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>This is not an ‘excess profits’ tax, it is just highway robbery by a Govt. that is completely out of touch with reality Wow, this is an aggressive statement b

>This is not an ‘excess profits’ tax, it is just highway robbery by a Govt. that is completely out of touch with reality Wow, this is an aggressive statement by a corporate entity. I know Ryanair has always been more outspoken than other corporate entities (besides perhaps Ben & Jerry's) but this was quite surprising to read

YPPH 4y ago
The CEO is notoriously outspoken, it doesn't surprise me at all. It's kind of refreshing to see something that hasn't passed through a public relations filter. For some colourful viewing, here's the CEO proposing a "standing cabin" on planes, and asserting that "the customer is nearly always wrong": https://youtu.be/xmGRGv2jEkg https://youtu.be/xmGRGv2jEkg
- throw457 4y ago
- teknopaul 4y ago
  Pretty safe to ignore any corporate statements by Ryanair.
  - Irishsteve 4y ago
    Why
    - ceejayoz 4y ago
      The CEO has a history of being a bullshitter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Leary_(businessman)#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Leary_(businessman... > In 2007, O'Leary was forced to retract a claim that Ryanair had cut emissions of carbon dioxide by half over the previous five years because the claim should have been that emissions "per passenger" had been cut by half. He has been reported to have impersonated a journalist in an attempt to find information passed on to a newspaper following a safety incident on a Ryanair flight. On occasion, he has apologised for personal attacks under threat of legal action. He has been criticised by a judge for lying, who said he was lucky not to be found guilty of contempt of court. He has also been criticised for dismissing concerns about climate change as "complete nonsense". > Reacting to the decision to close European airspace in April 2010 over worries about the volcanic ash plume from an erupting Icelandic volcano, O'Leary falsely said, "There was no ash cloud. It was mythical. It's become evident the airspace closure was completely unnecessary."
      - petertodd 4y ago
        > In 2007, O'Leary was forced to retract a claim that Ryanair had cut emissions of carbon dioxide by half over the previous five years because the claim should have been that emissions "per passenger" had been cut by half. That's still an impressive accomplishment. So I'd be inclined to believe that was just an honest mistake.
        samatman 4y ago
        Emissions per passenger is a fake number, because it folds in flight distance, which has no business in the calculation. Absolute emissions and emissions per passenger kilometer are real numbers.
- mschuster91 4y ago
  > It's kind of refreshing to see something that hasn't passed through a public relations filter. It's one thing if the owner of a local bar thinks it a good idea to throw around swear words and being edgy in general. Might bring him some new business, might lose him some old business. But owners of companies worth dozens of billions of dollars? They might want to rein in their executives a bit. Unprofessionalism always reflects back on the institution, even if Elon Musk and to a lesser degree Jeff Bezos (=we don't need to make a profit or pay out dividends) have proven themselves to be the exception to the rule.
  - wyager 4y ago
    "Unprofessional" companies like tesla and ryanair are the only companies where I put even the slightest faith in the sincereness of their public statements. I know that the truthfulness of a public statement by any "professional" company is completely incidental to the actual internal state of the company, and is calculated to communicate as little useful information as possible, while managing PR expectations.
    - mschuster91 4y ago
      > "Unprofessional" companies like tesla and ryanair are the only companies where I put even the slightest faith in the sincereness of their public statements. At least Tesla is widely known for wildly fluctuating stock prices. Every time Elon posts some stupid shit on Twitter, the stock tanks. Corporate officials have responsibility for their shareholders, and the SEC has tried more than once to teach Musk that lesson. Tesla may be a revolutionary when it comes to cars, but their stock is far from what should be in anyone's private portfolio.
- j_walter 4y ago
  >It's kind of refreshing to see something that hasn't passed through a public relations filter. That was a big part of Trump's appeal to his fan base as well...however that kind of talk is not becoming of someone in a prestigious position like president (or CEO) and ruins their credibility to get things done.
  - jpgvm 4y ago
    Hasn't been a problem for Musk or O'Leary when it comes to getting stuff done. It has other downsides sure, GSD isn't one of them.
    - dlp211 4y ago
      They GSD despite their bad personalities, not because of them. They are the exception to the rule.
  - Aeolun 4y ago
    I don’t think that is necessarily true. There is a huge difference between calling a cow a cow, trying to make the cow sound like a golden calf, and trying to call a pig a cow. Trump did a lot of the latter, corporate entities do a lot of the second, and it would often be nice if they did more of the first.
  - throwaway98797 4y ago
    does it tho? he’s doing alright
  - YPPH 4y ago
    I don't think the CEO of a private company is comparable to a politician, particularly a world leader. Given O'Leary has been CEO since the 1990s, steering the airline through Covid-19, the GFC and 9/11, he must be doing something right. At least, that's what shareholders think.
- nostromo 4y ago
  These are the exact conversations happening in boardrooms everywhere, but most executives are terrified to be direct and honest in public. I respect the guy for being so open about his thinking.
- doliveira 4y ago
  At some level, being constrained and pretending is part of being civilized. People admiring "unhingedness", specially coming from people in positions of power, just sound immature, at best.
  - ntoskrnl 4y ago
    He doesn't seem unhinged to me. He seems like he has a singular goal: lowest ticket prices, and he's willing to entertain crazy ideas in pursuit of that goal that nobody else would. It's a refreshingly honest take on their corporate strategy. What's wrong with that? And to state the obvious, if as a traveler you don't share that goal of getting the absolute cheapest ticket at all costs, you shouldn't fly Ryanair. But he's doing a great job here selling to his target demographic.
    - mthoms 4y ago
      >He seems like he has a singular goal: lowest ticket prices That's just a means to an end for his real singular goal: higher profits I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but his real singular goal is not "lowest ticket prices".
      - ntoskrnl 4y ago
        While true, that's a bit reductionist. All companies want higher profits. What's interesting is how companies differ from each other while chasing that goal.
    - doliveira 4y ago
      I want people in positions of power to be bland and boring, thank you very much. This whole thing of appealing to popularity amongst a particular subset of the population by being "unorthodox", "refreshingly sincere" and "blunt" is really just a ruse to amass a little bit of unchecked power.
  - disgruntledphd2 4y ago
    This is Michael O'Leary's brand, tbh. The man would do literally anything to get airtime, which has historically been a really good strategy for Ryanair. That being said, he's a total asshole. When I worked for them some years back he screamed at a head of function for about 30 minutes because results weren't up to par. It was at that point I decided that the company wouldn't work for me.
- robonerd 4y ago
  For flights under two hours or so, I think I'd rather be forced to stand than forced to sit. Of course, an aisle seat where I can stand or sit at will is the ideal.
  - ASalazarMX 4y ago
    Would the seatbelt have to be renamed? I can't imagine how to secure standing passengers against turbulence.
kmlx 4y ago
what's more shocking to me is the quality of flying Ryanair vs how outspoken their CEO is. if you only read his comments, you would think this company is so solid that the CEO has complete free rein. and then you fly Ryanair and you realise it's just shock advertising.
- hgazx 4y ago
  Ryanair gives you what you pay for, nothing more nothing less.
  - jpgvm 4y ago
    And they aren't afraid of making that clear. I don't think it's shock advertising at all, it's just their brand, product and messaging being in perfect sync.
  - InCityDreams 4y ago
    And there's always something additional to be paid for.
  - highwaylights 4y ago
    "EVERYONE BE QUIET!! You bought tickets to get to Berlin, right?" "Well... yes." "And where is this?" "Is it.. Berlin?" "Exactly! Exit your cages to the right. Women, children and goats first please."
  - technofiend 4y ago
    > Ryanair gives you what you pay for, nothing more nothing less. Sometimes less. I've paid for priority boarding on Ryanair and then had the gate agent ignore it.
    - OJFord 4y ago
      ~everyone has priority boarding on Ryanair - because it's both necessary and sufficient for being allowed carry-on (as opposed to 'personal item' like a laptop bag) baggage.
- 4y ago
tombrm 4y ago
Ryanair's completely right, even with the tone. Meanwhile the Hungarian state media pretends being outraged and surprised(!) about Ryanair's decision of passing down taxes on consumers. This country's a joke. The narrative broadcasted by local (state owned) media is still that Orban is protecting people from evil corporations making "extra profit" (that's how they keep calling it, no matter how stupid and meaningless it is) with these nonsense laws and he won't let companies getting away with passing down these new taxes on consumers. Obviously he cannot do anything about it, not even with Hungarian entities.
- lokedhs 4y ago
  Sounds exactly like the debate in Sweden in the 80's. They even used a very similar word. They even went so far as implementing a system where extra profit went into a separate fund that was going to buy shares of the company. An interesting way to take over companies by the state. Thankfully the project was stopped before it was fully implemented. Some more information. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_funds https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_funds

