Co-pilot is a waste of money says Ryanair CEO
O'Leary: Ditch co-pilot, let the bloody computer fly the plane
He's already suggested installing coin-operated lavatories and selling standing room on flights, so it may not be surprising that the latest idea from the colorful CEO of Ryanair is once again pushing air travelers' buttons.
It's not necessary to have two pilots on every flight, Michael O'Leary said in a recent interview.
"Let's take out the second pilot. Let the bloody computer fly it," O'Leary told Bloomberg Businessweek, adding that a flight attendant on each flight could be trained to help land a plane if something goes wrong.
"If the pilot has an emergency, he rings the bell, he calls her in," O'Leary told the magazine. "She could take over."
O'Leary also revisited the idea of offering passengers the option of standing on flights in a cabin equipped with handrails, which would reduce fares by up to 25 percent, he said.
(The possibility of air travelers standing on board planes has been dismissed by aviation experts. Even "vertical seats," which would let passengers stand while being strapped in, would have a hard time becoming a reality, according to a BBC analysis this year.)
Ryanair, which is based in Dublin, Ireland, is known for its rock-bottom fares. It's also famous for its fees and is upfront about them on its Web site, which details charges for everything from online check-in to traveling with infants.
Meanwhile, O'Leary is infamous for coming up with and touting attention-getting ideas to make flying even cheaper -- a strategy that his detractors say gives the airline lots of free advertising.
Critics were quick to pounce on his latest comments.
"Are there no lengths to which he will not go to get publicity?" asked Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association, according to The Telegraph.
"His suggestion is unwise, unsafe and the public will be horrified."
Comments
Compromising not only on decorum, ease, comfort, glamour etc and now even on safety in the name of competition, so-called budget airlines are trying to make air travel a reduculously simple and non-sense business. There is limit to even stupidity, and I think lot of airlines have crossed that limit.
This guy has gone from the ridiculous to the sublime. I suggest he take a flight with his idea in place and let the captain feign a heart attack and the flight attendent try to take over just when there's a mechanical failure or bad weather conditions. After he sees tha horror on the psudo first officer's face, the fear of his own demise will change his mind instantly. He's either a media hog or a moron to suggest such a ludicrous recommendation. One thing he also does not recognise is the fact that we are all subject to error and a second pilot is a double check to ensure decisions are not errorneous.
Why not put wings instead into coffins?much much cheaper.
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