O’Leary to leave Ryanair in about 3 years

Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, earlier said that he plans to retire two to three years from now from the Irish budget airline company. O’Leary told RTE radio that he would also like to witness the takeover of rival Aer Lingus, which he had previously tried twice but failed to accomplish, before he quits.

O’Leary was the CEO of Ryanair since 1994. Under his management, Ryanair further developed the low cost fare model originally introduced by Southwest Airlines.

Ryanair is considered as the largest low cost airline in Europe, catering to around 66 million air travellers yearly. But it was recently been criticized by customers for charging each guest with £5 just by paying a ticket through credit card.

Earlier, the outcome of the recent FamilyBrands survey named Ryanair as the worst family brand in Britain. The study was based on the satisfaction ratings of 1,500 consumers for 100 famous brands. Many of the respondents said that airline firms have mercenary attitude towards passengers by considering revenue first before the wellbeing of their guests.

Spokesman Stephen McNamara however defended Ryanair and said that the survey results of FamilyBrands, which was initiated by the ad agency Isobel, were not dependable. He further added that Ryanair still continues to provide unbeatable cheap airfare with an assured no fuel surcharge.

The survey also reveals that British Airways was placed at the 61st spot, while EasyJet ranked 88th. The FamilyBrands survey assessed the airlines whether they pay attention to passenger’s comments, care for the wellbeing of guests and practice family values.