Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary thinks "holidays are a complete waste of time." But, of course, he flies Ryanair, though "it costs me a fortune in excess baggage," he quips.
O'Leary reveals this woe to Management Today, which published an interview with the airline magnate.
In it, O'Leary reveals that his airline is bidding again for Aer Lingus, which it has been doing despite the European Commission's concern that allowing the takeover could harm competition. (Such a merger could bring Ryanair stateside.) He also mentions the recent boarding pass-fee debate, in which he notably called his passengers idiots.
Regarding his paycheck, O'Leary drops a doozie, saying: "I'm paid about 20 times more than the average employee and I think that gap should be wider," and compares his rate to that of Aer Lingus boss Christoph Mueller.
Perhaps it was hopes of a pay raise for O'Leary that gave rise to Ryanair's notoriously zany money-saving schemes. Most recently, Ryanair has been accused of flying with near-empty fuel tanks to save on fuel costs. Aside from being under investigation from both Irish and Spanish authorities for that issue, the airline also came under scrutiny from the Irish Aviation Authority following concerns it was not allowing passengers to sit in exit row seats without paying a fee.
Ryanair also sought to cut fuel costs earlier this year by asking flight attendants to watch their weight, in addition to cutting the amount of ice taken on board and reducing the weight of seats and carts.
But, judging from Ryanair's charity crew calendar, the flight attendants look alright to us.
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