(Credit: Ryanair.com)
The spat between Elon Musk and Ryanair has turned even uglier, with the billionaire floating a takeover bid for the European airline after it refused to adopt Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi.
On Monday night, a few days after the airline’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, called Musk an "idiot," the billionaire asked his followers on X whether he should acquire Ryanair, a public company; 76.5% voted yes. That came a few minutes after Musk tweeted to Ryanair, “How much would it cost to buy you?”
In another tweet, Musk wrote: “I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny,” an apparent shot at O'Leary. (The airline was originally founded by three Irishmen, including Tony Ryan and Christopher Ryan.)
The takeover threat might be a joke, but Ryanair is hitting back. On Tuesday, the airline introduced its “Big ‘Idiot’ Seat Sale” to troll Musk and his followers. ”Don’t thank us, thank that big “IDIOT” @elonmusk,” Ryanair tweeted.
The promotion appears to be real. Ryanair’s website is featuring the deal as part of a flash sale on select flights. In addition, the airline is teasing that Ryanair’s CEO plans to hold a press conference in Dublin tomorrow to discuss “Elon Musk’s latest Twitshit.”
The feud began when Reuters reported last week that Ryanair had ruled out using Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi, even though the satellite internet system is being widely adopted across the airline industry. O’Leary claimed the Starlink antenna for jets adds extra weight and drag, creating a “2% fuel penalty.” Ryanair also operates as an ultra-low-cost carrier, and doesn’t expect its passengers to pay for Starlink connectivity on short flights.
Musk countered that Ryanair’s CEO was “misinformed” about the fuel costs. The relatively minor disagreement then escalated after O’Leary called Musk an “idiot” in a radio station interview. “I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk; he’s an idiot. He’s very wealthy, but still an idiot,” O’Leary told Newstalk.
On Monday, Musk hit back, tweeting: “Michael O’Leary is a retarded twat who needs to be fired. Put him out to pasture! Please make sure he sees this message.”