Co-pilots are unnecessary - Ryanair's Michael O'Leary says

[Maikha Ly]

Reminds me of a popular Dilbert comic!

[Greg McDonald]

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is looking to provide single-pilot operation for commercial passenger jets in the 2020-2025 time frame, The Wall Street Journal reported.

By 2020, Embraer said, air-traffic control will be modernised in both the US and in Europe, and new technology will make one-person cockpits feasible.

Whether it will be acceptable to the flying public is a different question, Embraer noted.

[Matt N.]

O'Leary will one day run out of these headline grabbing comments, I wonder how he will get the worlds attention then. It works though, I'm sure there are a lot of people who (1) know the name Ryanair and (2) look to them for cheap airfares. It must work...

[Andrew M]

At least O'Leary is honest!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...from-low-fares

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has warned of an end to bargain-basement fares as the no-frills carrier plans a shift away from its "pile it high and sell it cheap" approach.

O'Leary also said the Dublin-based airline will need a new chief executive as growth slows, admitting that his controversial management style would be out of place in a more mature business.

Asked when he expects to step down as Ryanair chief executive, the 49-year-old said he will stay at the helm until the carrier nearly doubles in size. "When we are twice the size we are now, at around 400 aircraft, then the growth rate slows down to 2% or 3% per year. The shareholders will want a return. You will need a different management then. We won't need my dog and pony show, which is about generating publicity. Every company has to move from being the high-growth Robin Hood."

[Grant Smith]

Pilot offers alternative cost cutting measure

Perhaps this is what Mr O'leary was referring to in an earlier article