The public spat between Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has now crossed fully into farce, with Ryanair leaning into the drama by launching what it cheekily calls a “Big Idiot Seat Sale.” What began as a disagreement over in-flight Wi-Fi technology has devolved into billionaire name-calling, social media polls, and now airline marketing built around mockery.
Ryanair Launches “Big Idiot Seat Sale” As Musk Feud Over Starlink Escalates
At the center of the dispute is Starlink, Musk’s high-speed satellite internet divsion of SpaceX. Ryanair has made clear it has no intention of installing Starlink on its aircraft, arguing that the added weight and drag from antennas would increase fuel burn and costs that ultra-low-cost passengers simply would not pay for. For an airline built entirely around ruthless cost discipline and short-haul flying, O’Leary insisted the math does not work.
Musk, whose business interests include Starlink and the social media platform X, strongly disagreed. He took to X to argue that Ryanair’s leadership was misinformed about the technology and suggested that airlines without onboard connectivity would lose customers. The exchange quickly turned personal, with O’Leary dismissing Musk as “an idiot” who knows nothing about aviation, and Musk firing back that Ryanair’s CEO should be fired.
From there, things escalated rapidly. Musk floated the idea of buying Ryanair outright and replacing its leadership, an idea framed half as a joke and half as a flex. Instead of backing away, Ryanair’s marketing team embraced the chaos, announcing a promotional fare sale aimed at “big idiots on X,” clearly referencing Musk and anyone else enjoying the spectacle.
https://twitter.com/Ryanair/status/2013655641600987263
This sort of stunt is entirely on brand for Ryanair. O’Leary has long understood that outrage and irreverence generate free publicity, and the airline has repeatedly shown it is more than willing to mock customers, competitors, and critics alike if it keeps Ryanair in the headlines. Musk, for his part, treats his X platform as both a megaphone and a battleground.
Strip away the theatrics, though, and there is a legitimate business question underneath all of this. Is high-speed internet becoming a baseline expectation for passengers, even on short-haul, low-cost flights? Or is Ryanair correct that most of its customers care far more about price than connectivity, making Starlink an unnecessary expense?
That topic (among others) will be addressed at a press conference tomorrow:
There, O’Leary will address (“undress”) Musk’s latest “Twitshit.”
Musk is not amused:
The insufferable, special needs chimp currently running Ryan Air is an accountant. Has no idea how airplanes even fly.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2026
Don’t expect a serious debate over the economics of in-fight Wi-Fi. Instead, I’d expect more insults, memes, and of course, the fare sale perfectly designed to go viral. That may be entertaining, but it just sort of sums up how everything feels off these days.
CONCLUSION
For now, Ryanair gets its publicity, Musk gets his engagement, and the rest of us get a front-row seat to a feud that feels perfectly suited for this unique moment in time. If you’ve got travel coming up and are considering Ryanair, don’t let this tomfoolery go to waste…
p.s. I’m not overly concerned about the “airline ownership rules” that Ryanair mentions and that others have repeatedly pointed out will be a dealbreaker for Musk (EU Regulation 1008/2008 mandates that EU airlines be majority-owned and effectively controlled by EU nationals). He already holds three passports and I bet he can get a fourth, and if not, he can set up a European shell company with a representative to officially buy it, even though he will run it. The bigger issue is that Ryanair is not going to sell it to anyone right now…
Hat Tip: Kyle, James, and the others who sent me these tweets!
Good for O’Leary. It’s not a stretch to imagine Musk buying every company he has an issue with and that would be horrific, Musk as owner and/or CEO of half the businesses in the world. They should add a “big douchebag seat”, then Donnie the Douchebag could sit next to Musk. Oh yeah, it’s called “low cost” for a reason, no expectation of WiFi of any kind.
This certainly presents an advantage for both loyal and new Ryanair passengers…
“If anger were mileage, I’d be a very frequent flyer, right up there in First Class.” ― Gina Barreca ―
By all means, accept the free advertising, Ryanair. However, Musk really should just focus on his electric vehicle, space, and satellite internet companies, not politics or social media spats. Like, as much as I am no fan of the man, Elon’s Starlink is an impressive service. Please, just focus on that and not this nonsense.
Indeed. I stopped being a Musk fan when he bought what is now called X, but I’ve been a long-time fan of SpaceX and Starlink. What they’re doing is pretty cool, even if the guy running them isn’t.
Is 1996 that long ago? If today were 1996 and Musk was doing what he is doing (born 30 years earlier), he would be dead by 2026.
In other words, whatever he is doing now, he will be gone in 30 years, maybe even less.
Everyone using Twitter is an idiot.
Please call it twitter as Elon doesn’t believe in dead names.
This just in, Musk wants to buy Ryanair, but hasn’t ruled out force. Since other European airlines have come to Ryanair’s defense, Musk is raising their Starlink fees by 10% next month.
You’re conflating low cost and short haul here but there are plenty of routes which can certainly be described as medium haul.
Well done to O’Leary, making Musk look like the fool he is.