Is Ryanair's Michael O'Leary a genius or an idiot?
I have been reading in the press about Michael O'Leary talking about reducing the cockpit crew on his planes from 2 pilot to 1. He claims he will write to aviation authorities demanding that they allow him to operate his 737 fleet single pilot.
He states that in all the years of operation, Ryanair have only had one pilot have a heart attack at work and he landed the plane! He doesn't mention all the other events where his pilots have worked their socks off to deal with a problem. Would a major incident, like a multiple bird strike, be able to be dealt with by a pilot on their own?
It is clear that Boeing will never amend their certification just to satisfy Ryanair's desire to cut cost even more. Why would they open themselves to possible litigation if things go wrong.
Why is MOL sending out this message? I think it is because he is a genius. He is on the front pages of many newspapers and it is making a noise online too.
So, what do you think, genius or fool?
I find it hard to like MOL as
I find it hard to like MOL as he seems to hate pilots with a passion. He has made Ryanair into one of the most profitable airlines in the world and this has given employment to hundreds of pilots.
He has made a massive amount of publicity for free just by mentioning this topic so I reckon MOL is a unpleasant GENIUS!
I personally think he is an
I personally think he is an ill advised idiot. I think this harps back to the article back in March that Ryan Air have embraced Social Media - http://www.flightcrewfinder.com/news/easyjet-embrace-social-media This has all the hall marks of a social media campaign that has now "gone viral" - everyone is talking about it. He knows fine well that this will not pass as acceptable but now everyone is talking about his brand. I do think it will backfire though.
They may be talking about Ryan Air and people may want cheap flights but they also want safety and I think that the general population will not warm to the removal of someone who is there for their safety.
I think Ryan Air's practices are pretty poor - getting pilots and crew to pay for their own courses is just adding to the woes of anyone trying to break into the industry. Hopefully this "campaign" will raise awareness of those practices too and force them to change - they need to. I think this latest stunt will backfire on him so for that reason - he is an idiot
I read this
I read this here...
http://www.aaiu.ie/AAIUviewitem.asp?id=5782&lang=ENG&loc=1280
Incident: Boeing B737-800, EI-CSZ, Charleroi Airport Belgium, 13 Sep 2002, Report No 2004-013
25 August 2004
SYNOPSIS
The aircraft departed Charleroi Airport on a scheduled flight to Stanstead, UK. Shortly after take off the First Officer noted that the Captain had leaned to one side and did not respond to prompting. Realising that the Captain was incapacitated the First Officer advised Brussels ATC that he had a pilot incapacitation problem and requested a return to the departure airfield, Charleroi. An Emergency was declared.
The No. 1 Cabin Crew Member (CCM) (1) was summoned to the cockpit and put a therapeutic oxygen mask on the unconscious Captain. It appeared that the Captain was lifeless. The aircraft returned immediately and landed safely at Charleroi. A husband and wife medical doctor team on board the aircraft attempted to revive the Captain. Eventually with the aid of the airport and Local Authority Emergency Services, the Captain responded to intensive revival efforts and was removed to hospital in a critical condition.