YPPH 4y ago

The CEO is notoriously outspoken, it doesn't surprise me at all. It's kind of refreshing to see something that hasn't passed through a public relations filter. For some colourful viewing, here's the CEO proposing a "standing cabin" on planes, and asserting that "the customer is nearly always wrong": https://youtu.be/xmGRGv2jEkg https://youtu.be/xmGRGv2jEkg

throw457 4y ago
teknopaul 4y ago
Pretty safe to ignore any corporate statements by Ryanair.
- Irishsteve 4y ago
  Why
  - ceejayoz 4y ago
    The CEO has a history of being a bullshitter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Leary_(businessman)#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Leary_(businessman... > In 2007, O'Leary was forced to retract a claim that Ryanair had cut emissions of carbon dioxide by half over the previous five years because the claim should have been that emissions "per passenger" had been cut by half. He has been reported to have impersonated a journalist in an attempt to find information passed on to a newspaper following a safety incident on a Ryanair flight. On occasion, he has apologised for personal attacks under threat of legal action. He has been criticised by a judge for lying, who said he was lucky not to be found guilty of contempt of court. He has also been criticised for dismissing concerns about climate change as "complete nonsense". > Reacting to the decision to close European airspace in April 2010 over worries about the volcanic ash plume from an erupting Icelandic volcano, O'Leary falsely said, "There was no ash cloud. It was mythical. It's become evident the airspace closure was completely unnecessary."
    - petertodd 4y ago
      > In 2007, O'Leary was forced to retract a claim that Ryanair had cut emissions of carbon dioxide by half over the previous five years because the claim should have been that emissions "per passenger" had been cut by half. That's still an impressive accomplishment. So I'd be inclined to believe that was just an honest mistake.
      - samatman 4y ago
        Emissions per passenger is a fake number, because it folds in flight distance, which has no business in the calculation. Absolute emissions and emissions per passenger kilometer are real numbers.
mschuster91 4y ago
> It's kind of refreshing to see something that hasn't passed through a public relations filter. It's one thing if the owner of a local bar thinks it a good idea to throw around swear words and being edgy in general. Might bring him some new business, might lose him some old business. But owners of companies worth dozens of billions of dollars? They might want to rein in their executives a bit. Unprofessionalism always reflects back on the institution, even if Elon Musk and to a lesser degree Jeff Bezos (=we don't need to make a profit or pay out dividends) have proven themselves to be the exception to the rule.
- wyager 4y ago
  "Unprofessional" companies like tesla and ryanair are the only companies where I put even the slightest faith in the sincereness of their public statements. I know that the truthfulness of a public statement by any "professional" company is completely incidental to the actual internal state of the company, and is calculated to communicate as little useful information as possible, while managing PR expectations.
  - mschuster91 4y ago
    > "Unprofessional" companies like tesla and ryanair are the only companies where I put even the slightest faith in the sincereness of their public statements. At least Tesla is widely known for wildly fluctuating stock prices. Every time Elon posts some stupid shit on Twitter, the stock tanks. Corporate officials have responsibility for their shareholders, and the SEC has tried more than once to teach Musk that lesson. Tesla may be a revolutionary when it comes to cars, but their stock is far from what should be in anyone's private portfolio.
j_walter 4y ago
>It's kind of refreshing to see something that hasn't passed through a public relations filter. That was a big part of Trump's appeal to his fan base as well...however that kind of talk is not becoming of someone in a prestigious position like president (or CEO) and ruins their credibility to get things done.
- jpgvm 4y ago
  Hasn't been a problem for Musk or O'Leary when it comes to getting stuff done. It has other downsides sure, GSD isn't one of them.
  - dlp211 4y ago
    They GSD despite their bad personalities, not because of them. They are the exception to the rule.
- Aeolun 4y ago
  I don’t think that is necessarily true. There is a huge difference between calling a cow a cow, trying to make the cow sound like a golden calf, and trying to call a pig a cow. Trump did a lot of the latter, corporate entities do a lot of the second, and it would often be nice if they did more of the first.
- throwaway98797 4y ago
  does it tho? he’s doing alright
- YPPH 4y ago
  I don't think the CEO of a private company is comparable to a politician, particularly a world leader. Given O'Leary has been CEO since the 1990s, steering the airline through Covid-19, the GFC and 9/11, he must be doing something right. At least, that's what shareholders think.
nostromo 4y ago
These are the exact conversations happening in boardrooms everywhere, but most executives are terrified to be direct and honest in public. I respect the guy for being so open about his thinking.
doliveira 4y ago
At some level, being constrained and pretending is part of being civilized. People admiring "unhingedness", specially coming from people in positions of power, just sound immature, at best.
- ntoskrnl 4y ago
  He doesn't seem unhinged to me. He seems like he has a singular goal: lowest ticket prices, and he's willing to entertain crazy ideas in pursuit of that goal that nobody else would. It's a refreshingly honest take on their corporate strategy. What's wrong with that? And to state the obvious, if as a traveler you don't share that goal of getting the absolute cheapest ticket at all costs, you shouldn't fly Ryanair. But he's doing a great job here selling to his target demographic.
  - mthoms 4y ago
    >He seems like he has a singular goal: lowest ticket prices That's just a means to an end for his real singular goal: higher profits I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but his real singular goal is not "lowest ticket prices".
    - ntoskrnl 4y ago
      While true, that's a bit reductionist. All companies want higher profits. What's interesting is how companies differ from each other while chasing that goal.
  - doliveira 4y ago
    I want people in positions of power to be bland and boring, thank you very much. This whole thing of appealing to popularity amongst a particular subset of the population by being "unorthodox", "refreshingly sincere" and "blunt" is really just a ruse to amass a little bit of unchecked power.
- disgruntledphd2 4y ago
  This is Michael O'Leary's brand, tbh. The man would do literally anything to get airtime, which has historically been a really good strategy for Ryanair. That being said, he's a total asshole. When I worked for them some years back he screamed at a head of function for about 30 minutes because results weren't up to par. It was at that point I decided that the company wouldn't work for me.
robonerd 4y ago
For flights under two hours or so, I think I'd rather be forced to stand than forced to sit. Of course, an aisle seat where I can stand or sit at will is the ideal.
- ASalazarMX 4y ago
  Would the seatbelt have to be renamed? I can't imagine how to secure standing passengers against turbulence.

