Ryanair vs Elon Musk Drama: Big Idiot Sale Update
It all started innocently enough: Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary appeared on a podcast and dismissed Elon Musk’s push for Starlink satellite Wi-Fi on Ryanair flights. Why? The extra antenna hardware would add weight & drag → burning 2% more fuel annually ($200-250M extra cost). O’Leary bluntly said: “I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk, he’s an idiot. Very wealthy, but he’s still an idiot… What Elon Musk knows about flights and drag would be zero.”
Musk didn’t take it lying down. He fired back on X:
- Called O’Leary an “utter idiot”
- Demanded he be FIRED
- Asked: “How much would it cost to buy you?”
- Posted a poll: “Should I buy Ryan Air and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler?” (76%+ voted YES out of ~900k votes!)
- Repeatedly joked about putting “someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge” 😭
Ryanair’s genius response? Turn the roast into free marketing gold!
They launched the “Big ‘Idiot’ Seat Sale” (also called “Great Idiots Seat Sale”) on Tuesday:
- 100,000 seats from just €16.99 (or ~£16.99) one-way, taxes & fees included
- Travel window: February to April 2026
- Tagline: “Don’t thank us… thank that big IDIOT @elonmusk”
- Special shoutout: “Especially for Elon Musk and any other idiots on X!! Book today before Musk gets one!”
- Bonus: They even joked about delivering Musk a free ticket straight to X’s Dublin office
And today (Jan 21, 2026), O’Leary held a press conference in Dublin to “address (undress??) Elon Musk’s latest Twitshit.” Highlights:
- He doesn’t understand why Musk took such “umbrage” at basic fuel-efficiency math
- Ryanair would actually welcome investment from Musk (“It’s a very good investment!”)
- But reminded everyone: EU rules block non-EU citizens from majority ownership of European airlines → no full buyout possible
- Bonus brag: The entire spat has already boosted Ryanair bookings by 2-3% 😂
This feud is peak 2026 chaos: one of the world’s richest men vs Europe’s cheekiest airline boss, turning insults into ultra-cheap flights!
Fresh visuals to capture the madness:
O’Leary’s classic no-nonsense vibe at today’s Dublin press conference:
The viral cartoon promo art showing O’Leary “bonking” Musk with an “I ❤️ Ryanair” sign:
Musk looking thoughtful (or scheming?) about his next move:
A Ryanair Boeing 737 soaring high—proof they’re winning without billionaire drama:
Who do you think comes out on top? O’Leary’s savage burns + cheap tickets, or Musk’s galaxy-brain threats? Drop your take below! 👇
