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    Case Study

    Ryanair: Defying gravity

    By Adrian B. Ryans and Atul Pahwa
    21 pages
    December 2005
    Order this case study
    Reference: IMD-3-1633

    Ryanair was the pioneer of low cost flying in Europe. As the result of a series of marketing innovations and stringent control of costs it enjoyed a decade of rapid and profitable growth. By 2004 it had become the most profitable airline in the world (in terms of percentage operating profit). However, it faced intense competition from a variety of traditional, charter and other low-cost carriers. In September 2004 its larger archrival, easyJet, announced that it was going to begin flying into Ryanair’s home market. Michael O’Leary and his management team had to decide how to respond to this provocative move.

    Keywords
    Innovation, Marketing Strategy, Competition, Pricing, Airline, General Management
    Settings
    Europe
    Ryanair
    October 2004
    Type
    Published Sources
    Copyright
    © 2005
    Available Languages
    English
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