ADVERTISEMENT

Ryanair Co-Opts Theresa May's Dancing-Queen Boogie to Sell Seats

Ryanair Co-Opts Theresa May's Dancing-Queen Boogie to Sell Seats

(Bloomberg) -- Everyone who’s listened knows Ryanair and its CEO, Michael O’Leary, are no fans of Brexit. But that hasn’t stopped the Irish discount airline from using Theresa May to sell tickets.

When the U.K. prime minister bounded onstage to deliver her post-Brexit vision at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Wednesday -- awkwardly strutting to Abba’s “Dancing Queen” -- the carrier’s social media team got to work.

The result:

“U.K. customers will be dancing with delight as they book a pre-Brexit break,” Ryanair said in an email, referring to its 25 percent-off sale.

Ryanair is a master of tongue-in-cheek social-media advertising, famously making fun of rival Aer Lingus, the German soccer team, and even O’Leary himself.

While this one was at May’s expense, the airline took some daggers too. A follower replied with a snarky riff complaining about Ryanair’s handling of canceled-flight compensation. It’s rough out there.

--With assistance from Benjamin Katz.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anthony Palazzo in London at apalazzo@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.