Ryanair boss says UK’s Omicron response is shaped by ‘idiots’

Ryanair boss says the UK’s Omicron response is shaped by ‘idiots’.

According to Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, the response to the omicron variant put in place by the government is being shaped by “idiots”. The number of people flying with the airline this month has dropped dramatically and O’Leary blames this on travel restrictions. He also believes that travellers are worried that the UK government will change travel rules again leaving people stranded with no warning.

Speaking to The Guardian O’Leary commented: “The panic is largely confined to the UK and Ireland. Across the continent there’s been a much more reasoned approach.”

He went on to add: “Where it’s really hit us has been the early weeks of December, bookings in and out of Ireland and the UK … The rest of the continent is still travelling for business and for leisure.”

The Ryanair boss commented that the economy in the UK is suffering from: “piss-poor political leadership.”

He believes that willingness to travel relies on being confident in the government. He stated: “What deters booking is the whole uncertainty – this idea that if I travel abroad if the government changes the rules in 24 hours I could be stranded, even if Covid-free and vaccinated … Travel only exists on a degree of confidence.

“People in the UK recognise that the government there are idiots. You wouldn’t rely on [Boris] Johnson or Grant Shapps, or Dominic Raab who can’t add or subtract – would you want your journey dependent on the intervention of those idiots? The answer is no.”

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