Business Breakdowns
Episode 98 Ryanair: Low Cost Obsessed
Business Breakdowns

Episode 98: Ryanair: Low Cost Obsessed

Business Breakdowns

Episode 98

Ryanair: Low Cost Obsessed

Andrew Hollingworth is the founder and portfolio manager at Holland Advisors. We cover what makes airlines such a difficult industry for investors, how Ryanair focuses on cost advantages, and how its CEO took a unique approach to shaping the business.

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[00:03:12] - [First question] - Why airlines have such a bad reputation with investors 

[00:04:20] - An overview of Ryanair and its size and scale today 

[00:05:43] - Unique characteristics about Ryanair’s business model that distinguishes them from their competitors

[00:06:59] - How much overlap there is between Ryanair and Southwest Airlines  

[00:09:10] - What keeps customers coming back to Ryanair

[00:10:49] - What else stands out about Michael O’Leary that is key to Ryanair’s success

[00:12:16] -
Michael O’Leary: Turbulent Times for the Man Who Made Ryanair

[00:14:22] - How Ryanair’s business model has evolved against cycles and opportunities

[00:19:29] - What else goes into their cheap seat cost structure 

[00:23:10] - Approaching labor in light of a unionized industry and workforce 

[00:28:07] - The cyclicality of margins and how theirs look compared to their competitors

[00:33:47] - Interesting data on airplane utilization and dynamic pricing  

[00:36:40] - What’s contributing to the lack of growth at easyJet 

[00:37:52] - Ways low-cost providers hold up in recessionary periods 

[00:39:19] - How much of their margins are translating into free cash flow 

[00:42:37] - The risks to Ryanair’s growth as a shareholder  

[00:44:00] - Industry responses to cycles and recessionary environments 

[00:46:31] - The main takeaways from Ryanair that could be applied elsewhere

Ryanair: Low Cost Obsessed

Introduction

Matt
This is Matt Reustle, and today, we are breaking down Europe's largest airline, Ryanair. As we do more breakdowns, we start to look for patterns of successful business models that succeed across different industries. And Ryanair is another case study in low-cost shared economies of scale. To break down Ryanair, I'm joined by Holland Advisors founder and Portfolio Manager, Andrew Hollingworth.

Andrew was an airlines analyst for a decade and has written extensively on Ryanair. He's a studier of business models and also joined me for our episode this past summer on Charles Schwab. On this episode, we talk about what makes airlines such a difficult industry for investors, how CEO, Michael O'Leary has taken a truly unique approach to building this business and how to frame cyclical versus secular dynamics in the airlines market.

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