RYANAIR'S recent attempts not to “unnecessarily piss people off”, as Michael O’Leary, the airline’s boss, famously described its new business strategy, include a reworking of the irritating bugle-heavy fanfare that announced a flight’s arrival on time. Passengers may find the new orchestral jingle just as annoying. But if Ryanair’s results are any guide, the low-cost carrier’s new determination to treat fliers as customers rather than adversaries has paid off handsomely. Profits were up two-thirds in the year to the end of March to €867m ($945m). The airline said that it hoped passenger numbers would increase by a further 10% this year as its expansion continues.

The Irish carrier professes to have “fallen in love with listening to our customers” and has softened many of its harder edges. It has cut some of its exorbitant fees and harshly imposed penalty charges. It allows passengers to bring an extra small piece of hand luggage on its planes. Like many of its low-cost rivals, it now allocates seats instead of presiding over a free-for-all that rewards the sly and sharp elbowed. And it has introduced flexible fares, rejigged some schedules and is sending more flights to bigger and better-located airports to appeal to business travellers.



Being more pleasant comes at a cost. Ceding its position as the meanest airline in the sky is sure to bump up Ryanair’s costs and ticket prices. According to one estimate its fares rose by around 12% on average in 2014, its first year of niceness. Ryanair says that is inaccurate and that its fares are still falling.