Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Julie Delahaye

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary warns era of cheap flights under £10 could be over

The days of cheap flights could be a thing of the past, according to Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary.

The budget airline's boss has revealed that with the Cost of Living crisis and the soaring cost of fuel, the era of low fares including €10 tickets could be over.

Ryanair is famous for its already budget fares, and in the past the airline has often hosted flash sales where you could snap up tickets from as little as £4.99 each way. (Although it's worth noting this didn't include extra bags - you need to pay for this under the airline's hand luggage rules.

Sign up to the Mirror's travel newsletter for more tips and updates.

Ryanair still anticipates that people will continue to fly over the next few years (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr O'Leary told the BBC that the airline's average fare price would rise from approximately €40 (£33.75) last year to roughly €50, over the next five years.

However, he added that the airline anticipates that "people will continue to fly frequently" despite the cost of living crisis.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4 he said: "There's no doubt that at the lower end of the marketplace, our really cheap promotional fares - the one euro fares, the €0.99 fares, even the €9.99 fares - I think you will not see those fares for the next number of years."

He added: ""We think people will continue to fly frequently. But I think people are going to become much more price sensitive and therefore my view of life is that people will trade down in their many millions."

It's not the first time that travel insiders have warned of price hikes.

Last month Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, said that rising oil prices in part caused by the war in Ukraine would lead ticket costs to jump up.

He also warned that flight cancellations would push up demand for seats on other planes, inflating prices.

Airports and airlines have struggled to cope in recent weeks due to a number of factors, predominantly staff shortages and a surge of demand from holiday-starved Brits.

As a result, holidaymakers have faced issues such as hours-long queues at airports, as well as a host of flight cancellations and delays from major airlines like easyJet, TUI and British Airways.

Have you had a negative flight experience this summer? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.