RYANAIR RAGE
Pilots blast back after grovelling boss O’Leary attempts to make peace
RYANAIR pilots have hit back at boss Michael O’Leary after he sent them a grovelling apology over the cancellation crisis.
The airline chief also insisted remarks about them being “precious” were aimed at rival firms, and vowed to boost pay in a bid to keep them.
But crews blasted his “desperate ramblings” as “too little, too late”.
The Irish carrier previously offered a cash bonus to entice some crew to change holiday plans after they cancelled 18,000 flights. When pilots rejected it, O’Leary inflamed the row at Ryanair’s annual meeting by calling them “precious” and “full of selfimportance”.
He added: “I’d challenge any pilot to explain how this is a difficult job or how it is they are overworked.”
Now, in his U-turn, he has insisted: “I have the utmost respect and admiration for Ryanair’s pilot team.”
His letter promised better pay and was a personal apology “to each of you for the disruptions you have experienced”.
O’Leary, 56, also said his remarks were aimed at “pilots of competitor airlines and their unions”. And he warned crew against taking employment with other operators – particularly Norwegian, claiming it will not survive winter.
Furious crew said they will continue plans to form a union. In a letter to O’Leary on behalf of all Ryanair pilots, they said: “You’ve considered us as nothing more than aircraft parts.
“The schedule will continue to fall apart if it is based on this shoestring management style. We will not settle for temporary duct-tape solutions.”
A captain who has been with Ryanair for six years added: “These are the ramblings of a desperate man. It shows the arrogance of O’Leary.
“Offering increases in pay and conditions to match Jet2 and Norwegian, but only in the bases where they have competitors, is an attempt to divide the workforce.
“It shows management have no real appetite to fix this unfair and toxic place to work.”
The Civil Aviation Authority vowed to monitor Ryanair’s treatment of passengers, having said it must tell them of their full rights or face legal action.