Barbara Cassani to head Ryan Air?

[Obi Wan Kirk]

There's a rumour going round that MOL will be retiring from Ryan Air some time this year to sit back relax and enjoy his money. Rumours are that the Ryan family are looking at getting Barbara Cassani in to replace him.

Any thoughts on this...

[hobie]

sit back relax and enjoy his money.

Wise man .... :)

But he will be missed on 'PPRuNe .... :p

[DaveO'Leary]

I second that Hobie, but I think O'L might be around for a few years yet ;)

DO'L

[Airbrake]

Good rumour! If it's true Easyjet would loose half their crew the day after it was confirmed!

[bacardi walla]

MOL is going in 2008 allegedly.....

[Obi Wan Kirk]

If half the Easyjet pilots joined Ryan Air that would solve their pilot shortage...

[Colonel Klink]

....But wouldn't do a lot for easyJet's....!!!!

[Brakes to Park]

Good rumour! If it's true Easyjet would loose half thier crew the day after it was confirmed!
Why is that exactly?

[Eurotraveller]

BTP,

easyJet acquired Go some years ago, Barbara Cassani was the (generally very popular) head of Go, much missed by many when she departed after the deal was done with easyJet.

[RichT]

Obi, great rumour but is there any substance. Where did it come from. I personally can't see it. I think MOL still has a few personal goals before he quits.

[Tan]

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/050302/cassani.shtml

[hobie]

How old is Barbara I wonder ... :confused:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41202000/jpg/_41202177_cassani_getty300.jpg

[Avman]

I can't see it myself. There's a danger she might turn Ryanair into an airline! :}

[Zoom]

Way too risky - the passengers might start to enjoy the 'Ryanair experience'!

[apruneuk]

Barbara Cassani is an anagram of "Barbarian's Casa". Be afraid, be very afraid....

[Lord Fulmer]

If this is true and Babs is the new boss, bye bye EZY!
Where do I sign up ?

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

Barbara Cassani: "I joined British Airways at age twenty-seven ..." "... when I joined in 1987 ..." (Go: An Airline Adventure - Barbara Cassani with Kenny Kemp).

Being a gallant, old-fashioned gent, I leave you to work out the arithmetic for yourselves! :)

If she did take over as CEO of Ryan Air, it would be the biggest 'turn up for the book' ever. I wonder if Ladbrokes are taking bets?

[Biggles' Apprentice]

I've had the honour of meeting BC on a number of occasions. Highly charismatic lady, very animated in her social style and such an enthusiast for anything she does.

I can see why she gets the top jobs.

And, I reckon late 40's.

[no sponsor]

Can't see it happening personally. You only make real money if you lead them into an aquisition or flotation. Dealing with the City is too much hassle.

[PAXboy]

Indeed. Can you really see one who is used to trail blazing, to go and work for a company as simply 'the next CEO'? But it's an amusing rumour.

[I LUV DUFF]

One thing is certain, MOL will not depart Ryanair until he has completed his personal vendetta of breaking the unity of the DUB based pilots and any others who have followed in their footsteps.Never met BC but I understand she is worlds apart from that Mullingar knacker.
When you are at the bottom there is only one way to go,so I think she would be welcomed with open arms.However I don t believe she posesses the lack of morals that is required to run the company in the fashion that it has been to date.
Nice thought though.
MMMMM, DUFF.

[Obi Wan Kirk]

I LUV DUFF:

The reason why Barbara is being considered for the job is the fact she would make Ryan Air a lot more like SouthWest Airlines bringing in the philosophy of: We look after our people, they look after our customers!

[Ediboy]

I for one would give up my job an go work for babs best boss ive ever had an i for one still miss GOFLY.com

[I LUV DUFF]

Like I said Obi, a nice thought but i couldn t see it happening.
Pigs ears and silk purses spring to mind.
WAHOOO, DUFF.

[Desert Diner]

I LUV DUFF:
The reason why Barbara is being considered for the job is the fact she would make Ryan Air a lot more like SouthWest Airlines bringing in the philosophy of: We look after our people, they look after our customers!

I hope tis rouber is true and I would wish her the best.

Unfortunately most of the current FR ground staff are deeply embedded with the MOL philosophy of "treat the punters like :mad: " that a new philosophy may never take root.

Pity though as I've always tried to take Soutwest when in the US because it is a good airline to fly while I've only taken Ryanair in Europe (many a time I might add :ouch: ) because it was dirt cheap compared to any alternative.

[BEagle]

If Barbara Cassani took over, I would probably fly with Ryanair after she'd made it respectable.

While O'Leary is running it, I will never fly Ryanair.

[Little Blue]

Wish she'd come over to our mob !:sad:

[atb1943]

Hey BEagle, did you hear that echo?

I've decided I don't need them, though I have used them a lot since they started at Hahn.

