Mr Nice Guy act really pays off - Ryanair profits

IT pays to be nice. That maxim is partly responsible for Ryanair’s whopping profit of €245 million in the first quarter of the airline’s financial year. Having undergone a road to Damascus conversion to Mr Nice Guy from being a confrontational figure, the low fares airline boss Michael O’Leary cites “enhanced customer experience” as one of the key ingredients of the 25% profit leap.

With passenger numbers up by 16% to 28m, it is a performance any airline would envy. While the new “friendly” brand of customer relations is undoubtedly an important ingredient, it is only part of the story. Its low-fare policy is the real key to this high-flying story. For instance, yesterday’s list of cheap flights out of Dublin on the Ryanair website offered fares of €9.99 to Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds (Bradford), Glasgow, East Midlands and Liverpool. Who wants to go there? By all accounts, a lot of people.

It is now the leading airline in Italy, Spain, and Poland and the second biggest operator in the UK. Germany is a growing destination on its target list.