The Scoop: Ryanair CEO calls customer ‘delusional’ after claims he was sucked out of plane window

Ryanair isn’t known for being a warm, fuzzy company. The European budget airline has built its reputation on ultra cheap flights, no frills and making no apologies on social media.

But what’s fun and good on Instagram is less amusing when you’re talking about a serious issue, like a window blowing out on a plane.

In July, a window broke out of a Ryanair plane in flight. Both passengers and flight attendants said that Ljubisa Karovic was “partially lodged in a damaged cabin window, and that the entire window was missing.” Karovic suffered burns and bruises on his arm and chest and was hospitalized.

Obviously, there’s a lawsuit.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary chose to dispute the events on that flight in a derogatory manner.

“He wasn’t partially out the window, and his wife, who claims that she saved him by hanging on to his feet, is certainly somewhat delusional, given that she was sitting in a seat three rows behind him,” O’Leary said during a press conference.

He added that while he agreed Karovic was injured, he “won’t be getting millions and millions” and blamed the “ambulance-chasing lawyers.”

The lawyer in question, Vasilis Tsiaras, said that his client’s head and arm were outside the plane. The man’s wife moved from her seat to just behind Karovic to help in the rescue, he said.

“I have eyewitnesses who were on the plane and saw what happened,” Tsiaras said. “So I think Mr. O’Leary is delusional — not my client or his wife.”

Why it matters: This issue is something lawyers should fight over, not CEOs. Whatever happened on that flight was clearly frightening — a window was damaged, and a man sustained injuries. No one disagrees on that point. Attempting to minimize that serious safety situation is unbecoming of a CEO, even one of a free-wheeling company like Ryanair.

Making matters worse, throwing words around like “delusional” and “ambulance chaser” takes the matter from a legal and financial dispute and a safety issue to solve into the realm of pure mudslinging.

As CEO, his focus should be on safety and ensuring this matter never happens again, not criticizing the plaintiffs. Even if the company believes they’re delusional, just don’t say it out loud. Let the lawyers duke it out and keep the focus on serving customers safely.

How bad were the McClatchy layoffs?

McClatchy, one of the largest newspaper chains in the United States, has laid off huge numbers of their editorial staff — up to 30% in some markets. Among the most heavily impacted publications was the Miami Herald, which laid off more than 30 people, mostly in editorial. The staff of its Spanish-language publication El Nuevo Herald was almost entirely eliminated, according to reports. In all, it’s believed about 90 editorial staffers were laid off across the country.

“We cannot continue investing where subscriber interest does not support the investment,” Greg Farmer, McClatchy’s executive vice president of local news, wrote in a bleak email. He wrote that over the past five years, expenses had remained flat while consumer revenue had dropped 41%, creating an unsustainable situation.

This is the latest in the slow, painful death of the local news industry. Increasingly, the financials simply do not support legacy newsrooms — a harsh blow for communities and for the public relations professionals who rely on these journalists to help share messages.

Continue to diversify your media outlets, and invest in content creators and other local sources of news. But as much as you’re able, support what remains of local news too, with your subscription dollars, advertising revenue, or even a box of donuts with a nice note on a tough day.

How is OpenAI responding to allegations AI could kill us all?

An explosive social media post from an ex-Anthropic staffer claimed that there was a greater than 10% chance AI could kill the human race in the next decade. While Anthropic has yet to directly respond, rival OpenAI did take the chance to call for more AI governance.

In a blog post signed by Chris Lehane, chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, the company outlined a vision of governmental and industry regulations.

“As capabilities grow, confidence in safety must increasingly set the pace of AI progress,” Lehane wrote. “Safety does not stand in the way of progress; it is what allows progress to go further and benefit more people.”

The post sounds urgent and somber, outlining current work with international, U.S. and state governments to create rules.

“No first step will be perfect. But the greater risk now is waiting too long to take one,” the post concludes.

In the face of Anthropic’s silence, OpenAI took the chance to establish itself as part of the solution in AI governance. It was a smart, well-timed statement that moves forward the AI agenda on OpenAI’s terms.

25 years ago

A quarter century ago, on a Tuesday morning with the bluest sky imaginable, the world changed forever. Thousands of lives were snuffed out. The air and land of New York City were tainted. Wars were launched, their repercussions echoing to this day. Survivors carry the scars still, sharing their stories of stumbling down flights of smoky stairs or bearing the memories of lost loved ones. Some, like me, watched on a classroom television from a thousand miles away, gasping as the news showed the unbelievable images over and over. And some of our colleagues weren’t yet born and now only know the horror of that day from our collective memories.

Today is not a day to promote a product. Today is a day to remember, but above all to be kind to one another. Carry the spirit of the first responders who ran into burning towers, of the people of Newfoundland, Canada, who took in dozens of stranded airplanes, of the millions of people who gave blood. In some small, quiet way today, bear witness with your deeds.

Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.