Skift Forum Europe Preview: Ryanair CMO On Being More Customer-Friendly
Photo Credit: Kenny Jacobs, chief marketing officer of Ryanair, will speak at the Skift Forum Europe in Berlin on April 26. Ryanair
Skift Take
There's no doubt Ryanair is a more customer-friendly airline than a few years ago. But its pilot shortage problem last year was a major problem, and it undoubtedly hurt its reputation.
Ryanair stumbled at the end of last year, when it cancelled some flights because of a pilot-scheduling issue. It not only annoyed passengers, but also exposed a long-standing rift between management and pilots, who complained of poor treatment and pay.
From an operational standpoint, flights are getting back to normal. The pilot rift is taking longer to fix, though the airline has prioritized labor relations, and some pilots have been rewarded with raises and better working conditions.
The pilot issue has overshadowed a story Ryanair prefers to tell — that it is a much more passenger-friendly and digitally-adept airline than three years ago. Long known for treating customers with disdain, Ryanair is finally responding to their needs, while continuing to offer cheap fares.
The architect of this strategy is chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs, who joined Ryanair i
