Michael O'Leary added an exciting new destination to his ever-growing list when his horse War of Attrition landed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup winners' enclosure yesterday afternoon.
Unfortunately there was room on board for only one passenger - jockey Conor O'Dwyer.
But flushed by success and prompted by several interviewers, the Ryanair boss immediately promised "free flights for everyone" on his Ryanair network.
War of Attrition led an Irish 1-2-3 in the festival's biggest race and also sealed a second consecutive triple crown for Ireland, after wins in the Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
On top of this, bookmakers William Hill said the Gold Cup had earned about £10 million for Irish punters, suggesting intervention on their behalf by St Patrick. Unfortunately he had not intervened in time, and the long-priced winners of Wednesday and Thursday had ensured that the bookies would laugh all the way to the bank last night, where they could deposit an estimated £70 million.
Apart from the bookies, the big winner again this week was the Irish horse-racing industry in general.
If Charlie McCreevy and John O'Donoghue didn't feel the cold as badly as the rest of us yesterday, it was because they were basking in the reflected glory of another record- breaking performance by Ireland's four-legged sports stars, in which the Government has invested so much.
The English rugby team should be grateful today that the Cabinet doesn't have quite the same enthusiasm for rugby.
Neither of the politicians backed the Gold Cup winner, as it happened. The Minister for Sport succumbed to the sentimental hope that Beef or Salmon would finally exorcise his demons on this course. And if Beef or Salmon couldn't win, the EU commissioner hoped it would be Forget the Past, with which there was a family connection.
Like reserved seating, sentimentality is not something Michael O'Leary does; yet even he thought Beef or Salmon would win. Asked about his own horse's prospects, he was unusually cautious: "Ah, sure it's the Gold Cup. You couldn't be confident."
In the event, it was Beef of Salmon's connections who lacked grounds for confidence, as the horse's allergy to Cheltenham flared up yet again.
Afterwards, trainer Michael Hourigan conceded that he had finally run out of excuses and would not run in this race again. By then, Michael O'Leary was accepting the congratulations and had recovered his genius for marketing.
"He's well-named," he said of the new champion. "Like his owner, always causing trouble."
The official guests of honour, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, made a brief appearance in the parade ring before the big race.
Most interest centred on Camilla's hat, which appeared to be an each-way bet. Green and specially designed for St Patrick's Day, it featured both shamrock and thistle, although a Scottish win in the Gold Cup was always a long shot. The shamrock at least proved an inspired choice as, minutes later, she presented the prize for the biggest of Ireland's record 10 festival victories.
In the excitement of the winners' enclosure, it was not clear whether the Ryanair boss was serious about his promise of free flights.
Terms and conditions may apply and members of the public are reminded that not all of the airline's routes are as direct as the one War of Attrition took. Asked by one optimist which was the farthest destination the company flew to, Mr O'Leary answered "Sardinia".
After a week in the biting cold of Cheltenham, anywhere in the Mediterranean would do.
