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Ultra-low-cost carrier Ryanair has released a statement promising to clean up its act on social media and make a U-turn on its trademark trolling behavior. For years, the airline’s social media team has had free rein to trade humorous insults and mockeries with customers online.
Ryanair has now promised a “more corporate and professional approach” in its communications moving forward. However, the statement’s timing has attracted suspicion, with many believing it to be an early April Fools’ prank.
Ryanair To Go Easy On The Trolling?
In a statement posted at 06:00 PM (GMT+1) on March 31 to X (formerly Twitter), Ryanair said it was making the communications change “after careful consideration,” promising to move away from the carrier’s usual abrasive approach. However, social media commenters were quick to note the timing of this statement, coming just hours before April Fools’ Day. This would not be the first time Ryanair has “announced” a major change, with other pranks including “child-free flights” and pay-per-use airplane toilets.
As noted by PYOK, the carrier’s social media strategy was implemented by former Head of Social Media, Michael Corcoran, back in 2021. It has helped Ryanair establish a stronger presence for itself globally, with a recent online spat between SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary exemplifying the airline’s power of harnessing high-profile people and events to its marketing advantage. Ryanair said,
“After careful consideration, we’ve decided to shift Ryanair’s communication style and tone of voice. From now on, we will be adopting a more corporate and professional approach in our communications. Thank you for the last few years.”
Customers In For A Surprise
At the time of publishing (10:00 AM GMT+1, April 1), the airline has pinned its statement to the top of its profile and has yet to post anything new. In typical Ryanair fashion, the airline may have deliberately posted its April Fools’ joke early, just to be even more annoying. We can likely expect another update at some point today, unless the airline decides to keep up its pretense for a few days.
The airline has a record of dropping April Fools’ Day pranks on its customers. As per The Telegraph, one of its most memorable was the 2019 announcement of Ryanair Space, a competitor with SpaceX and Virgin Galactic in the space tourism sector, with passengers advised they would have to pay extra to hire a spacesuit.
Then there was the 2011 launch of “child-free flights” in response to a fake survey that said over 50% of passengers would pay more to avoid crying infants. The prank was believable enough that some media outlets and PR companies reported it as true. Given Ryanair’s track record of successfully baiting attention through its irreverent social media posts, it seems highly unlikely the airline will change course.
This Major Airline Is Scrapping Paper Boarding Passes & Forcing App Use
Beginning on November 12, the carrier will end the use of paper boarding passes across its network.
Unhinged Marketing Strategy
Social media has radically shifted how businesses and organizations communicate, with even official government accounts like The White House posting meme content in recent months. Plenty of other airlines have dabbled in guerrilla marketing, but no airline comes close to the kind of output Ryanair and its team are putting out.
According to The Maverick Group, Ryanair’s social media team places a heavy emphasis on timely relevance, reportedly maintaining a “five-minute rule” (not to be confused with its 25-minute aircraft turnover target), where the team notices a trend and aims to decide and post on the idea within five minutes.
Another of Ryanair’s recent viral retorts came in response to the infamous Coldplay ‘Kiss Cam’ moment involving two unfaithful coworkers, with the carrier chiming in that it too “loves splitting people up.” This was a jab at the airline’s oft-maligned practice of random seat allocation, which inevitably splits up people traveling together who haven’t paid extra to book a seat.
