Brand Index: Ryanair charm offensive may heal its brand reputation September 24, 2013 RYANAIR, the discount airline that people love to hate, has promised to transform its “macho and abrupt culture” and turn over a new leaf as a more friendly and customer-focused business. The new strategy will include an overhaul of its website, a new team to respond to emails and a pledge to stop fining customers [...]
What you need to know before the open May 19, 2014 A mixed open is expected for European markets this morning, following the choppy trading seen globally last week. All eyes will be on Deutsche Bank, following its announcement that it plans to raise €8bn in new capital, and AstraZeneca’s latest announcement that it’s rejected Pfizer’s latest takeover bid. Deutsche Bank’s move could impact what the [...]
Seven things you wouldn’t hear from any chief executive who isn’t Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary November 4, 2013 “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the new and cuddly Ryanair press conference.” So began Michael O’Leary’s attempt to paint his airline as a consumer-friendly service as he revealed the firm’s disappointing first-half results. Here are some extracts from the notoriously outspoken boss’s press conference this morning: “Our website is inferior, it’s way behind the likes [...]
Europe fare war dents Ryanair’s profit forecasts September 4, 2013 AIRLINE shares took a nosedive yesterday after Ryanair, the biggest carrier in Europe, warned that it might miss profit targets for the year. The budget airline said a brewing price war in the UK and several other countries had dented its yields in recent weeks, as rivals try to tempt hard-up Europeans into taking more [...]
Ryanair issues profit warning as weakness in Autumn season appears September 4, 2013 Budget airline Ryanair has issued a profit warning, announcing that it expects full year results to show profit at the lower end of the expected range of €570m to €600m (£482m to £508m). Full year traffic is also expected to come in lower at 81 million from 81.5 million previous. CEO Michael O'Leary said that [...]
O’Leary’s return of the mac March 13, 2014 THE RYANAIR Chase gathered almost as much attention as the airline’s chief exec himself yesterday, as Michael O’Leary broke with sartorial tradition (true to form) and entered the parade ring in a beige mac, standing out from his tweed jacketed peers. Sadly, despite it being St Patrick’s Day Thursday his Irish eyes won’t have been [...]
Ryanair hits out at order to sell Aer Lingus stake August 28, 2013 THE COMPETITION Commission (CC) yesterday said it plans to force Ryanair to sell most of its stake in rival airline Aer Lingus, prompting a furious response from boss Michael O’Leary. The CC said yesterday that Ryanair must sell its 29.8 per cent stake down to five per cent, confirming its finding in May that the [...]
London Report: Astrazeneca’s refusal of Pfizer bid lowers FTSE May 19, 2014 BRITAIN’S top shares fell yesterday, dented by a sharp drop in pharmaceutical firm Astrazeneca after it rejected rival Pfizer’s higher takeover bid. Astrazeneca dived 11.1 per cent after turning down Pfizer’s 55 pounds/share take-it-or-leave-it offer. That steep decline was the biggest drag on the FTSE 100 by some margin, with the index closing down 11.26 [...]
Competition Commission orders Ryanair to sell off Aer Lingus stake August 28, 2013 The Competition Commission has confirmed that budget airline Ryanair will need to reduce its 29.8 per cent stake in Aer Lingus to just five per cent. In its final report published today, the CC confirmed its provisional findings that Ryanair’s minority shareholding had led or may be expected to lead to a substantial lessening of [...]
#MOL! Michael O’Leary takes to Twitter again January 9, 2014 THE ARTIST known as #MOL hit Twitter once more yesterday as Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary continued his charm offensive, answering customer questions and, er, wearing a red nose. The airline boss greeted his fans with his usual stinted text speak tweeting: “MOL here. H nu yr. Luv u all x x x Hope u as [...]