South Africa flights in 2009

Nov
Airlines lost in 2008
Jet2 rebrand

Dec
Virgin – Qantas+BA merger bad for passengers
Air New Zealand completes bio-fuel test flight

Here are a collection of top quotes from Michael O’Leary. . .

On tourism

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 (2000)

On increased airport security checks

You don’t see the government confiscating lipsticks and gel-filled bras on the London Underground. Most of them couldn’t identify a gel-filled bra if it jumped up and bit them (2006)

On pax standing

They say Oh those standing may get killed if there’s a crash, Well, with respect, those sitting might get killed too (2009)

On low fares

Germans will crawl bollock-naked over broken glass for them (1997)

On what would cause Ryanair to fail

Nuclear war in Europe, a major accident, or believing our own bullshit (2002)

On travel agents

Take the f**kers out and shoot them (2003)

On flying

I am not a cloud bunny. I am not an aerosexual. I don’t like aeroplanes. I never wanted to be a pilot like those other goons who populate the air industry (2005)

On his motivation, post-university

I would have murdered, I would have gone through concrete walls to make money (2000)

Recalling the time he ran a newsagent’s and opened it on Christmas Day selling batteries and chocolates at treble the usual price

I have never had a sexual experience in my life like it (2000)

On BA’s decision to begin ‘Go’

They must be smoking too much dope (1997)

On BAA

Overcharging rapists (2004)

On the best way to settle his differences with Aer Rianta

With Semtex… preferably during a board meeting (2000)

Discussing his plans for a transatlantic Ryanair

In economy no frills; in business class it’ll all be free – including the blowj**s (2008)

On his wedding day, asked if the bride would be late

Yes, she’s flying Aer Lingus (2003)

On being a father

I’m taking the Ryanair approach – subcontracting everything (2006)

On himself

I’m probably just an obnoxious little bollocks. Who cares? (2006)

On the economy

We would welcome a good, deep, bloody recession for 12 to 18 months. We need one if we are going to see off some of this environmental nonsense (2008)

On his plans after Ryanair

Making the world a better place… by taking a vow of silence (2006)

MADRID (Reuters) – Low cost airline Ryanair has factored a European recession lasting up to 18 months into its business plan, its Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said on Tuesday.

O’Leary added he would welcome an economic slowdown across the continent that would make consumers more cost conscious and therefore choose Ryanair.

O’Leary said his sums for the next 12 months were based on the idea that the U.S. and then Europe would go into recession.

“We think the likelihood of a recession in Europe this year is strong,” O’Leary said, adding that he expected it to last 12 to 18 months.

“If we don’t get one, our results will be better than the numbers we are currently guiding,” he told reporters in Madrid after unveiling the Irish airline’s fifth Spanish hub in Reus, near Barcelona.

Under Ryanair’s worst-case scenario, oil would remain at around $95 a barrel while fares fell 5 percent. That could cut estimated net profits of €470 mil (£350 mil) for the current financial year to end-March to around €235 mil next year, O’Leary said, reiterating a recent warning. Oil cost $93 a barrel on Tuesday.

MORE SPANISH HUBS

Reus is Ryanair’s 26th hub and its fifth in Spain.

Promoting the launch wearing a dress, a wig and wings, O’Leary said Europe’s largest budget carrier would fly 1 million passengers between Reus and Ireland, Britain, Germany, France and other Spanish cities next year.

He said Ryanair was in talks with five or six other Spanish airports about making one of them the airline’s next hub in Spain, “probably for summer 2009″.

However after rapid expansion in Reus and other bases in Girona, Madrid, Valencia and Alicante O’Leary said Spain was not his priority in the search for new bases.

O’Leary added he doubted Ryanair would start routing Madrid flights to a new airport being built near Cuidad Real, on the plains of Castilla La Mancha, two hours south of the capital.

“It’s not very close to Madrid. We are talking to them but more as a destination in its own right. I think all the growth to Madrid will be to Madrid Barajas,” he said, referring to the home base of Spanish flag carrier Iberia.

(Additional reporting by Andras Gergely in Dublin; Editing by Paul Bolding)

LONDON (Thomson Financial) – Ryanair Holdings PLC said it is making Birmingham (BHX) its 25th base, with 2 Boeing 737-800 aircraft initially delivering 20 new routes to continental Europe.
Twenty-two destinations will be available from the airport as a result of a deal which was finalised late on Monday evening.

The zero frills airline said it will add 8 more 737s, which could deliver 5 mln passengers annually.

The new routes, which cover destinations in 9 countries, are shown below.

Ryanair has today (18th December) announced five new routes from Edinburgh (EDI) airport.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the flights to Marseille (MRS), Pisa (PSA), Bremen (BRE), Frankfurt (HHN) and Alicante (ALC) would significantly benefit the airport.

The routes are Ryanair’s first to continental Europe from Edinburgh, which currently only operates Irish flights to Dublin and Shannon.

According to recently released figures, Edinburgh Airport is on track to become the busiest in Scotland this year.

It has been a busy day for Ryanair who announced over 25 new routes. Here is the list :

Ryanair has settled a lawsuit out of court brought by Sweden’s ex-prime minister Goran Persson after it used his picture in an advertisement without his consent, his lawyer said today (17th December).

“They reached an agreement … to settle. The agreement is for two payments of €4,000 ($5,750), that is to say €8,000, to Mr. Persson and Mrs. (Laila) Freivalds,” the former foreign minister whose image was also used, their lawyer, Lennart Kanter, said. The court case would have been held on Tuesday.

The Ryanair advertisement was published in the Swedish press in February 2006.
In a reference to a crisis of confidence that shook the Swedish government following the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster, and which continued throughout 2005, the Irish carrier published a photograph of Persson and Freivalds under the caption “Time to flee the country?”.

With €4,000 per person, the two political figures received half of what they had sought.
It is good to hear that both Persson and Freivalds will donate the money to undisclosed charities,
At €8,000, the cost to Ryanair may be considered “low-cost” considering the PR value of the all the extra attention they recieved.