Ryanair’s new image goes up

THE softening of the image of Ryanair and its chief executive Michael O’Leary continued apace in Westport on Thursday as the airline celebrated carrying its four millionth customer between the UK and Ireland West Airport Knock.

Mr. O’Leary wasn’t in attendance at Knockranny House Hotel for the event but the company’s new head of sales and marketing, Peter Bellew, said they are working hard to make Ryanair a more customer friendly enterprise.

He said the airline recognised its customer service offering needed improving, and they set about doing just that. “We’re going to just keep cranking it up,” he promised before an audience of tourism industry executives in the Westport hotel on Thursday afternoon. “We have a lot done but we have a lot more still to do.”

The improvements extend to a revamped website, a free (small) second carry-on bag, allocated seating and a new 'Family Extra’ service.
For the future, he said he saw 'huge opportunities’ for the entire west coast in terms of tourism. “I live in Killarney at the weekends and as nice as it is, it is in no way as authentic as what you have here. People overseas want to come here but you have to tell them that the access is here.”
The access from Europe to Ireland West Airport Knock has improved this year with Ryanair’s addition of three new services from Eindhoven, Glasgow Prestwick and Kaunas. The airline’s 16 summer routes will deliver over 580,000 customers this year, and overall the airport will see 700,000 pass through its gates.
Mr. Joe Gilmore, managing director at Knock airport, said that as the western region’s international airport catering for over 1.2 million people, the airport has a right to be ambitious in terms of growing for the future.