NEWS FLASH
Low cost carrier Ryanair is cancelling eight destinations out of Budapest this winter after a dispute with the Hungarian government following the introduction of an extra profit tax. Airlines will have to charge an extra ten euros on all flights departing from Hungary to Europe and 25 euros to other international destinations. As a result, Ryanair has said it will switch some of its flights from Hungary to Croatia, among other neighbouring markets. In a statement, Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, said, “We regret these route and flight cuts which are caused solely by the stupid and illogical decision of the Hungarian government to impose “excess profits” tax on the loss-making airline industry which now makes flying to/from Hungary more expensive and less competitive. Applying an “excess profits” tax to the loss-making airline sector in Hungary is inexplicable, and when other Central European airports have lower costs and no idiotic “excess profits” tax either. These routes and flights will be switched to other lower-cost neighbouring countries like Slovakia, Austria, Croatia and Romania, none of which have any idiotic “excess profits” tax on loss-making airlines. Ryanair is cancelling flights out of Budapest to Bordeaux, Bournemouth, Cologne, Kaunas, Krakow, Lappeenranta, Riga and Turin.
What happened with vocabulary and basic business communication?
ReplyDeleteWe left it behind. In the dark ages of fear and poverty behind the iron curtain. LOL!!!
DeleteThis kind of communication style between a company and a government is a nogo.
DeleteIt's O'Leary's signature style. And the tax truly is idiotic.
DeleteYou do not know how many tax are in airline ticket price?
DeleteRyan Air has massive staff problems, almost a third of Ryan air flights are affected and many cancelled daily. They're cheap most of the times and there are deals, but staff shoretages won't go away.
DeleteAnd how is their situation different from any other airline nowdays?
DeleteCEO of one company using a word "stupid" in an official statement tells you a lot about the company and the person giving the statement. Unprofessional.
ReplyDeleteMOL has been using that language forever, and he's built the largest and most profitable Airline in Europe. People in Ex-Yu countries have this idea of a CEO being someone who wears suits, talks corporate-speak, and takes care of their image. In 21st century that view is outdated. While CEOs of old companies whose clients value tradition (i.e., banks) still look like that, in many modern companies that description only describes middle and upper management.
DeleteCEOs of many modern companies (especially those that appeal to younger population) just don't care about those norms. In fact, they know that they can get free publicity and appeal to the masses by using strong language, vulgarisms or by simply being totally random. All the better if these statements become trending on Twitter or other social media. Often times, these statements are not even written by the CEOs themselves, but PR and social media experts, and are crafted to look precisely like they HAVEN'T been cleared with PR department.
Unlike for example Croatia Airlines puppet "CEO" who is so well bred, kind and polite, and his company is so well run, profitable, efficient and making immediate moves on its widespread network in order to keep both profits high and passengers satisfied. Balkane, Balkane, and Balkane moj...
DeleteUnprofessional, but still a CEO of one of the largest airlines in Europe, that just happen to makes large profits year after year (Covid hiccup excluded).
DeleteWhat would he know about running an airline, he's completely unprofessional.
I don't care if someone is CEO or luggage handler, you have to take care of your language, at least in business environment. Language is important, and there are many varieties between corporate nonsense language and this kind of communication.
Delete@12.34 So the profit is the king and that gives him right to talk like this? If you have money, it's OK to be arrogant? No, Sir, no way.
Delete12:44 you are right. You can be a billionaire, but nothing gives you the right to call someone stupid or idiotic. It is just common sense and basic manners.
DeleteWell I agree with MOL nevertheless.
DeleteThe Irish are known for their direct speak. You know, not like in the Balkans when someone assures you in your face nothing is wrong, and then stabs you in the back.
DeleteYes, he very directly announced Zadar winter flights last season...
DeleteEven if I disagree with Ryanair because extra profits must be taxed for me ans get distributed, this is the opportunity for Ryanair to start these routes from BEG.
ReplyDeleteSo you bought a ticket to Budapest and you land in Zagreb. That's innovative!
ReplyDeleteHonestly I see that as an absolute win!
DeleteRyanair will probably reclass Zagreb as being in Hungary when selling tickets!
DeleteBudapeszt -Franjo Tuđman 😉
DeleteWe already have Zagabria South at Mahovljani.
Delete+1.000000
ReplyDeleteThis is communication only. I doubt any plane will be based to ZAG. Btw, FR announced recently that they cancel some of their routes out of ZAG. :)
ReplyDeleteDoes he really think people are potato so it's same to them if travel to Budapest or Zagreb? Weird idea, more like pressure on Government but not the smartest one. I'm against those taxes too but some joint action with other airlines would be more benefitial than this outburst, specially knowing Orban's modus operandi.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is an absolute sociopath an peeps buy that. How sustainable.
ReplyDeleteCorrect.
DeleteWill this affect WizzAir as well? What is their comment on this?
ReplyDeleteThey didn’t cancel the routes cause if the tax, but poor performance. As BUD is congested and nearly full, I doubt they will just gave up those slots…
ReplyDeleteWhy, are they scared of Wizz?
ReplyDeleteMore Croatia & Tuzla and it will be perfect =]
ReplyDeleteA CEO with no class. Na zapadu nista novo.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how people in post communist countries idolize western CEOs. These people are sociopaths and the new normal is precisely this kind of language, not only in business but diplomacy too.
ReplyDeleteAs for transferring dozens of flights from Budapest to Vienna, Zagreb or Romania (I guess the closest airport there is Timisoara with only one international Ryanair flight), that's kind of idiotic as well. It might work for those locations perhaps, but people traveling to and from Budapest certainly won't drive another 350km to these surrounding destinations.
@Michael
DeleteUsually we agree on many things, but not this time. Generalizing is never good. There is no diferrence between "Croats don't travel abroad" and "people in post communist countries idolize western CEO s". Yugoslavia, and Croatia today, were not behind iron curtain, did not have repression as in Soviet block, had good living standard, open borders and market economy, and during the last decade of its existence, at least in Croatia and Slovenia, Communist Party was the subject of fun and mockery. The sad thing is that with disintegration of Yugoslavia, power in Croatia was taken by people from ex KPJ who grabbed the opportunity which was already lost in Yugoslavia, and are ruining the country. Instead progressive people and ideas, ones about economy included, everything is dominated by regressive backwards people and ideas, who have mindset stuck in 1950s.The best example is Croatia Airlines. In such environment, street vocabulary of a CEO is the least the smallest and the most insignificant problem out of all problems we have, and by no means is idolizing of any kind. I, and believe most of the people who have something to do with aviation in Croatia, would prefer OU CEO to have O'Leary 's vocabulary, and results in leading company, instead of the exact opposite. For everything else you wrote, I agree.
Meanwhile FR is cutting even more in ZAG. FKB, HHN and GOT are all reduced from 3 to just 1 weekly this winter season.
ReplyDelete