Now Ryanair sues the Commission
IT’S usually the other way around, that it’s the Coimission suing Ryanair.
Mr O’Leary has made an official complaint to the independent watchdog that oversees the EC’s spending.
The complaint comes after the colourful entrepreneur was told at the end of last year that the commission’s travel agency could not book him on to a Ryanair flight to speak at a conference on innovation in Brussels.
The aviation boss was instead offered a ticket on rival Aer Lingus.
Ryanair’s lawyers have asked the watchdog, the European Court of Auditors, to look at the “legality, regularity and financial soundness” of the policy.
You can see him tell this story in this rather amusing (but long) video of the conference that they actually invited him to.
However, there’s something I find much more amusing about this whole thing. Yes, I know that parts of the EU Commission hate Ryanair, just as O’Leary says. Precisely because the company is a threat to the old established carriers.
However, Ryanair, indeed the whole concept of a budget airline, owes its existence to that very same EU Commission. For it was they that deregulated EU airspace and thuis allowed the entire system to grow.
It’s not so much the airlines v the Commission, it’s supporters of different modesl of airlines inside the Commission against each other. Essentially, those supporting producers and those supporting consumers.
Posted: 9th, March 2012 | In: Money Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
