STEPHEN NEILL,
Sir, - The High Court judgment in favour of Jane O'Keeffe (The Irish Times, June 20th) marked a good day in the annals of consumer rights.
The only sadness on my part is that it had to come at the expense of Ryanair and its CEO, Michael O'Leary. I have long been an admirer of Mr O'Leary and his extraordinary success in bringing Ryanair into the major-league of European aviation carriers. My admiration for him is not simply due to the commercial success of the company, but more particularly the way in which he has achieved it and the obstacles he has overcome.
He has made no apology for providing what is a no-frills service which allows more ordinary men and women than ever before to enjoy the benefits of air travel. He has constantly had to endure the moaners who complained about the poor back-up services provided by Ryanair when unforeseen circumstances disrupted their flight arrangements.
In comparing Ryanair unfavourably with other carriers these blinkered people would ignore the fact that their Ryanair tickets cost a fraction of other airlines'. You get what you pay for and, contrary to popular belief, businesses are not charities. Ryanair is a profitable and efficient business which provides a very basic service.
This same attitude was evident during the foot-and-mouth crisis when so many begrudgers felt the company should refund their tickets to Cheltenham and other cancelled events. Mr O'Leary faced them down and he was right to do so. There is a price for opting for a bargain airline.
Mr O'Leary also had to deal with the bureaucracy of a Government which has often shown its ineptitude in dealing with the airline industry. The state of Aer Lingus and the tardiness in sanctioning the new terminal at Dublin airport are obvious examples, but there are many others.
But perhaps the most significant factor in the almost meteoric rise of Ryanair has been Mr O'Leary's refusal to let trade unions get a foothold in the company. Many companies which showed huge potential have been destroyed by unions which frustrated management efforts to respond quickly, pre-emptively and creatively to changes in market circumstances.
All of this might lead me to conclude that Michael O'Leary is a truly great icon of Irish entrepreneurial talent and flair. But, sadly, I find I cannot conclude that in the light of the O'Keeffe judgment. It would seem that O'Leary displayed the same blinkered begrudgery in his attitude to the claim of Jane O'Keeffe that he so successfully countered among his detractors.
There is still an opportunity for Mr O'Leary to redeem himself. He and Ryanair have declared themselves "very satisfied" with the judgment.That is a long way from saying sorry, but then it takes a big man to do that. - Yours, etc.,
STEPHEN NEILL, Modreeny Rectory, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary.