Ryanair’s PR king plays a dangerous game
Comment by Jeremy Skidmore (www.jeremyskidmore.com)
It’s no surprise that Michael O’Leary’s interviews grabbed the headlines this week. The guy is a master of PR and he certainly spinned away from any criticism of his own airline.
I watched a Sky News report where he said six times in the space of a few minutes that Ryanair does not charge fuel supplements. I couldn’t believe fellow Irishman Eamonn Holmes let him get away with it.
No, Ryanair doesn’t charge fuel supplements, but it does constantly review its prices and, as O’Leary himself has admitted, the carrier will only break even in the future if the price of oil remains high.
The recent demise of business-class only airlines was also mentioned, but you can’t compare business class flights across the Atlantic with no-frills flights to European destinations.
Even O’Leary’s enemies will admit that he’s a very clever man who has helped revolutionise short-haul flying. But he didn’t do himself any favours by going on to label some of his competitors ‘crappy’ and saying he expects them to be grounded.
Great headlines and a journalist’s dream, but it doesn’t come across as very professional.
So why do it? Firstly, it positions the airline as rock solid in the minds of readers and not one that is as vulnerable to the current economic climate as others.
Also, it’s guaranteed to grab headlines far more than any discussion about Ryanair’s performance.
But it’s a dangerous game to play because comments like that can come back to haunt you.
Flybe hit back strongly, claiming fuel only accounts for 24.6 per cent of its costs, compared with 44.5 per cent of Ryanair’s costs. Flybe says oil would have to be over $170 a barrel before it breaks even. Jet2 has added that it has bought its fuel ahead for several seasons and is confident of a long future.
They can’t all be right and one thing’s for certain, there will be more casualties in this overcrowded market.
O’Leary is currently miles ahead in the PR stakes, but there are plenty who, as Kevin Keegan once said, ‘will absolutely love it’ if he’s proved wrong.
The next few months will be interesting.
Jeremy Skidmore
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