Ryanair attributes profits to being pleasant to customers

Renowned for their punitive restrictions when it comes to dealing with passengers, Ryanair has surprisingly mended its ways to their credit and profit.

Ryanair attributes profits to being pleasant to passengers Image by David Precious / CC BY 2.0

CEO Michael O’Leary announced that being pleasant to customers was largely responsible for Ryanair’s first-half profits which were up by more than a third.

The profit will see Ryanair flying 1 million more passengers than had been expected by the end of its year in March. The increased number of passengers over the summer is credited to the strength of the British pound and  the bad weather experienced across Northern Europe which led people to travel in search of warmer climates. As a result Ryanair’s profits will have gone up by 37%.

The charm offensive Ryanair has undertaken is also thought to have been one of the huge influencing factors, encouraging people to fly with them after dropping some of their constrictive policies. O’Leary, formerly known for delighting in Ryanair’s unpleasant and cheap reputation, has spoken about being pleasant to customers as a sound investment which Ryanair is unlikely to be dropping.

“If I’d only learned in college that being nice was good for business I’d have done it years ago… As long as it boosts profitability I don’t think there is any limit to my niceness.”

The boost means Ryanair expects to fly 105 million passengers this year, an increase of 16% from last year.