Well, it’s now official: European budget carrier Ryanair has completed
its take-over the low cost airline Buzz , formerly owned by KLM. Ryanair
paid EUR 20.1 million (USD$21.5 million) some EUR 2.8 million lower than
the original purchase price. Ryanair has formed a new subsidiary – Buzz
Stansted – and the company will operate a fleet of 10 aircraft, employ
up to 130 people and start flying on May 1st. It will serve a network
of 12 routes, formerly operated by KLM UK/Buzz. The new Chief Executive
of Buzz will be John Osborne, a former Director of Operations for Ryanair
and former Chief Executive of GB Airways and Virgin Express.
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And still on the subject of Ryanair, a recent Mail on Sunday article,
spotted by webmaster Paul made the Beetle laugh. It states that Ryanair
boss Michael O’Leary is, in his spare time, a keen breeder of Aberdeen
Angus cattle. The article asks how would he like it if you agreed to
sell him a pedigree bull, but actually, out of the cattle carrier toddled
a hamster? The article then goes on to compare this to booking a flight
to Ryanair’s new destination, Barcelona – you actually get flown
to Girona, some 60 miles away. In response, Mr O’Leary says: “Don’t
be cross; by comparison Gatwick is also a long way from the centre of
London.” (It’s actually 30 minutes away from either Victoria
or Blackfriars station in central London – Beetle). The article goes
on to show how in Ryanair’s world Hahn manages to become Frankfurt 70
miles away, and how Forli doubles as Bologna some 50 miles away. Not
so long ago, readers may remember the howls of discontent when the Beetle
travelled 2 hours from Oslo to Ryanair’s base at Torp airport.
By way of appreciation, the article says that “whilst many have
managed to come to terms with Ryanair’s rather cavalier attitude to customer
relations. i.e. you got a cheap ticket – what are you moaning about?
But why is it that for an airline that hails from a country famed for
its blarney, Ryanair manages to exude so little charm?”
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A Ryanair Joke spotted by one of our readers
American special forces have this morning reported the successful takeover
of Baghdad airport. However further inspection by Irish journalists of
the lack of ground staff and no open services or shops revealed it to
be the Ryanair Baghdad airport. American troops have in fact landed 400
miles south of Baghdad but will avail of the feeder bus that leaves from
Mohammed O’Kelly’s Irish bar every day at 6pm.