Dropping Hahn-Hurn p****d me off, since all my folks are in the sarf, and it's a bind to drive dahn from Stanners.

I don't like their idea of customer service (WOT cs you may well ask), and the long haul to Hahn to get on one of their precious babies for 30 - 40 euros a go (and back again in the dark and wet...tired....dodgy) is just no longer worth it. They've caused the 'others' to drop their prices, and I don't have to drive anywhere, just take the train or a cab in comfort.

And I've given up fighting to get refunds where they've screwed me, so I say, good riddance. I'll put up with the corkscrew into Heathrow, if the wxs nice there's always something to see. If the others get their mtce sorted out, all will be well. But I'd rather go west german interflug anyway, because of the relative ease at heat row.

Na, what started out right has been spoiled by the nasty at the top.

I still have the Volvo and P&O too.

A disenchanted atb

[beaucaire]

Any successor of MOL will have to tackle the issue of subsidies and airport financed operations.While the approach seem to work currently (with some limitations..) it might not work for the future 250 plane fleet. Airports are becomming reluctant to finance Ryanair lines (at least in France and Germany )and if ever airports decide to boycot FR on a large scale because of their marketing-fees practice,they have a problem. To base a fleet of 250 planes you need quite a large number of bases -but if they decide not to pay any longer the Ryanair-fees,FR have a problem.
I foresee a shift in policy and an approach closer to Easyjet or Air Berlin way of dealing with airports.You work out deals (reduced landing and handling fees ) but you dont actually ask the airport to pay for any passenger transported by FR as currently the case.In France a passengers cost anything between 5-10 € to an airport served by Ryanair-which is too expensive for many airports.

[doggonetired]

Unfortunately, it's all about the money. It's always "all about the money" :{

[flyer55]

She would be excellent at Ryanair and would give the competitors a run for their money including BA and Easyjet !

[aw ditor]

"O' Babs" ?

[speedbird800]

Barbara,

The best boss I've ever worked for. You can bet your bottom dollar that she would find a way of putting extra money into your pay packet.

We at go-fly managed to earn tons of money in the 2nd and 3rd year of the airline. She believed in profit share. 10% OF the companies profit was shared out equally amongst the work force every year. I can tell you that it was great getting your xmas bonus just before xmas. 1 year we took home £5K each.

If Barbara was going to run ryan then the profits of the airline would go through the roof and so would the wages of the staff.

People of Ryan, It might only be a rumour but you can make it a reality. If anyone from the city is reading this fred then make Barbara and offer that she can't refuse. that means an attractive offer. MOL would go and she would then take Ryan into a whole new world!

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Why would she? Very wealthy and with kids to bring up and no need for any further prestige in her glittering career. A brilliant manager and business woman who now richly deserves the time and enjoyment of not running a company such as Ryanair.

Its probably one of the last things she'd do.

Sorry,

WWW

[speedbird800]

I can't see why she would either. But having said that, with Barbara its about the challenge and not the money. After all if it was just about the money she would have retired already.

Whatever Barbara Decides to do the people who work for or with her will benefit a great deal. As I said before she is a great boss great person and just magic to be around!

For those of you who have not read the Barbara's book, I suggest you get hold of a copy and read it. At least 50% of the book is actually written in the exact words of the employee's at go. They all contributed to the book. That way you will be able to see why all the ex go employee's miss the airline so much. It was fun 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Even when the chips were down we still enjoyed it.

As for Ryan, it's a bit hard expecting the employee's to enjoy working flat out every single day. Sometimes enjoyment at work is more important than the money!

[Doug the Head]

I would not be suprised if she would end up at EZY if Andy would decide to throw in the towel at some stage...

[EI-CFC]

MOL would go and she would then take Ryan into a whole new world!

People seem to forget that MOL still has an interest in the business outside of his role as CEO, and that the other shareholders are unlikely to want to tweak this cash cow too much incase the milk runs dry - I'd imagine anyone who becomes Ryanair's CEO after MOL's departure will be someone in his own image.

[PAXboy]

People like Ms Cassani, specialise in startups and tricky tasks. They DO NOT take on the role of 'the next CEO in line' of ANY company. Not FR, not EZY. SHe is currently leading the UK Olympics for 2012 and that tells you the kind of challenge she likes. This thread is so silly.

[speedbird800]

In this world of aviation, its all change and change very quickly. The fat is being cut from every seat sale and only the sharp and flexible will survive. Traditional airlines will have to reinvent themselves and low cost models will need to continue to change and come up with new ideas.

Whoever takes over at ryan will need to be different in one way or another.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

PAXboy: Ms Cassani stepped down as chief of the London bid in May 2004. She further stepped down as deputy chief in July 2004, being retained in 'a technical capacity' (unpaid). Since then, she seems to have disappeared altogether from the team, now known as LOCOG - the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, led by Lord Coe.

Does anyone know what Ms Cassani is doing at the moment?