O’Deary: Lufthansa pokes fun at Ryanair owner with social and print ads
Irish upstart airline Ryanair has made a lot of enemies in ascent to the zenith of the cut-throat budget flight sector, and as such its latest pilot misfortunes have given German carrier Lufthansa an opportunity to rub salt in the wounds.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary
As Ryanair recovers from cancelling 2,100 flights as a result of an apparent pilot shortage, Lufthansa ran an ad in German tabloid Handelsblatt on Friday, mocking company chief executive Michael O’Leary’s predicament.
The two-page ad, from SWC Partnership read ‘O’Deary!’ followed with “Has your Ryanair flight been cancelled? Book low cost flights with Eurowings now!”
The brand then took the creative to social media to further make life difficult for Ryanair. There’s been bad blood between the companies for near on 15 years now after Ryanair printed Bye Bye Lufthansa on the side of its planes when it originally opened up a slew of Pan-European routes.
The company was taking in its largest ever profit margin earlier this year before it starting bleeding pilots. It has of course saved a vast sum by cancelling its flights well in advance where it only has to offer a refund rather than compensation.
The damage to the brand could have longer-lasting ramifications however.