Ryanair launches a new car hire service powered by CarTrawler

Ryanair's boss Michael O'Leary kept his feet firmly on the ground today, launching a new car hire service for his customers.

The budget airline revealed it is partnering with CarTrawler – which will allow Ryanair Car Hire customers to access 1500 car rental agents across 174 countries.

The new service, which begins next month, replaces a longstanding deal between the airline and car rental giant Hertz.

Ryanair is launching legal proceedings against Hertz after the US firm ended the partnership following a dispute over Ryanair's indirect ticket sales.

The CarTrawler tie up is Michael O’Leary’s latest strategic move. Earlier this month, he said a new website will allow its 103 million passengers to compare prices on flights, hotels and restaurants in an attempt to quell the sway of comparison sites.

O’Leary has led its Always Getting Better strategy – which has helped boost sales by being friendly to its passengers through a string of customer service measures. The initiative helped drive profits up 66% to €867m (£614 million) in the year to the end of March.

The Irishman unveiled the car hire tie-up at the Goring hotel in London today dressed as Robin from the Batman series.

He said: “Ryanair customers already enjoy the lowest fares in Europe and our partnership with CarTrawler will guarantee them the lowest car hire prices as well, every time they fly with us.”