In an extract from his new book ‘Aer Dogs’, Tom Lyons explores how the low-cost airlines model built in Ireland by Ryanair transformed the industry
Tony Ryan, Declan Ryan and Michael O’Leary steered Ryanair to success
Declan Ryan was in New York for St Patrick’s Day as the pandemic gripped the world in March 2020. It was a city he loved since he first passed through when he was working with the airline American West when he was in his 20s. The experience of seeing a low-fares airline in action inspired the Ryan family, led by his father Tony Ryan, to follow the same route in the 1990s with Ryanair.While he worked at America West, Ryan had done everything from cleaning the aisles to serving meals as a flight attendant.
However, amid the uncertainty and fear caused by the pandemic, Ryan was thinking about another side of the America West story. It had gone bankrupt, causing people to lose their jobs.
