Latest news with #MichaelOLeary
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Court update in Spain's battle with airlines over controversial charges for larger bags
A Spanish court has temporarily blocked a government-imposed fine on budget airlines, including Ryanair, over controversial charges for larger cabin bags. The consumer ministry had levied the penalty, arguing that practices such as charging passengers for carry-on luggage violated customer rights. However, the airlines appealed the decision, prompting the court to intervene. The court ruled that it was currently impossible to fully resolve the complex issue, and that forcing the airlines to pay the fine while their appeal was ongoing would place undue financial strain on the companies. This injunction means the airlines' current baggage policies can remain in effect until a definitive ruling is made, marking an initial victory for the carriers in their challenge against the Spanish government. Ryanair and Norwegian Air logged the appeal after they were fined 109.6 million euros ($128.40 million) last year, saying they believe the fine has no basis. Irish carrier Ryanair, Europe's largest in terms of passengers, said at the time that it would take its appeal to Spain's courts. "These illegal and baseless fines, which have been invented by Spain's Consumer Affairs Ministry for political reasons, are clearly in breach of EU law," said its CEO, Michael O'Leary. Madrid's administrative court ordered both airlines to issue bank guarantees worth 111.8 million euros, equivalent to the sanctions plus interest, while the suspension is in place, it said in a statement. Industry group ALA praised the court's decision and claimed that the fines have no basis. It argued the fines "limit customers' ability to choose, and distort (the European Union's) common market". It said airlines would continue their charging policy until a final ruling is issued. Other airlines were also fined by Spain's consumer rights ministry last year. ALA said it hoped the court ruling will be later applied to all airlines. The ministry imposed a combined sanction of 179 million euros to all the airlines, which also included IAG's low-cost unit Vueling, easyJet, and Volotea. It argued they violated customers' rights when charging for larger carry-on bags, picking seats or boarding pass print-outs and not allowing cash payments at check-in desks or to buy items on board.
Irish Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Fine Gael's Seán Kelly ‘could do a lot' as president but stops short of declaring run
Fine Gael 's Seán Kelly has said he 'could do a lot' as president as he continues to consider a bid for Áras an Uachtaráin while stopping short of declaring he will enter the race. The Ireland South MEP also highlighted comments from Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary , who described the presidency as a 'makey-uppy job'. Mr Kelly said while the remarks were 'a bit cynical' – and he did not agree with Mr O'Leary's approach – 'the makey-uppy is what I would like because what that actually means is flexibility to look at it and to do a lot of things'. Fine Gael is set to open its nominations process for the presidential election next month. READ MORE Former European commissioner and MEP Mairead McGuinness has also been tipped as a possible candidate but is yet to confirm any intention. Mr Kelly has been mulling over a possible run in recent months. His latest remarks came during a questions-and-answers session at a lunch jointly hosted by the Association of European Journalists and the European Parliament's Dublin office. He said he has been asked to run mainly by Fine Gael colleagues but also by people he knows through sport andwas 'thinking about it', but noted there were arguments 'for and against'. 'It's obviously the highest honour in Ireland but also it's a big change of lifestyle,' he said. 'It's a seven-year commitment, which I think is pretty long. It's unique, probably in elected politics, to be elected for that long.' On the qualities he could bring to the job Mr Kelly expressed a reluctance to be 'blowing my own trumpet until I have my mind made up'. 'I'd ask those who were asking me to go forward, what do they see in me that might make me a good president?' 'I'd be thinking – I could do a lot actually – but I won't spell it out.' In March Ryanair chief executive Mr O'Leary backed Ms McGuinness, saying he would be 'very proud' to have her as Ireland's next president. He also indicated he would not want the 'makey-uppy' role himself. Mr Kelly expressed hope there would be multiple candidates seeking the Fine Gael nomination as he believed party members would like to have their say on who would contest the election. On what can be bruising campaigns he said people were 'surprised and some maybe not too pleased' with the tone of the last two presidential elections and there were 'very fine people who were destroyed'.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Past time to lift Dublin passenger cap say American carriers
It is 'past time' for the Government to axe the controversial cap limiting Dublin Airport to 32 million passengers a-year, North American airlines warned on Wednesday. Airlines for America (A4A), whose members include US and Canadian carriers that fly to Dublin, said in a statement that it was bewildered at the cap remains despite Government pledges to lift it and widespread business condemnation of the planning condition. 'It is past time for the Irish Government to show leadership on this matter and take steps to remove the cap which hinders commerce, disrupts the seamless facilitation of passengers and threatens economic growth, jobs and tourism on both sides of the Atlantic,' said the group. 'It is critical that this matter be resolved swiftly to avoid long-term damage to the US-Ireland relationship, the aviation market and the broader transatlantic economy.' READ MORE A4A's comments follow a warning from Willie Walsh , the International Air Transport Association's Irish director general, that the cap was angering US airlines. Michael O'Leary , Ryanair chief executive, this week also renewed calls on the Government to lift the cap, a measure included in the Programme for Government.
