Unit 11.6        Essay Completion

Look again at the examination question about aviation (from exercise 11.1). This time you've been given the first letters of the missing words - most of which you've also studied in the other exercises in unit 11. To check the answers, click in the circle after each word and to check the meaning and see other examples of the word, click on the gap. Then use the back button in your browser to return here.

Evaluate the contribution of ONE entrepreneur to the development of the aviation industry

Ryanair is one of aviation’s outstanding success stories over the last 20 years and, as such, has att           the sta                 of a model for dozens of other budget airlines around the world. Mor             , its CEO, Michael O’Leary, has become one of the best-known managers, both through his success and his individual style.

It could be argued that Ryanair’s success derives largely from being in the right place at the right time. The economic growth and increasing mobility of its domestic population, together with European expansion and der                           created ideal conditions for the growth of a budget airline. However, the fact that other budget airlines have failed shows this line of argument to be seriously fla            . It’s generally agreed that the pri         reason for Ryanair’s success has been O’Leary’s ability to focus on the essentials – driving down costs by eli                        unnecessary services, including a business class and by using low-cost airports. O’Leary realised that as for short-haul flights, as long as comfort levels were suf                 , customers would easily for               'extras' – such as food, window shades, seat-back pockets – if this meant they could att               their main goal - air travel at an affordable price. From an operational per            , this focus on the essentials led to substantial standardisation – focusing, for instance, on a single model of aircraft for the entire fleet.

O’Leary has imp            his vision of a low-cost airline with admirable consistency over the last 15 years. By any obj                standards, his success has been extraordinary. This is con             by regular growth figures of 25 % in passenger numbers over the last decade. In fact, within Europe,  Ryanair’s passenger numbers exc       those of more traditional airlines such as British Airways. 

Generally speaking, other low-cost airlines have learnt a good deal from O’Reilly’s success in focusing on the basics. However, it’s possible to take a more  neu                or even critical position on other aspects of Ryanair’s operations. Ryanair’s policy of keeping all its marketing activities in-house has not become a model for other airlines, for instance, who believe that advertising agencies have sup               expertise in this area. Fur          , Ryanair’s practice of receiving subsidies from regional airports has been ruled illegal by the European Commission and the bad publicity and heavy fines which have resulted may have neg              any benefits which Ryanair received from the arrangements.

To sum up, O’Leary, to a large degree, invented the modern concept of the low-cost airline in Europe.  Every other airline has been affected by his innovations. However, if there is one thing which prevents other airlines from imp                        the ‘Ryanair’ model, it’s this: they don’t have O’Leary.

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