RYANAIR: grow the company

Advanced level:

• Grammar: Countable and uncountable nouns

• Functional Vocabulary: Scale of likelihood

• Listening Exercises: Ryanair’s growth and Michael O’Leary

• Cultural Awareness Point: The Queue

• Pronunciation: Vowel sounds /ai/ or /ei/

• Reading: Low-cost success for Ryanair

• Role Play: Meeting to discuss expansion policy

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Introduction: Discuss these questions:

How do budget airlines make money? Do you use one? Why or why not?

Listening exercise 1:

Listen and answer the questions below. NOTE: They are not in chronological order

Pronunciation practice: vowel sounds - /ai/ or /ei/

Practice saying these words and put them into the correct vowel sound box

sailor - child - eye - space - cake - weight - decide - polite - wave - rain - eight - quite

- freight - grey - shy - aisle - ice - fail – height – sheik – air – night - despite - training

/ai/ child /ei/ sailor

"In the past only the rich could afford to fly. Now everyone can." Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair

1. What helped Ryanair expand in 1992?

2. How many passengers did Ryanair carry in 2008?

3. Ryanair flies on routes?

4. On which company business model is Ryanair based?

5. Why does Ryanair use a single type of airplane?

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Question: You arrive at the airport with two suitcases. Do you have luggage, suitcase or luggages?

GRAMMAR POINT: Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Nouns in English are either countable or uncountable, and often mistakes are made with some of the irregular ones. 1. Countable Nouns: • These can be used in plural, take determiners such as: many, these, those,

several, a few e.g. many managers are well paid

2. Countable nouns include many concrete nouns i.e. • The names of individual things (a factory, a computer) • Units of measurements (a kilo, a metre) • Individual parts of a mass (a piece of advice, a sheet of paper, a news item) 3. Uncountable Nouns • Do not take ‘the’ when used in a general sense – time is money • Have words like much, little before them – we are not making much profit 4. Uncountable nouns include: • Many abstract nouns (hope, importance) • Substances (water, gold, petrol) Some common mistakes using uncountable nouns are: Behaviour Advice Accommodation Advertising Publicity Equipment Research Transport Luggage Information Staff Evidence News Furniture Damage Work

EXERCISE: Choose the correct word in italics.

1. They gave us plenty of advices / advice on how to deal with him.

2. They have a new / news about the promotion

3. There was a lot of damages / damage to the airplane.

4. I have a suitcase / a suitcases to check in.

5. Ryanair has some new safety equipment / equipments.

6. A lot of worker / workers are on holiday.

7. Plenty of publicity are / is very important for Ryanair

8. Bring all the furnitures / furniture into the office.

9. The company set a high profits / profit target last year.

10. The idea / ideas are good, but we cannot use them.

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READING EXERCISE: Put a correct uncountable noun into the gaps and explain the words in bold.

Why is Ryanair successful? Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O'Leary, believes his airfares will get even lower when more city destinations take his 1. and subsidize the airline so that it can bring a steady traffic of business people and tourists to their region. His ultimate goal is, in his own words: "Free tickets. In a decade or so, airlines will be paid to distribute travellers around Europe. The airline industry is like a television station where viewers watch for nothing and advertisers pay for access to them, and much of the 2. points to this. However, our success is due - not just to our low fares - but also a winning combination of our on-time record, our friendly and efficient 3. and our new Boeing 737-800 aircraft". Unlike manufacturers, which can avoid lots of bad 4. by dumping a line that doesn’t meet quality standards, airline firms have to deliver quality every day, every hour, every time. The 5. that Ryanair is trying to improve its customer service is welcome amongst consumer groups, who feel that misleading fare offers and no compensation for cancelled flights have caused a lot of 6. to the company image. Furthermore, in a globalized competitive environment, a market leader is supposed to differentiate its service from that of its rivals. BA, for instance, offers reserved seating, more 7. allowance and better staff training. In its defense, Ryanair's service is centred around "low-cost and no frills." The priority is the cheap price and getting to the destination on time, and this is where the company excels. The customers see plenty of 8. of this too.

