Elon Musk's Twitter Rant Reveals Fractious Relationship with Ryanair CEO Over Starlink Satellites on Planes
A recent verbal sparring match between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and Michael O'Leary, the CEO of budget airline Ryanair, has exposed a tangled web of disagreements over the integration of Starlink satellite internet on commercial flights. The exchange began when O'Leary expressed skepticism about adding Starlink to Ryanair's planes, citing concerns about increased fuel costs.
Musk took to Twitter to express his disdain for O'Leary's stance, labeling him "misinformed" and questioning the accuracy of any potential fuel efficiency gains from the satellite system. The CEO of Starlink, Michael Nicolls, chimed in with data suggesting that a 2% increase in fuel costs is unlikely given the terminal design.
However, O'Leary has shot back at Musk's criticism, stating that his concerns remain valid despite Starlink's more efficient antenna design. The airline chief claimed that adding an aerial antenna would incur significant additional costs and weigh down aircraft, leading to a 2% fuel penalty. This would be passed on to customers in the form of higher ticket prices.
Ryanair's price point is significantly lower than its American counterparts, with some flights available for as little as $17. The airline has opted not to offer free internet due to concerns about consumer willingness to pay extra for services like this. Starlink currently provides such connectivity for free but O'Leary argues that users should bear the costs associated with increased fuel expenses.
Tensions escalated when O'Leary directly called Musk an "idiot" on live podcast The Hard Shoulder, prompting a retaliatory blast from Musk on X.
A recent verbal sparring match between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and Michael O'Leary, the CEO of budget airline Ryanair, has exposed a tangled web of disagreements over the integration of Starlink satellite internet on commercial flights. The exchange began when O'Leary expressed skepticism about adding Starlink to Ryanair's planes, citing concerns about increased fuel costs.
Musk took to Twitter to express his disdain for O'Leary's stance, labeling him "misinformed" and questioning the accuracy of any potential fuel efficiency gains from the satellite system. The CEO of Starlink, Michael Nicolls, chimed in with data suggesting that a 2% increase in fuel costs is unlikely given the terminal design.
However, O'Leary has shot back at Musk's criticism, stating that his concerns remain valid despite Starlink's more efficient antenna design. The airline chief claimed that adding an aerial antenna would incur significant additional costs and weigh down aircraft, leading to a 2% fuel penalty. This would be passed on to customers in the form of higher ticket prices.
Ryanair's price point is significantly lower than its American counterparts, with some flights available for as little as $17. The airline has opted not to offer free internet due to concerns about consumer willingness to pay extra for services like this. Starlink currently provides such connectivity for free but O'Leary argues that users should bear the costs associated with increased fuel expenses.
Tensions escalated when O'Leary directly called Musk an "idiot" on live podcast The Hard Shoulder, prompting a retaliatory blast from Musk on X.
I'm so surprised how heated it got between these two! Starlink is supposed to make flying more convenient for people, but it sounds like there's still a lot of nuance to consider about costs and logistics... Interesting 
. I mean, I get it, they're both passionate about their tech, but can't we just chill for once? 
. All that weight and cost added to each flight...no thanks! And I get Musk's point too, but let's not forget those fuel costs are gonna add up 
.
and hashed it out. No need for public burns 
. We're all stuck in this crazy world of tech and airline drama 
, can't we just find some common ground?
apparently oleary is all like "no thanks" to adding satellite internet to flights cuz he thinks its gonna cost too much fuel 
" but olearys still stuck on his guns 
guess u gotta wonder which one r gonna win in the end 
And come on, Elon's Starlink has already got some serious tech cred under its belt... 
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I feel like both sides are getting really worked up over this 
Starlink is trying to make air travel more convenient, but Ryanair is worried about the costs 
It's like, if you want free internet on flights, you gotta pay for it somehow 
Maybe they can just have a chat about finding a happy medium instead of trash-talking each other? 
. plus, $17 flights? that's crazy cheap 
i get that o'leary has concerns about costs and fuel efficiency, but musk seems pretty sure starlink will save the day 
. and then musk calls him out on live podcast and it's like... no need for that 
. anyway, hope they can work something out before it affects all of us who just wanna fly to our fave destinations without breaking the bank 
. Anyway, can we please just get back to the good old days when all we had to worry about was AOL dial-up and dial tones?
2% fuel cost increase might not seem like much but when you're dealing w/ massive airlines like Ryanair, every penny counts 
i feel like these 2 are going back and forth over and over 
michael o'leary has valid points tho, adding sat internet to planes would indeed add weight and fuel costs 
elon musk might be right that the potential fuel efficiency gains outweigh the added expenses but at the end of the day it's about what ryanair thinks their customers will pay for 
. But Elon's like "no way, bro, we're making this happen" 
And then Ryanair's CEO fires back with some pretty valid points too 
. So, Ryanair's CEO is just saying that adding Starlink to their planes would be super expensive and weigh down the aircraft? That's fair, right? But Elon Musk is all bent outta shape because O'Leary didn't say it was a good idea for no reason... I mean, come on, dude! 
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They're already making so little profit, they need every penny they can get.