Quite so,
JL, it was Ryanair, mainly on routes from Ireland to the UK. Ryanair started with small turboprops on minor routes, and lost money, but a combination of relaxed regulations and the ready availability of the Tarom One-Elevens at cheap lease rates gave them a real kick.
From still-restricted Romania the chance of work based in "the west" was tremendously sought after, and a number of the pilots who came over with them were the high-experience test pilots from that One-Eleven factory project. Unfortunately their English language skills didn't quite match, and they were prohibited by Ryanair from making routine cabin PAs - these were done by the (Irish-based, Ryanair employed) flight attendants except for emergencies. Pity the poor ATC who had to deal with them ! Notably, the tradition of the pilots not making announcements themselves somewhat continues on Ryanair.
But then, I thought, can Lauda Air really be thought of as a "major" European air carrier
Lauda Air has been and gone as a carrier, it consistently lost money and in the end was subsumed gradually into Austrian Airlines. Onetime racing champion Niki Lauda was unhappy at losing his airline, and his own brand name, and started his own replacement operation, Niki, with a fresh jet fleet, which again struggled financially and eventually was bought out by Air Berlin. I don't think he's going to try again.