With the announced reductions in service by British Airways and the continued growth of Ryanair, it appears that Ryanair, the upstart low-cost carrier, will pass British Airways in the rankings of airlines in Britain.
While the major airlines across Europe have been losing money relentlessly for most of the past year, Ryanair has improved its profits by 80 percent. Most analysts do not feel that this kind of profit growth can continue.
Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, said that this would allow his company to overtake BA as Britain’s biggest carrier. “It is hard to know when it will happen because it is hard to keep up with how fast BA’s passenger numbers are declining,” Mr O’Leary said. “We will overtake them at some point — and I am not talking about months [when] they have a strike.”
Passengers and the media in Europe seem to have a love/hate relationship with Ryanair. They love the low airfares. They hate the fees. But overall, their love of saving money has made Ryanair’s gambits winners.
If Ryanair can pass BA in numbers of passengers flown in its home country, it will be a blow to the flag carriers pride. Ryanair already flies more passengers within Europe than any other airline.
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