Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) responded with a blunt one-word answer on social media after a user asked whether he could book every seat on one of the carrier's Boeing 737 flights for a "private" experience, showcasing the low-cost airline's trademark mix of cheap fares and forthright online wit.
Cheap Fare Joke Gets Blunt Answer
The exchange began after an American user marveled at a Ryanair fare listing that appeared to show an $18 ticket from Valencia to Ibiza, a price point that fits the airline's bare-bones model before fees for extras such as reserved seating and larger bags are added.
Ryanair officially quoted the post from user Alex Kehr, who asked whether he could "just book all 190 seats for $3400 and have a private 737 flight?" In response, the airline's social media account, which has built a reputation for short and often snarky posts, replied simply, "no.”
Pricing Rules Make It Impossible
The joke tapped into a real gap between European ultra-low-cost fares and typical U.S. domestic ticket prices. But Ryanair's pricing structure does not work like a static supermarket shelf. The airline's published fees show that base fares are paired with separate charges for add-ons such as priority boarding, seat selection and checked baggage, while seat-reservation rules make clear that seats are assigned to named passengers rather than sold as an anonymous block for a de facto charter.
Some social media users argued that if all seats are available, one buyer should be able to take them all. In practice, airline inventory is typically sold through dynamic pricing, meaning the lowest advertised fare is usually available only on a limited number of seats and later seats rise in price as inventory tightens. Ryanair’s response has since garnered 58,000 likes, at the time of writing.
Charter Option Exists For Private Flights
It is worth noting that for travelers who actually want a private Ryanair flight, the airline offers a separate Corporate Jet Charter service using a customized Boeing 737-700 with 60 business-class seats, not a buyout of a standard scheduled 737 service.
Price Action: Ryanair shares fell 0.93% to $61.97 on Wednesday, with no movement in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro data.
According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, RYAAY is lagging in the short and medium-term performance metrics, although its Value score remains robust, ranking in the 80th percentile.
Image by Markus Mainka via Shutterstock
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