Michael O'Leary at the Innovation Convention 2011 - Brussels

http://www.youtube.com/user/InnovationUnion
Watch the rest of the EU Innovation Convention on the Innovation Union YouTube channel: Richard Dawkins, Vivienne Westwood, Eric Schmidt, Don Tapscott, Silvia Fendi and many others... Entrepreneurship Master Class, Climate change, Social innovation

Innovation Union Website
http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union

The first edition of the Innovation Convention took place one year after the adoption of the Innovation Union flagship initiative, the EU's roadmap to turn Europe into a more innovation-friendly and competitive continent.

Research and innovation are the main motors for sustainable job creation and the only way to achieve a sustainable exit from the current economic crisis. This conference brought together world leading experts in research and innovation to share their views on building a global innovation economy.

Speakers included Don Tapscott, Chairman of Moxie Insight (Canada), and co-author of 'Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World', Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google (USA), Claudie Haigneré, former astronaut and President of Universcience (FR), Professor Henry Chesbrough, Centre for Open Innovation (USA), Sam Pitroda, entrepreneur and advisor to the Prime Minister of India on innovation, Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, former Professor of the Public Understanding of Science and author of several books, including ' The God Delusion' (UK), Silvia Venturini Fendi, fashion designer (IT) and Michael O'Leary, CEO, Ryanair (IE)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• innovation
• union
• europe
• european

[wizmindfire]

This guy is straight out of Atlas Shrugged. Notice, that this means he's doing well, the customers have more of their own cash in their own pockets. True capitalism and free market action at work: win-win-lose. Who loses? The bureaucrats who want to control every aspect of your lives.

[MrTomsa89]

He's actually pretty good speaker/spokesman...

[Ingazer]

@munkifisht The noise problem was an issue with the -200 which were all removed from service in 2004. So your "source" is only a 8 years out of date.

Also who are asking these questions, the regulators? Show evidence please.

Ryanair are the first to know that safety is the most important thing. They know that a fatal accident could be the beginning of the end for them much like it was for Spanair in 2008 although their problems far exceeded just safety.

[DeftonesFan95]

His style of speaking is the most American-styled I've ever seen from a European.

[kathal34]

Excellent service, we also depend on Ryanair for our business. Such a shame that airports like Charleroi and Luton are incapable of managing the swathes of captive customers that he brings them!

[videoreff]

My former job lasted 4 years during which time I developed a Europe-wide contract with a major company. We started in the U.K. plus 2 other countries, we ended up in 12 countries, signing a 5-year rolling contract in excess of €20m.

My job wouldn't have existed without Ryanair.

[KornelBerkes]

I bet the customers he leaves on airports because of the incapability of handling the check ins/boarding properly love him the same way as the eurobureaucrats...

[sdrtcacgnrjrc]

I'd hate to have to work for him though...

[Fbrady1974]

Typical union bull crap opinion...munkifisht..are you suggesting Boeing deliver new planes with old engines??

[munkifisht]

@brianrallen Many airlines have an outstanding safety record, and most are far older than Ryanair. What you don't know is that many of Ryanairs engines were retrofitted with silencers as they were so old they contravened environmental regulations. Also there are serious questions about the quality of repairs carried out on Ryanair planes and the subcontractors are put under serious pressure to increase turn around times and declare planes safe to fly. Source: DAA ground staff

[gkatsa]

Well said. Brussels is indeed a very boring, uninspiring place dominated by European institutions that noone (even people working for them) understands why they even exist besides spending taxpayers' money.

[GOPsithlord]

As an American who despises flying in the not-so-friendly, cattle car like skies of Ryan Air, I have only one thing to say to Michael O'Leary: He's right. No matter how many scratch cards they try to throw at me, no matter how bad the food is, I will fly his airline, b/c despite all the hassle of actually flying his airline, that price is a dominant driver in airfare is a simple statement of fact for budget consumers like myself. So, here's two cheers for Mr. O'Leary.