Speaking at the Phocuswright Europe conference in Dublin yesterday, the airline’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said negotiations are already under way to link up.

He said: “(We’re) doing a deal with Aer Lingus and doing connections with Aer Lingus. We would be very surprised if there weren’t connections within the next 12 months.”

Jacobs added the airline has no plans to join an alliance while plans to improve both its website and apps means it has no intention of working more closely with travel agents.

“I think the consumer has become more savvy from better information out there and I think that’s reduced the service that a travel agent provide,” he said. “If you’re going to a complicated place then you need someone to package it up.”

Jacobs also urged Google and eDreams.com to step down in the long-running battle over the indirect selling of its product, especially with 70% of people believing they are on a Ryanair site when they book via the third party.

He said: “Google will give you the usual argument that it is the algorithm but enough is enough. It is bullshit.

“If I was Google I would sort my shit out before the courts do it for you.”

He also predicted that the price of oil will soon be on the up again and will hit a more realistic price of $80 a barrel within the next three years.

As a result Jacobs added: “We’ll see some consolidation within the industry.”

He also predicted more airlines will follow Lufthansa’s lead of placing charges on anyone using a GDS to access its stock.

He added it had been a “brave” move by the airline to introduce the €16 euro fee, especially when it was fighting so many other battles, from internal industrial action to increased competition in the skies.