28 August 2014 | travelweekly.co.uk business Essential news, comment and analysis TOP STORY


Lesley Kane: ‘We would like my successor to come from a trade background’


RYANAIR TRADE STRATEGY


TAKES OFF – KANE


RYANAIR RINGS FRESH CHANGES THIS WEEK. BUT THE WOMAN


RESPONSIBLE, LESLEY KANE, IS LEAVING.


IAN TAYLOR REPORTS


Ryanair launched new corporate fares this week, is poised to announce a deal with a second GDS and hailed sales of group tours through the trade as having “taken off”. Now the carrier, which for more than a decade rejected all truck with travel agents and operators, is seeking a recruit from the travel trade to replace Lesley Kane, head of corporate travel and groups. Kane took charge of the


carrier’s trade relations in January, 64 • travelweekly.co.uk — 28 August 2014


in a role new to Ryanair. Travel Weekly revealed she was leaving last Friday – becoming the latest in a series of long-standing Ryanair executives to stand down, including chief financial officer Howard Millar and chief operating officer Michael Cawley. However, Kane said her decision “had absolutely nothing to do with the change in direction” at Ryanair. The carrier joined the Travelport GDSs in April and launched a group product in June.


Kane said: “The changes you’re seeing are changes we agreed in the last quarter of last year. I’m not aware of anyone leaving because the company is going through a period of change.” She told Travel Weekly: “The


group tour business has taken off and been welcomed by the trade. We’re selling a lot of group tours, doing business with tour operators we didn’t work with before. We’re


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