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E-mailIrish airline chief O'Leary puts foot in mouth for publicity's sake
'Swine flu will only affect people in slums'
The many clown faces of Michael O'Leary... Click for gallery
If you’re American, the chances are you haven’t heard of him, but if you are Irish, you certainly have. In fact, in the case of the latter, you’ve probably flown on one of his planes, at a rock bottom price.
Michael O’Leary is one of the best-known businessmen in Ireland, and transformed a loss-making airline called Ryanair into one of Europe’s most successful airlines.
O’Leary’s brash, bullying style would undoubtedly make him an absolute nightmare to work with. But he’s an entertaining character, nonetheless.
People in Ireland and Britain, who have grown used to O’Leary’s stunts, undoubtedly groan at the sight of him, saying to themselves, “There he goes again….”
But for the uninitiated, we at Irish Central have compiled a top five list of outrageous (and let’s face it, occasionally hilarious) Michael O’Leary outbursts.
1. Swine flu is for people “living in slums”
Never far from the headlines, O’Leary recently reported as saying that swine flu was something that would affect only people “living in slums.”
“Are we going to die from swine flu? No. Are we in danger of SARS? No. Foot and mouth disease? No. Will it affect people flying short-haul flights around Europe this summer? Thankfully, no," he told a press conference.
'It is a tragedy only for people living. . . in slums in Asia or Mexico. But will the honeymoon couple from Edinburgh die?
'No. A couple of Strepsils will do the job.' (In Ireland and Britain, a Strepsil is a mild over-the-counter medication for a sore throat.)
O'Leary added because of his interaction with various airport authorities, he had “been dealing with swine for many years.”
2. “Beds and blow jobs”
At a press conference in Germany, announcing a new transatlantic service, O’Leary told a stunned audience that there would be an economy class costing €10 and a premium class costing between €4,000 to €5,000 - "beds and blow jobs" included.
His German translator looked unsure of quite what to do next. So O'Leary turned to her, and asked, “What’s the German for blow-jobs?”
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