Ryanair: How a Small Irish Airline Conquered Europe [Paperback]

Siobhan Creaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2004

Just a few years ago Ryanair was a tiny, impoverished Irish airline trying unsuccessfully to compete with Aer Lingus using a handful of elderly turboprop planes. In 2003 its share price is so high the company is worth more than British Airways, and with the unlikely business model of selling seats for as little as 99p for the privilege of flying to airports perhaps 50 miles outside the cities they purport to serve, Ryanair has become the most profitable airline in Europe. It is also an airline whose phenomenal success has never been too far from controversy, whether it be its militant lack of sympathy for its passengers when their flight is delayed or cancelled, its robust approach to industrial relations, or indeed the industrial language favoured by its charismatic and buccaneering chief executive, Michael O'Leary - and, most recently, the EU ruling that Ryanair's strategy of getting cities like Strasbourg to pay it handsomely for the privilege of landing at their airport contravenes competition law. But the supercharged growth of this low-cost airline has actually changed the way countless people live their lives, whether it be Ireland's new 'Ryanair Generation' for whom its cheap flights to Dublin have eliminated much permanent emigration to the UK, or the thousands of Britons now enabled to buy holiday homes in rural France. This book tells the full story of the Ryanair phenomenon, from its inauspicious beginnings to its current dominance, from the secret of its business strategy to the cavalier stunts and practices that have led "The Guardian" to dub it "Eire O'Flot". Siobhan Creaton has spoken to Ryanair employees past and present, as well as its top management and those at its major rivals like British Airways and easyJet, to produce an authoritative and objective account of one of the most colourful companies in Europe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'This savvy, hugely readable book is measured and fair-minded, regaling us with O'Leary's... verbal discretions without detracting from his achievements' - Financial Times" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Siobhan Creaton is Financial Correspondent for the Irish Times. She is co-author of Panic at the Bank, the story of the Allied Irish Bank scandal, which reprinted three times and sold 12,000 copies. She lives in Dublin. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Aurum Press (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1854109928
• ISBN-13: 978-1854109927
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,790,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In depth, well written and not in love with Mr. O'Leary, October 5, 2004

By 

John E. Drury "jedrury" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ryanair: How a Small Irish Airline Conquered Europe (Paperback)

I bought this book in Ireland and read it on the way back on
Aer Lingus. The author writes well and does an in-depth study
of the airline and how it came into being. She gives all the right personalities their due and carefully details the airline's move from its Ireland UK routes to its expansion in Europe. She effectively strips Michael O'Leary of his PR star status making him out to be juvenile, abusive, deceitful yet an effective swashbuckling airline buccaneer. When I came to the part about the way the Ryanair mistreats the disabled by charging them for the use of wheelchairs and making them claw their way up the plane's steps on the tarmac, the thought rocketed into my mind that I would exercise my rights not want to fly Ryanair even - if the price was free.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and Inspirational, May 29, 2008

By 

M. Khatib (Sydney) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ryanair: The Full Story of the Controversial Low-Cost Airline (Paperback)

Siobhan Creaton, the former Finance Correspondent of the Irish Times newspaper, did a stellar job in writing this book. Very well researched, detailed and fast paced, this story is about the bumpy but enormously successful journey of an Irish low-budget, cut-throat airline who beat the odds to become one of the most profitable airlines in Europe.

Tony Ryan, a wealthy Irish businessman who originally worked for Ireland's national carrier Aer Lingus, founded Ryanair in 1986. He had a vision of a low-budget, no-frills airline: "If people want a cut of tea or coffee, let them pay for it. If they want to buy tickets let them stand". During its first few years of operation, the company recorded heavy losses and was on the brink of bankruptcy in the late 1980s.

In 1988, Ryan hired Michael O'Leary, a confident 27 year old accountant and school friend of Ryan's sons Cathal and Declan. Sceptical about the airline at first, O'Leary later took on a heavier workload and became more interested in all aspects of the business, after Ryan agreed to his proposal "If I make 2 million pounds will you give me 10 per cent?". O'Leary went about aggressively cutting costs and in 1994 became chief executive.

In the mid to late 90s, Ryanair was turned around to become very profitable and a major player in Irish aviation. By this time, O'Leary was fantastically rich. He continued heavy cost-cutting and expanded Ryanair's routes all over Europe. His business model was based on Herb Kelleher's Southwest Airlines, a widely successful low budget in the US.

Creaton gives countless examples of Ryanair's careless treatment of customers, O'Leary's rude and aggressive management style and the airline's horrible treatment of its own staff. Numerous times the Irish carrier has made headlines for not helping disabled passengers board a plane or charging them for using a wheelchair. When ice suppliers bumped up prices, O'Leary refused to pay the higher cost and the airline simply stopped serving ice with drinks for some time before a deal was eventually made. When asked about how Ryanair deals with customers seeking a refund on their tickets, O'Leary once replied "We don't fall over ourselves if they say 'My granny fell ill'. What part of 'No Refund' don't you understand? You are not getting a refund so f*** off".

Given all Ryanair's flaws, reading about the airline's successes made me appreciate just how much the company has revolutionised aviation in the UK and other parts of Europe. These days many flights are offered free - travellers only need to pay the airport tax (usually around 20 pounds for a return flight) - an amazing feat for an airline that in the late 1980s was in danger of folding.

Siobhan Creaton has written a fantastic book - an exciting, insightful and inspirational business story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, engaging corporate tale, December 21, 2005

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ryanair: How a Small Irish Airline Conquered Europe (Paperback)

The story of how discount airfares came to Europe is no fairy tale. This book is a disturbing story about the underside of deregulating Ireland's airline industry. It's a tale of temperamental executives, overspeculation, greed, government intervention, mistreated customers and the challenges of free market operations. Given a wealth of material and an exciting industry, author Siobhán Creaton delivers a well-written, engaging corporate tale. The cast includes a combustible mix of powerful personalities who sometimes, but not always, tolerate each other. There is also a revolving door of top executives who serve the company's purposes and leave, as well as horror stories about how cost cutting created festering customer relations. Creaton packs this into an exciting story that moves quickly, though it rambles now and then. We recommend this compelling profile to anyone interested in corporate case studies, executive management or modern aviation.