Sun Jan 25 2026 - 05:42 • 2 MIN READ When Michael O’Leary and Elon Musk traded “idiot” insults, a predictable spectacle followed: Musk polls his 232 million X followers on whether he should buy Ryanair, O’Leary launches a “Great Idiots” seat sale from €16.99, and the story spreads across every newsfeed. Ryanair’s share price was unmoved, but the scrap reveals the company’s enduring strengths. First, its unrivalled knack of attracting free publicity, preferably at someone else’s expense. Website traffic rose 8 per cent and bookings by 2-3 per cent, boasted O’Leary. Second, Ryanair’s almost obsessive attention to costs remains intact. O’Leary noted that Ryanair installing wifi via Starlink – Musk’s satellite internet service – could cost up to $250 million a year in fuel and drag. DCC could trigger FTSE 100 exit if it perseveres with share buybacks from tech unit sale