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Ryanair tight-lipped on what Google partnership will look like

In an interview at the weekend, Michael O’Leary however said it would “blow comparison sites…out of the water”.

MICHAEL O’LEARY, chief executive of Ryanair, said in an interview with the Sunday Independent yesterday that a partnership between Ryanair and Google will “blow comparison sites like Skyscanner out of the water”.

The company acknowledged to TheJournal.ie today that it is working on a project with the search engine but was tight-lipped about what it could potentially mean for customers.

“We confirm the article is correct, we have a policy of not engaging in speculation or commenting on commercially sensitive issues and we will not be making any further comment at this stage,” it said in a statement.

Speaking to the Sunday newspaper, O’Leary said that the work they are doing together will change how consumers buy their airline tickets in the future adding that “in five years’ time, everyone on Ryanair will be paying on their mobile”.

The new price-comparison tool that Google is developing in conjunction with the low-cost airline will blow other comparison sites “out of the water,” he said.

Additional reporting by Sinéad O’Carroll

Read: Here are the best questions and answers from this afternoon’s #askryanair session

More: Knock Airport has second-busiest year in 28 years

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37 Comments
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:59 PM

    Google maps. How to get to the city you were supposed to fly in to.

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    Mute I love my County
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:08 PM

    I love Ryanair. Wat’s not to love about flying to Liverpool, Venice, Milan or Berlin for a total of €857 return on 4 separate trips in the last year!!! Serious value!!!

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    Mute Red4fred
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:58 PM

    At least it’s ‘Blow them out of the water’ and not ‘Blow them outta the sky’

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    Mute John Sherrit
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    Jan 13th 2014, 10:57 PM

    Once you pay for baggage and seat then the cost is similar to most other scheduled airlines but the service is worse. Only day trippers and backpackers use them. The only people who get value are the Irish as the only major airport they fly to is Dublin for the rest of us it’s 4 am starts to an airport in the middle of nowhere with no public transport…

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    Mute Bob
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    Jan 13th 2014, 11:43 PM

    Yes, apart from Dublin, Ryanair only serves minor airports like Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome….

    Shall I fo on?

    45
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    Mute Seamus O'Conner
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:55 PM

    Cheaper to fly to England than get a train from Belfast to Dublin. Thanks Ryanair.

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    Mute Andrew Nadin
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:18 PM

    Cheaper than Drogheda to Dublin

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    Mute Vinny
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:12 PM

    FairPlay to Ryanair they are flying ahead

    69
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    Mute Mitch Connor
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:07 PM

    Is Google launching a “Skyscanner” competitor with Ryanair featuring at the top of results?

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    Mute Seweryn Sapinski
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    Jan 13th 2014, 10:25 PM

    God bless them for superseding Skyscanner and other comparison sites. We don’t need hundreds of sites and companies when we can have all services from one – GOOGLE!! In Google our trust!

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    Mute She'sGotAGREATASS!
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:31 PM

    Michael O’Leary has one of the most punchable looking heads I have ever seen.

    51
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    Mute I love my County
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:46 PM

    We can’t all look like Al Pacino unfortunately……

    25
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    Mute Tomás O'Loughlin
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    Jan 13th 2014, 8:35 PM

    I really don’t get this at all. If it’s a comparison site then surely google is working with all airlines? In which case it has nothing in particular to do with them?

    Or is it that Ryanair are so confident of being the cheapest they’re trumpeting it?

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    Mute Pilib O Muiregan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:13 PM

    Ryanair are the only job flying to Paris with Air Lingus next week, went to check in online and print my boarding pass and they want an extra tenner to pick my seats??? At least with Ryanair you know what your getting. From A-B in the quickest cheapest way.

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    Mute Timothy Bryce
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:34 PM

    A hidden charges from an airline, oh no, the humanity. Are you ok?

    34
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    Mute Ian Walsh
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    Jan 13th 2014, 10:16 PM

    If you wait to checkin 24 hours before your flight you can pick your sear for free. Also, Ryanair charge you to select certain seats, otherwise its cattle scrum at boarding time.

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    Mute Ian Walsh
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    Jan 13th 2014, 10:23 PM

    *seat

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    Mute Frances Faller
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:01 PM

    I hope Google wont start charging like Ryanair, now that Michael is involved with them.

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    Mute Huboy De Kiiiid
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:03 PM

    you’ve just searched google images, google images is a premium site, we’ve taken the charge from your phone, thank you.

    34
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    Mute Hedley Lamarr
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:14 PM

    E5 Extra charge for the use of WWW. and .Com, New Googleair.

    22
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    Mute Peace for All
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:07 PM

    Googleingus

    11
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    Mute Thomas O' Donnell
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    Jan 13th 2014, 10:41 PM

    Sounds like an STD!

    8
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    Mute Trudy Taaffe
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    Jan 13th 2014, 8:45 PM

    Ryanair being tight-lipped!! Never thought I’d see the day!

    19
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    Mute Huboy De Kiiiid
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:02 PM

    A bit unfair of google to be geting involved with something like this isn’t it? I’m sure that they can blow the competition out of the water given googles huge resources and there buddies in the NSA.

    Mr google ‘Michael, we have the NSA on our side’.

    Mr ryanair ‘er, so do we’.

    14
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    Mute Wolf Pack
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:09 PM

    What are you on about?

    117
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    Mute Hippocrateeth
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:16 PM

    Not to mention Ryanair’s well documented bed-sharing with the execs in the NFA and the LRN.

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:19 PM
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    Mute John Swan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:58 PM

    Anyone talking down Google’s involvement with the NSA scandal doesn’t know about the NSA scandal. They’ll just add the passenger information to their massive database in Utah.

    19
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    Mute Seweryn Sapinski
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    Jan 13th 2014, 10:30 PM

    “I’ll do anything for money, but I won’t do that”?

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    Mute Aodhan O Cuana
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:45 PM

    Great news; now let’s go transfer-global and get the economy f*cking rocking! But remember O’Leary is only good at airlines; let’s leave him there. Human nature and stuff like that; well he doesn’t have the skills!!

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    Mute Peace for All
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:05 PM

    You are hugely underestimating Michael O’Learys understanding of Human nature and his skills.

    25
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    Mute byrondenis
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    Jan 14th 2014, 1:04 AM

    Two great companies, no unions, what’s not to like :)

    7
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    Mute Barry O Rourke
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:28 PM

    Im hoping it involves O Leary “blowing” his brains out in a public spectacle..we can all watch his smirk fly through the air one last time

    6
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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:38 PM

    Because suicide is funny? Nice one Barry – really classy.

    53
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    Mute Mark Malee
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    Jan 14th 2014, 8:31 AM

    Ryanair is like golf! Looks good in the air but lands nowhere near the green!!

    5
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    Mute chris
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    Jan 14th 2014, 5:10 AM

    Skyscanner don’t charge anything it’s just price comparison from all airlines

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    Mute bernard r malone
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    Jan 13th 2014, 10:41 PM

    That shirt is worn out Michael

    2
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