Launched out of Dublin in 1985, the budget carrier known as Ryanair (RYAOF) has grown into the largest airline in Europe with its business model of offering rock-bottom prices that in some cases can be as little as €20 euros for short flights between nearby European cities.
Now in its fourth decade, the airline has also managed to reach a new generation with its unconventional social media presence and humor that in some cases verges into trolling and making fun of its own clients. When a passenger complained about the service during a flight on social media, an airline representative responded by asking whether she would rather pay “€19.99 or €136,000,000?” for a private jet. In a different video posted to its TikTok account, Ryanair looped a shot of a passenger standing when everyone else is sitting down to poke fun at travelers who get up too early after landing.
Related: A budget airline is wildly popular on TikTok for actually being funny
The latest person to fall victim to Ryanair’s online banter is Sydney Sweeney from the popular HBO show “White Lotus.” Earlier this week, the 26-year-old actress appeared in an IMDB video in which she revealed that Leonardo DiCaprio was her celebrity crush growing up.
DiCaprio also got dragged into this (here is how)
After a fan site shared this clip from the interview on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Ryanair reshared it while adding that Sweeney was out of luck because she was “much too old for him.” (The latter is a reference to the long-running internet joke that DiCaprio rarely dates women older than 25 even though the actor is turning 50 later this year. At 26, Sweeney is still almost half his age.)
More Travel:
- A new travel term is taking over the internet (and reaching airlines and hotels)
- The 10 best airline stocks to buy now
- Airlines see a new kind of traveler at the front of the plane
The post received more than 12 million views and 182,000 upvotes as a result of quickly going viral as an example of Ryanair’s dark humor — simultaneously trolling two separate people.
‘Booking a ticket on Ryanair after this…’
“Too savage," wrote one of the commenters while another added that he was definitely “booking a ticket on @Ryanair after this.”
Over the last four years and after the pandemic especially, the airline has amassed a significant TikTok and Instagram following with this type of social media strategy. Sometimes it crosses the line into making fun of clients (and leads to some angry comments) but generally travelers are receptive because there are plenty of times when Ryanair is also self-deprecating.
Back in September, founder and CEO Michael O’Leary was pied in the face during a visit to the European Commission Headquarters in Brussels (protesters argued that ultra-low fares like the kind Ryanair offers are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions because they demotivate people from taking the train). O’Leary was captured wiping the cream off his face and saying “well done” to the protesters before heading off to have his meeting with the European lawmakers.
Ryanair's social media team quickly jumped on the chance to post a video calling it a “warm welcome in Brussels” as well as advertise some new routes it launched for the coming winter season by saying that it has some “tasty low fares.”
