Expectations.

As you know, I love a good Ryan Air story and if needs be told I could probably write two or three blogs a week about an airline that seems totally devoid of feelings for its customers. Here is an airline that long ago decided to be a market leader in providing the absolute minimum required for air travel. Where most companies strive to produce products and services of quality, at least within their monetary and skill set, Ryan Air has decided to occupy the other end of the spectrum. If nothing else it gives them an inordinate amount of free publicity. Publicity that most companies would shy away from but publicity that Ryan Air gravitates to with a blinkered view of bottom line results.

And what bottom line results they are if you look at last Year's 204% increase in profits, 13% fall in ticket prices, 14% increase in passenger numbers, 51 new aircraft and 284 new routes. It seems the airline is impervious to all the barbs and arrows directed at it from travellers and companies who find multiple things array with the thinking of a driven man in Michael O'Leary.

So this week's latest celebrity tangle with Ryan Air by singer Lily Allen who was charged £40 to print her boarding pass must have seemed like a godsend to the airline. Lily tweeted to her 3 million followers about being outraged at the charge for a piece of paper she held in her hand for seven minutes before giving it back at the boarding gate. This made headlines throughout Europe and gained an extra 15 minutes of fame because the airline made no reply and in fact it was pointed out the airline did not even have a social strategy, even if they wanted to reply. So without Twitter, Facebook and all the other players seemingly so important nowadays how is Ryan Air coping in the world of tweets and likes? See second paragraph above.

Seems all the conditions relating to the £40 reprint can be found in the airline's terms and conditions and along with the famous line about not wanting to engage "lunatic bloggers", Ryan Air is sticking to its model. It's a model based on very clear expectations with price lines to match. They want their passengers arriving at the airport with all the necessary paperwork and they are told in no uncertain words what they can expect if this doesn't happen.

Poor Lily, no doubt suffering time restraints, why didn't my PA do this and don't you know who I am syndrome ended up being the perfect marketing foil for an airline that has successfully inherited a part of the industry spectrum where only the brave survive. Even Southwest, considered a cousin of Ryan Air, pushed resources at the Kevin Smith, "you're too fat to fit into our airline seat" debacle last year.

So like Apple standing alone atop the technology mountain along with Zappos on top of the service mountain, Ryan Air happy sits in a coal mine under the mountain busily printing money.

No doubt Lily made it onto the aircraft because Ryan Air does have one important service mantle to protect. Last year they were the number one, on time major carrier within Europe. For a £1 fare that's the least you would expect.