Telegraph
18-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain's ‘Ryanair of the rails' may not be glamorous, but it could teach rivals a thing or two
The British train operator which has garnered a reputation as the 'Ryanair of the Rails' does indeed have, it seems, a lot in common with the budget airline that so many passengers love to hate. Lumo, which just under four years ago launched its inaugural service between London and Edinburgh, does indeed have consistently lower fares than the main operator on the route, LNER. It has ambitious plans for growth, too. Having increased services to Edinburgh from two trains a day to five, it recently announced the intention to introduce a new direct link between London and the Scottish city of Stirling, with a further expansion of routes down the line. And like the Dublin-based low-cost airline, its no nonsense one-size-fits-all approach has its detractors, with reviews on platforms such as TrustPilot frequently highlighting issues with cleanliness, punctuality, inadequate provision of refreshment and staff whose brusque manner seems to have come straight from the Michael O'Leary's customer relations playbook. Much of this is hardly surprising. When Lumo began services between London and Edinburgh in October 2021, it unashamedly proclaimed its intention to undercut rivals on the route and to provide real competition to the budget airlines – namely Ryanair and easyJet – which operated between the two cities. In addition to low prices (many of its introductory fares are less than £20 one-way), it gave travellers seeking to reduce their carbon footprint a more environmentally friendly option, with a fleet of all-electric Hitachi trains offering high speeds and low emissions. Potential game changer Mark Smith, the rail guru behind the Man in Seat 61 website, hailed the arrival of Lumo – which was given permission to run the London-Edinburgh route as an 'open access' operator – as a potential game changer. 'For years the high cost of rail travel has been cited by those turning to the cheaper options offered by airlines, but the arrival of Lumo could change all that,' he said. 'Finally a London-Edinburgh train will take on the likes of easyJet and Ryanair at their own game. It is a pioneering move and, if successful, it could encourage others to set up low-cost rail routes and put pressure on the government-backed train operators to reduce fares.' So has Lumo lived up to its early promise? And what's it like to travel on? Reading the TrustPilot reviews, I feared the worst when I boarded the train for a journey to Edinburgh with my wife – a decision taken because, yes, I wanted to test Lumo out but, crucially, because it was considerably cheaper than LNER. The train was certainly busy, with all seats taken and every available space for luggage used to the full. The seats themselves, an attractive deep blue, may not have allowed long leg stretches, but were comfortable enough – and not dissimilar space-wise to those found on more mainstream operators. The drop-down table and individualised lighting were perfectly functional; there was WiFi too, but as with many trains, it was intermittent. We did not feel the train was dirty, though others have pointed to mess on the floor and stained seats. Nor did we experience the rudeness for which Lumo staff have frequently been criticised (in fact, we even managed a joke with the ticket inspector). And of course the views along the way – particularly the later stretches, taking in the Angel of the North, Durham Cathedral and the beautiful stretch of Northumberland coastline on the approach to Scotland – were, of course, every bit as splendid as they would have been on a more expensive train. We arrived in Edinburgh bang on time. No complaints. Unacceptably dirty Maybe we were lucky. Rory Boland, the editor of Which? Travel, also recently travelled with Lumo and had more grounds for complaint. On his trip to Edinburgh, he found the train unacceptably dirty, announcements bordering on the hostile, staff manhandling bags placed in the wrong places and, most egregiously, a failure in the tea service, usually available via an on-board trolley. He did acknowledge, however, that Lumo's fares, while not as low as originally indicated, were less than those quoted by LNER. The cheapest fare he found was £91 return – a good £44 less than the lowest offered by LNER for the same period. With very few stops (Morpeth, Newcastle and, on some journeys, Stevenage), the trains are also faster: the best completing the journey to Edinburgh in just 4 hours 16 minutes. And the Ryanair parallels continue: though passengers love to complain about Lumo, they nevertheless continue to use the service in their droves. So much so, in fact, that the operator – which is owned by FirstGroup – announced earlier this month that it plans to launch a new direct service between London and Stirling, commencing next year. Furthermore, in what will be a significant challenge to an increasingly nationalised rail network, it has applications to run trains from London to Rochdale, Carmarthen and Paignton. The aim is to triple passenger numbers to 10 million a year. According to Simon Hodge, managing director of specialist operator Tailor Made Rail, this is all for the good, as it might help to create some 'healthy competition' on the proposed routes – as operators Italo and Iryo have in Italy and Spain respectively – which would likely reduce fares and benefit passengers. In fact, even Boland had a positive take, concluding that though 'the boarding experience with so many people and luggage being thrown around is chaotic, and dirty seats and no tea made our trip feel budget', Lumo is nevertheless 'fast, far better for the environment than flying and, perhaps crucially, by far the cheapest option.' So, lower fares and, soon, a direct service from London to one of Scotland's finest cities? Lumo might feel budget, but if the rise of the budget airline has proved anything, it's that – for most of us – cost and convenience will always trump comfort. A bit of healthy competition never hurts.
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Ryanair engineers 'forced to check every new Boeing over manufacturing process fears'
Michael O'Leary has revealed that a team of engineers check every Boeing aircraft that Ryanair buys because of concerns over the manufacturing process. The Ryanair boss said previous problems with Boeing jets fresh off the production line meant that every aircraft undergoes a safety inspection before it is allowed to fly under the carrier's name. His comments emerged after a London-bound 787 Dreamliner made by the American company crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad moments after take-off on Thursday, killing all but one passenger on board. There is no suggestion yet that Boeing was at fault in the Air India disaster. Mr O'Leary, whose airline uses only Boeing aircraft and is regarded in the industry as one of the world's safest low-cost carriers, said a team of 30 inspection engineers oversaw Boeing's manufacturing in America. Once a new aircraft arrives at Ryanair's Irish headquarters, local engineers then conduct a 48-hour inspection. 'Only once we are completely happy does it go into operation,' Mr O'Leary told The Times. 'We had planes being delivered and when we get them back to Dublin we find spanners and tools under the floorboards.' His concerns were heightened last night after a Boeing engineer turned whistleblower called for a secret investigation, believed to have uncovered safety concerns with the 787 Dreamliner, to be published. Sam Salehpour claimed last year that 'shortcuts' were used in manufacturing the aircraft's fuselage and that engineers embedded drilling debris between joints in more than 1,000 planes, weakening the structure, shortening the planes' lifespan and risking 'catastrophic events'. A report by America's Federal Aviation Authority into his claims has yet to be made public.
