'Long-term damage'

David Madden, an analysts at CMC Markets, said it was plain Ryanair's aggressive stance was having a negative impact on its business: "In August 2017 the airline's share price hit an all-time high as the company made a concerted effort to improve customer service prior to that, and it clearly paid off."

He pointed out that since then, the shares had lost 38%

"Clients like cheap airfares, but they value flight certainty more, and the company is running the risk of doing long-term damage to the brand. The airline is still aiming to make over €1bn profit, so it's not like they can't afford to pay their staff well."