kmlx 4y ago

what's more shocking to me is the quality of flying Ryanair vs how outspoken their CEO is. if you only read his comments, you would think this company is so solid that the CEO has complete free rein. and then you fly Ryanair and you realise it's just shock advertising.

hgazx 4y ago
Ryanair gives you what you pay for, nothing more nothing less.
- jpgvm 4y ago
  And they aren't afraid of making that clear. I don't think it's shock advertising at all, it's just their brand, product and messaging being in perfect sync.
- InCityDreams 4y ago
  And there's always something additional to be paid for.
- highwaylights 4y ago
  "EVERYONE BE QUIET!! You bought tickets to get to Berlin, right?" "Well... yes." "And where is this?" "Is it.. Berlin?" "Exactly! Exit your cages to the right. Women, children and goats first please."
- technofiend 4y ago
  > Ryanair gives you what you pay for, nothing more nothing less. Sometimes less. I've paid for priority boarding on Ryanair and then had the gate agent ignore it.
  - OJFord 4y ago
    ~everyone has priority boarding on Ryanair - because it's both necessary and sufficient for being allowed carry-on (as opposed to 'personal item' like a laptop bag) baggage.
4y ago

tombrm 4y ago

Ryanair's completely right, even with the tone. Meanwhile the Hungarian state media pretends being outraged and surprised(!) about Ryanair's decision of passing down taxes on consumers. This country's a joke. The narrative broadcasted by local (state owned) media is still that Orban is protecting people from evil corporations making "extra profit" (that's how they keep calling it, no matter how stupid and meaningless it is) with these nonsense laws and he won't let companies getting away with passing down these new taxes on consumers. Obviously he cannot do anything about it, not even with Hungarian entities.

lokedhs 4y ago
Sounds exactly like the debate in Sweden in the 80's. They even used a very similar word. They even went so far as implementing a system where extra profit went into a separate fund that was going to buy shares of the company. An interesting way to take over companies by the state. Thankfully the project was stopped before it was fully implemented. Some more information. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_funds https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_funds