The Drum speaks to communications experts on the impact Ryanair's initial decision not to offer compensation to passengers affected by the flight ban will have had on the brand.

Yesterday, the company made a huge U-turn and agreed that it would follow EU rules and pay compensation – but initial news coverage was not kind.

Nathan Lane, managing director of Ptarmigan Bell Pottinger said that the brand was well known for courting controversy but having established itself as the cheapest flight operator, it is in a comfortable position in the marketplace.

“The whole toilet story, which has rumbled over the last few months, has gotten them headlines time after time and people are prepared to put up with that because it’s Ryanair and they are cheap,” explained Lane.

He continued, “Where they’ve missed a trick on this particular issue is that it’s such an emotive one for people who have been seriously disadvantaged in countries where they couldn’t get back from. Trying to get away with not paying them compensation – it’s such an emotive issue that people will stop flying with Ryanair if they are stranded abroad.”

PR consultant Matt Neary from Conker PR agrees that the brand’s cheap prices have meant that negative news coverage has always meant that Ryanair has been unaffected.

“In the past, the company has played hard ball - most recently when it decided to charge customers to use the toilet. Sure, you'd expect the large airlines and flag carriers to honour such agreements as they deal with a higher end of the market and dominate the business sector - both of who would baulk at this kind of decision and would switch allegiance at the drop of a hat. However, Ryanair is a different beast... Will it affect the brand? Probably not.  Time passes quickly, the ash cloud will soon be forgotten but the draw of getting to the Med for a tenner won't diminish for millions of Brits,” added Neary.

Nicki Sturzaker, newly appointed at The Big Partnership to head up its Edinburgh office, believes that its initial decision not to pay compensation will have had ‘some impact’ on its brand reputation among customers.

“It must be a huge relief for the thousands of Ryanair travellers that have been recently stranded to know that they will finally be compensated, but has this delay perhaps made people think twice about travelling with them in the future?” asks Struzaker. “We are all aware of ‘what you see if what you get’ with the no-frills airlines, but there is always a line to draw in these matters and on this occasion Ryanair failed to see that line from the beginning, which could provide an advantage for their competitors in the future.”

Meanwhile, the airline has begun a press advertising campaign offering three million seats at £3, now that ‘the dust has settled”.