The whole concept of the travel agent is absurd. They appear to be agents of the traveller but are actually agents of the airlines. Stelios Haji-Ioannou More Quotes by Stelios Haji-Ioannou More Quotes From Stelios Haji-Ioannou Successes are always unique and hard to copy. The fact that easyJet became a success is due to a mixture of talent and luck. Stelios Haji-Ioannou mixturesluckunique People are grateful when you make a difference in their lives. That is the essence of any successful business Stelios Haji-Ioannou gratefulessencesuccessful America has its roots in a tradition of risk-taking pioneers. In more conservative Europe, if you fail in business or actually end up going to jail for it, you're finished as a businessman for good. Stelios Haji-Ioannou rootseuropeamerica Failures teach you more, there's always something fundamental about them. Stelios Haji-Ioannou teachfundamentals I have to manage and protect my brand. For the details I can always hire people who can knuckle down much better. For that I need people who are different to myself. People who compensate for my weaknesses. Stelios Haji-Ioannou detailsweaknesspeople All things start in California and spread to New Jersey, then to London and then throughout Europe. Stelios Haji-Ioannou californialondoneurope Passengers don't like changing planes. That means waiting time, stress, running around. There's a joke that the hub principle is supposed to have been invented by cargo firms. The baggage doesn't care where and how it's pushed around. Stelios Haji-Ioannou stressrunningmean You can divide airlines into two camps: expensive and cheap. But I believe that we will only distinguish between long-haul and short-haul airlines in the future. Stelios Haji-Ioannou twolongbelieve I didn't want people to say: Stelios does everything on the cheap at work, and in private he lives in the lap of luxury. That's not me. I don't need those status symbols. I don't need a private jet either when I can go everywhere with Easy. Stelios Haji-Ioannou luxurydoepeople Even if someone is competent, it's so damned easy to crucify him as long as he's only working on his father's account. So at the beginning I certainly wanted to prove myself to my father and the rest of society. That quickly turned into a greater challenge. My lifestyle hasn't changed as a result. Stelios Haji-Ioannou challengeslongfather I think that my original drive as an entrepreneur was precisely that desire to get away from the image of the shipping magnate's son. Stelios Haji-Ioannou entrepreneursonthinking Unfortunately I have no rags-to-riches story to tell. Money never played a big role for me. My parents just had it. Stelios Haji-Ioannou ragsrolesparent I'm sure there are managers who have had far greater financial success. But my companies such as easyJet have changed the lives of many people. We haven't just made flights affordable for a lot of people. Stelios Haji-Ioannou flightfinancialpeople Greek shipowners like to boast, 'I bought ships at the bottom of the market, and now they're worth ten times as much.' It goes back to the days of Onassis and Niarchos competing with each other over who had the biggest fleet, the biggest yacht and the most famous girlfriend. Stelios Haji-Ioannou shipsgirlfriendgreek This industry attracts more capital than it deserves. Stelios Haji-Ioannou airlineaviationindustry I've always been conscientious and hardworking. I've never wasted time. Stelios Haji-Ioannou wastedneveralwaystime Sir Richard Branson is probably the best communicator ever. He was an inspiration for me - contrary to some reports, we've never done business together, although we did discuss an aviation venture very early on. I don't think easyJet competes with Virgin - we're in different areas. Stelios Haji-Ioannou bestmebusinesstogether When I opened the world's largest Internet cafe, certified by the 'Guinness Book of Records,' in Times Square in New York, I was live on 'Good Morning America,' and for me, that was an achievement. Stelios Haji-Ioannou goodmeachievementmorning In simple terms, I realised that food is the most fundamental need for a person. In difficult economic times, people's priorities change, and they might be willing to do something that secures for them the lowest possible weekly food bill. Stelios Haji-Ioannou changesimplefoodpeople There is a place and a time for philanthropy, and there is only so much money you can give away. Stelios Haji-Ioannou placeyoumoneytime