CULTURAL AWARENESS POINT: The queue The queue is the UK is a polite line where people wait patiently for their turn to come. This includes: public transport, shops, ATM machines, cinema etc. Pushing in, or jumping the queue, is bad manners and should always be avoided. SPEAKING PRACTICE: • Does your culture/nationality like to form a polite queue? • In what situations do you think queuing is inappropriate?

news – damage - advice - luggage - staff – evidence - publicity - research

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FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY: Scale of Likelihood

This is used in business to express certainty and possibility. For example: De-regulation is bound to lead to more opportunities We are unlikely to open routes to Bulgaria next year They can’t possibly lower their fares below $1 Form: NOTE: The word ‘odds’ in this context means probability and can be used to express scale of likelihood in different ways. E.g. it is odds on that fares will go down. The odds are against it happening. EXERCISE: Choose the correct phrase for each gap. Some sentences have more than one possibility. 1. Ryanair is having an excellent year. Company profits are go up.

2. I am that airfares will remain at the same price.

3. It is unclear at the moment but due to the lawsuit it is we will survive.

4. The company open routes to Turkey, it all depends on the cost.

5. Fuel prices fall next year, but we buy ours three years in advance.

6. The of that happening are extremely slim.

7. It is that he will take the job.

8. With these prices the plane be full.

Certainty I am (absolutely) sure that … fares will increase certain that … fares will increase positive that … fares will increase Fares are certain to increase bound to increase sure to increase

Probability It is very likely that fares will increase It is highly probable that fares will increase Fares should increase

Possibility Fares may increase Fares might increase Fares could increase

Improbability It is highly unlikely that fares will increase It is highly improbable that fares will increase

Impossibility I am (absolutely) sure that fares won’t increase I am convinced that fares won’t increase

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Discuss these questions: • Do you know anything about Ryanair’s Chairman, Michael O’Leary?

• Do you think he has environmental concerns?

LISTENING EXERCISE 2:

Listen to a report on Michael O’Leary and answer the questions below. NOTE: The questions are not in chronological order

ROLE-PLAY

CASE STUDY: Ryanair’s management team discusses starting long haul flights DIRECTORS: You see India as a great opportunity and urge the board to move quickly. You want to set up a hub in Cyprus and offer cheap travel for Indians wanting to visit Western Europe, and vice-versa. The risks of corruption, lack of control, bureaucracy and local competition, are less than the benefits of establishing a name and potential profits. MICHAEL O’LEARY You see the move towards India as the wrong direction and that if there is any investment it should be towards USA, which is potentially more lucrative. You believe that Michael is being over-ambitious and that none of your competitors are interested in India. Prepare a presentation and be ready to argue for your ideas. THE MEETING: Come up with a solution and use the uncountable and countable nouns, and the vocabulary of scale of likelihood, when discussing the theme.

1. Is Michael O’Leary passionate about air travel? 2. O’Leary’s family business has always been airlines. Is that true? 3. How much is he worth? 4. Is he concerned about carbon emissions? 5. How has Ryanair helped liberate normal people?

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RYANAIR - Advanced Audio-script 1 Ryanair has been so successful that it has resulted in a lot of companies trying to replicate its business model. Ryanair revolutionized air transport in Europe when it started operating in 1985 with a 15-seat airplane flying between Waterford in Ireland and London. In its first year it carried around 5,000 passengers. In 2008 it carried nearly 60 million and had a net profit of around $700 million. It flies on over 600 routes. But how did it grow from a one-plane company to be one of Europe’s biggest carriers? Michael O'Leary was given the job of making the airline profitable. He went to America and studied the 'low cost’ model Southwest Airlines had been using successfully since 1971. This business model included: •No first class or business class segregation, only a single passenger class •A single type of airplane, the Boeing 737, to reduce training, servicing, and equipment costs. •Unreserved seating (encouraging passengers to board early and quickly) •Flying to cheaper, secondary airports (to lower fees) •Employees with multi jobs, for example: flight attendants also clean the airplanes, or work as

gate agents •No free food or drinks on the plane. If passengers want it, they pay for it. O'Leary decided that Ryanair would compete in Europe using the same model and set about implementing it. The company’s expansion was helped massively in 1992 when Europe deregulated the airline industry. Audio-script 2 And what about the chairman of the company, Michael O’Leary? Does it take a special sort of person to build up a business as successful as Ryanair? He was born in 1961 into a family of farmers, and is now one of Ireland's richest men, with an estimated fortune worth $900 million. This money came from Ryanair, but he is not passionate about air travel. For O’Leary it is only a business “I never wanted to be a pilot or anything like that, airplanes are nothing more than buses with wings,” he said. “I love business, and if it wasn’t airplanes it would be something else.” With Ryanair flying all over Europe and plans to open routes to America is Michael O’Leary, concerned about the climate? No, is the answer. “Sell your car and walk if you want to save the planet.” However, Ryanair has spent more than $10bn renewing its Boeing 737s. The new planes produce 50% fewer emissions, burn 45% less fuel and make 45% less noise. O'Leary's real concern is simple: low fares. In 2007 Ryanair's average ticket costs $50, compared with $75 on easyJet or $400 on BA. And in 2008 he reduced them even more. "The other airlines are asking how they can put up fares, he said. “We are asking how we can reduce them to zero. Do you remember twenty years ago when people had to pay a fortune to travel by air? Ryanair has helped liberate normal people.” In many ways it is responsible for opening up areas that never saw migrant workers or tourists before. Even holiday homes in France, Italy and Spain have seen prices rise because foreigners can now fly out for weekend breaks.

