BA: Ryanair passengers ‘like freight’
British Airways boss Willie Walsh has shocked the airline industry with an attack on Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary.
Walsh slammed the low-cost airline claiming that it treats its passengers worse than BA treats freight.
In an interview with CityA.M. Walsh said: “I think we actually treat our freight better than he treats his passengers.”
The broadside sends a clear signal to O’Leary that the new BA boss, who is just three weeks into the job, will not be an easy target.
Walsh was reacting to O’Leary’s boasts that Ryanair carried more passengers than BA in August.
“Nothing that Michael has ever done has ever bothered me,” said Walsh. “We’re a different airline, we operate on a worldwide basis. Our operation is very different to his. Our approach to customer service is very different to his.”
Ryanair’s chief financial officer Howard Millar said that he was shocked at Walsh’s comments, labelling them “ridiculous”.
This is not the first clash between Walsh and O’Leary. When asked what advice he had for BA’s new chief executive last month O’Leary simply said: “Leave.”
Walsh is no stranger to O’Leary’s competitive streak. He was at Aer Lingus as O’Leary was building Ryanair from an airline which in 1985 employed 51 people and flew 5,000 passengers into Europe’s most profitable airline with 250 routes across 21 countries.