Ryanair chief and Mullingar man Michael O’Leary was slammed online by musician Sharon
Corr last week, after the low-cost airline allegedly refused to let her on a flight back to
Ireland because she had her violin with her.
The Corrs musician (54), whose flight was on 30 June, took to social media to lambast Mr
O’Leary. She said: “Today I was booked on a Ryanair flight. I got up at 6am. I was not
allowed on the flight because I had my violin. I was in the airport for seven hours.
“I had to return home after searching for my checked-in bags. Humiliated, angry then
crying as only a good woman can do.
“Why was I going to Dublin? My home turf, to rehearse, to go on tour! I’m beyond
disappointed. Michael O’Leary, shame on you.”
In relation to Sharon Corr’s case, a Ryanair spokesperson said: “This passenger was not
refused travel from Madrid to Dublin.
“This passenger refused to pay the standard fee and instead chose not to travel on this
flight.”
The headlines came in the same week that Michael O’Leary saw his annual pay-packet
increase to €4.7 million, as he also came agonisingly close to a bumper €100 million payout.
The salary payment was the first payment made on the back of a new agreement made by
Mr O’Leary and Ryanair in April 2023. Mr O’Leary earned a base salary of €1.2 million for
2024, with an additional, limited, performance-based bonus of €590,000.
Ryanair’s annual report showed a supplementary €2.89 million payment included, which
was a non-cash, technical accounting charge for a 10 million unvested share option
granted under Mr O’Leary’s contract.
Mr O’Leary’s salary has been a talking point among the business world for many years. He
is due to earn a €100 million bonus should Ryanair’s shares stay above €21 for 28
consecutive days.
There was a brief flirtation with that share price in April 2024, as Ryanair shares did reach
over €21, but those share prices has since declined and sat round €16.50 at the end of June 2024.
That €100 million bonus could also be earned by Mr O’Leary should Ryanair record a €2.2
billion annual profit.
Ryanair’s announced a 45.8% jump in profits this year compared to 2023, up to €1.92 billion with revenues up to €13.4 billion.
The airline CEO previously defended his pay deals by comparing his salary and role to
English Premier League managers. In April, 2024, O’Leary said: “Footballers are getting half a million a week.
“Pep (Guardiola), who I think is a genius and deserves every penny, is getting £25 million a year. (Jurgen) Klopp too – and nobody says boo.
“Yet some guy running a serious business employing 20,000-plus people gets paid £5
million or £10 million, and it’s suddenly excessive.”
