Just how will O’leary get himself out of this crisis?

UNDER fire Ryanair boss Michael O’leary has a knack of finding his way out of a jam. In 2003, frustrated at being caught in traffic in his native Westmeath, the outspoken businessman registered his Mercedes as a taxi, allowing him to avoid the gridlock and zip through the restricted access bus lanes instead. His latest predicament, however, may prove his most difficult to fix. Ryanair faces a compensation bill of up to €20million for the flight cancellations shambles which has left many passengers stranded. Reputation-wise, both he and the firm have suffered a significant blow. The fiasco, affecting around 2% of flights, was described by Mr O’leary as a self-inflicted “mess-up” caused by a backlog of pilots taking overdue annual leave.

DISASTER

Typically trying to fight his way out of a corner, he insisted the firm was “not short of pilots”. Mr O’leary is no stranger to controversy. Plans to charge for using the toilet mid-flight, allowing mobile phones on board, and – announced this month – ending the policy of allowing non-priority passengers to have two items of hand luggage have courted attention. However, his latest PR disaster may have much greater consequences with renewed calls for Mr O’leary to quit – something he has steadfastly refused to do when quizzed on the subject. He has previously acknowledged his own longevity, telling the Westmeath Examiner in 2009 he expected to stand down by the time he was “50/51”. Five years past that date, he remains in the thick of the action more than ever.