O’Leary says sorry to Stelios
It’s not something we see very often, but today Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary made an apology.
He was forced to apologise to Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of easyJet, for suggesting he was a liar in a series of print adverts.
Ryanair apologised “unreservedly†for tagging a photograph of Stelios with an elongated nose like Pinocchio and calling him “Easyjet’s-Mr. Late Againâ€.
As well as a half-page apology in the Daily Telegraph and Guardian newspapers, where the adverts appeared earlier this year, O’Leary was forced to pay out $77,000.
At a hearing in the High Court today, O’Leary’s lawyers agreed to withdraw the allegations.
“It is not very often that someone as arrogant and as powerful as O’Leary is forced to apologise to someone else in public and in writing,†Stelios said in a statement.
“I took this legal action to protect my reputation. I am not a liar and that statement was libelous.â€
He said the compensation money will be donated to charity.
“I would like to dedicate this little victory to all those members of the travelling public who have suffered verbal abuse and hidden extras at the hands of O’Leary,†Stelios said.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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