Ryanair’s Pilot Drama Threatens to Undo Its Goodwill Push
Photo Credit: Ryanair, which flies only Boeing 737s, is seeing its reputation stumble after it said it would have to cancel thousands of flights over six weeks. Ryanair
Skift Take
Just before this pilot issue broke, Skift went to Europe to speak with Ryanair's chief marketing officer about how he improved the airline's customer service. Recent events will almost certainly set Ryanair back, but we think it can recover — if only because people like cheap fares.
On a Friday night earlier this month, Ryanair issued a vague statement telling passengers it would cancel 40 to 50 flights per day for six weeks because it didn't have enough pilots. It didn't immediately say which flights would be affected, nor provide advice on what travelers should do.
It was behavior passengers have come to expect from Ryanair, Europe's leading discounter. Over more than three decades, Ryanair earned a reputation for two things: low fares and disdain for customers. Some wondered if Ryanair management cared about passengers at all.
They had reason to wonder. For years, Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, often made outlandish comments. "Are we going to say sorry for our lack of customer service?" he once asked. "Absolutely not." In interviews, he would ask whether Ryanair should charge for bathrooms, or if the airline might ask passengers to stand, rather than sit.
That was supposed to be the old Ryanair. During the past three years, Ryanair customers didn't h