LESSON PLAN – RYANAIR - ADVANCED

INTRODUCTION: Start by asking students if they know what a no-frills airline is, and what they know about Ryanair. Teacher (T) - Students (SS) 5 mins LISTENING EXERCISE 1: Next tell students they are going to hear a consultant talking about the business model of Ryanair. They need to answer the questions at the end. Play the Listening Exercise and ask students the questions. (T) - (SS) 10 mins PRONUNCIATION POINT: Get the students to read the words and put them into the correct box. Drill where necessary (T) - (SS) 10 mins GRAMMAR: Ask the question and see if anyone can come up with other examples of uncountable nouns. Go on through the examples and do the exercises that follow. Ask students to read the questions and answers out loud. (S) – (T) 5 mins READING: Find out if any of the students know what Ryanair’s future strategy is? Go through the reading exercise and ask students to read out loud and fill in the gaps with an appropriate uncountable noun. (S) – (T) 10 mins CULTURAL AWARENESS POINT: Read the short text on queuing and discuss the questions that follow. (T) - (SS) 10 mins FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY: Write down on the whiteboard ‘Bound to’ and ‘Odds on’ and ask if anyone knows what they mean. Go to the exercise (T) - (SS) 10 mins

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LISTENING EXERCISE 2: Ask the questions on what sort of a person is the chairman of Ryanair is, his business style. Tell students they are going to hear the 2nd part of the Listening Exercise about Michael O’Leary the chairman of Ryanair. They need to answer the questions at the end. Play the Listening Exercise (SS) – (T) 10 mins ROLE PLAY: Split students into groups and get them to read their role cards and prepare to discuss the situation. Make sure they practice the grammar and vocabulary learnt in the lesson and to try and use the case study material in their argument. (SS) - (SS) 10 mins

EXERCISE ANSWERS – RYANAIR – ADVANCED

LISTENING EXERCISE 1: 1. Europe deregulated the airline industry 2. Nearly 60 million 3. Over 600 4. The 'low cost’ model Southwest Airlines 5. To reduce training, servicing, and equipment costs. PRONUNCIATION EXERCISE: /ai/ child eye decide polite quite shy aisle ice height night despite /ei/ sailor space cake wave rain eight grey fail weight freight sheik air training Grammar: Exercise: 1. They gave us plenty of advice on how to deal with him. 2. They have news about the promotion 3. There was a lot of damage to the airplane. 4. I have a suitcase to check in. 5. Ryanair has some new safety equipment. 6. A lot of workers are on holiday. 7. Plenty of publicity is very important for Ryanair 8. Bring all the furniture into the office. 9. The company set a high profit target last year. 10. The ideas are good, but we cannot use them. READING: EXERCISE: 1. Advice 2.Research 3.Staff 4.Publicity 5.News 6.Damage 7.Luggage 8.Evidence FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY: EXERCISE (POSSIBLE ANSWERS): 1. Ryanair is having an excellent year. Company profits are sure to / bound to go up. 2. I am absolutely convinced that airfares will remain at the same price. 3. It is unclear at the moment but due to the lawsuit it is highly unlikely we will survive. 4. The company may / might open routes to Turkey, it all depends on the cost. 5. Fuel prices might well fall next year, but we buy ours 3 years in advance. 6. The odds of that happening are extremely slim. 7. It is odds on that he will take the job. 8. With these prices the plane should be full. LISTENING EXERCISE PRACTICE 2: 1. No, it is only a business. 2. No, farmers 3. $900 million 4. No, sell your car and walk if you want to save the planet.” 5. In many ways it is responsible for opening up areas that never saw migrant workers or

tourists before. Even holiday homes in France, Italy and Spain have seen prices rise because foreigners can now fly out for weekend breaks.

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