[The_Judge]

Ryanair CEO: 'Stupid' Passengers Deserve Fees

Do you print your boarding pass at home before arriving at the airport? If you don't, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary thinks you're "stupid."

The Ryanair chief executive recently admonished passengers, who fail to print boarding passes before arriving at the airport.

The issue came to a head after a mother of two - Suzy McLeod - paid about $380 at the airport in August so her family could get the paperwork to fly home to Britain from Spain. Upset about the fee, she vented on Facebook (FB) and received hundreds of thousands of "likes," according to an NBCNEWS.com report.

O'Leary responded. "We think Mrs. McLeod should pay 60 euros for being so stupid," he told The Telegraph. (McLeod was charged 60 euros each for five boarding passes, or about 300 euros total.)

But O'Leary kept talking. And the CEO is known for talking, shocking headlines and publicity. "It is his schtick and he's known for it," said CNBC reporter Phil LeBeau on CNBC's "Street Signs."

Even with a day or so to reflect, O'Leary argued his comments weren't aimed at the mom, specifically - but at his customers generally. "I was not calling her stupid, but all those passengers are stupid who think we will change our policies or our fees," he told the Irish Independent.

Passengers flying Ryanair, the budget Irish carrier, are expected to check-in online and print boarding passes in advance, and come to the airport with paperwork in hand. Those who are empty-handed are charged the fee.

'Bu**er Off'

O'Leary stands by his airline's policy that requires passengers to print their boarding passes in advance.

He said anyone who didn't like the policy could quite politely "bu**er off," according to The Telegraph. Passenger McLeod "wrote to me last week asking for compensation and a gesture of goodwill. To which we have replied, politely but firmly, thank you Mrs McLeod but it was your ****-up," according to The Telegraph. O'Leary says 99.98 percent of Ryanair passengers print their boarding passes in advance.

CEO O'Leary added: The mother pays "for being an idiot and failing to comply with her agreement at the time of booking. We think Mrs McLeod should pay 60 euros for being so stupid," the Mirror reported.

An email request for more information from Ryanair was not immediately returned to CNBC.com on Friday afternoon.

Ryanair Passengers are Stupid per their CEO

[jimworcs]

Judge,

Michael O'Leary is amusing in his publicity seeking belligerence. In some senses he is right. Ryanair require you to abide by some quite onerous conditions in order to fly with them. If you deviate from these conditions they quickly go from a low cost airline to a very high cost airline. If you fly Ryanair, you MUST abide by their rules. They are not a passenger friendly airline and they try very hard to "catch out" their customers. Here is an example.

Most airlines in Europe allow one piece of hand luggage with a small personal item on top, such as a handbag or even a purchase made in the duty free. The weight of the handluggage varies from unlimited (Easyjet) down to 10Kg maximum (Ryanair).

At check in, the airlines will advise you of the rules and most will weigh your hand luggage to check you meet the criteria. If you do not, then you have the opportunity to transfer stuff to your check in bag, or get rid of stuff to meet the criteria. Ryanair make no effort to do this. Instead, Ryanair has a scale and baggage sizer on boarding, with a mobile credit card machine. As you are called to boarding, your bag will be weighed and sized. If it does not meet the very strict criteria you are confronted with a choice. Pay a huge excess luggage fee (I mean huge, $90 minimum, can be hundreds of dollars) or lose the flight with no refund. Passengers are often forced to abandon their airport purchases at the gate (bonus for poorly paid Ryanair staff). Women are told to pay for the bag because their handbag counts as their handluggage. The staff will not discuss this with you or even in some cases allow you to rejig your bags. I saw one couple try to move an item from one bag to another in Liverpool and be denied boarding because "you cannot carry luggage for someone else". It is pay or lose your flight.

Ryanair is safe, reasonably reliable in terms of schedule and can be cheap. However, they will nickle and dime you death, and flying with them is always a stressful experience. Deviate from their rules at your peril. If you want to take luggage, Ryanair are often not the cheapest airline. If you want to sit together, then you pay for Speedy Boarding which can render them more expensive. If you lose your boarding pass, you will pay fines of hundreds of Euros.

I am not so sure you would want to work for this guy. This guy requires that you purchase your own uniform. He also requires that you be on standby on certain days for which you will not be paid. He requires that you go on a training course, at your own expense (loans available to be paid back by salary deduction), with out the guarantee that you will be given a job at the end of it, even if you pass. He will also require you to sign a contract giving you employment protection only under Irish law, even if you never set foot in that country. You can be an Italian, working only Italian routes, living in Italy and you will not have the same employment protection as other Italians. Even as an employee you cannot have so much as a drink of water onboard without paying for it.

This has made Michael O'Leary a multi-millionaire, with a stable of race horses and multiple houses. Not for him the kind of cost cutting he imposes on his staff. When he doesn't like a rule, he doesn't stick by it.. he finds a way round it. The route to Dublin Airport is often congested. There is a "Bus Lane" which is reserved for buses and taxi's. O'Leary is too grand to sit in traffic like everyone else on his way to work... so he bought a taxi, so he could drive in the "Bus Lane". This man is an arrogant pig and boasts about it. Enjoy that job.

[The_Judge]

Perfect.....since you are closer, send me an application please??? I like a boss that calls his customers names. Leadership by example, I always say.