Tuesday 20 January 2026 23:16 GMT Exclusive: Michael O'Leary announces Ryanair's exclusive ‘Prime’ service for frequent flyers The rivalry between Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has intensified, leading to a new advertising campaign from the airline. Ryanair launched a 'Big ‘Idiot’ Seat Sale', sending emails with a mock-up of O'Leary striking Musk, labelled 'Big Idiots'. The campaign offers 100,000 seats from £16.99 for travel between February and April, with the advertising copy targeting 'idiots' on X. The dispute originated from O'Leary's refusal to install Starlink Wi-Fi on Ryanair's fleet, citing an estimated £250m annual cost and subsequently calling Musk an 'idiot'. Musk reacted by stating O'Leary 'needs to be fired' and suggested he could buy Ryanair, a prospect deemed unlikely due to European Union airline ownership regulations. In full