Having just watched the programme, there is no doubt in my mind that Michael O'Leary was right. The BBC was not prepared to screen an unedited interview with him; he could have been asked to answer the seemingly valid criticisms of Ryanair that were made by staff and customers, but he was not allowed that opportunity. The Ryanair boss was willing to be interviewed; the BBC offered no explanation as to why "editing" would be necessary, and so the interview did not take place. Very disappointing. Having never flown with Ryanair, I have no personal interest in the airline, and will be interested to see the postings on this website from the travel trade.

Ryanair scares me. It really does. It is the only company I know with its own successful hate blog (http://www.ihateryanair.co.uk) and as strong a following as any airline I have seen.
In my experience, Ryanair is not offering value for money - and the de-valuing takes place as early as the point of sale.
Given the rather outspoken nature of Mr. O'Leary, I can understand BBC's reluctance to publish an interview without editing. Given the regulations protecting Mr. O'Leary against being misrepresented by BBC's editing, I am less understanding about his choice.

As the Panorama programme about Ryanair has not yet been broadcast, Michael O'Leary has decided to begin his attack as a pre-emptive strike. Whilst Ryanair has come in for some jusitified criticism in the past, it does provide low cost, punctual transport, which is all that many people require of an airline. The BBC has been enmeshed in several scandals in which journalistic standards and financial probity has been questioned. The Panorama broadcast must have cast-iron evidence for whatever allegations it makes about Ryanair; if it fails to come up with the goods, its reputation will sink even further.