(CNN) – Duty-free shopping onboard may no longer be limited to watches and perfume. Ryanair is considering offering in-flight pornography to its passengers, according to a report on Tuesday in The Sun. The racy content would be broadcast through a custom Ryanair app for smartphones and tablets. Michael O’Leary, chief executive of the Dublin-based discount airline, told the Sun, “Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn’t we?” He said that pornography would be available only via the relative privacy of mobile devices and would not be shown on seat-back television screens. This isn’t the first time O’Leary has displayed a “sex sells” ethos for his airline. In 2008, he made flippant comments to the media about offering “beds and b***jobs” in business class. The airline has also published an annual “Girls of Ryanair” calendar since the same year, featuring its female flight attendants in bikinis. Ryanair has come under fire from passengers multiple times this year for charging piecemeal fees. British singer Lily Allen criticized the airline on Twitter for charging her 40 pounds to print a replacement boarding pass. A scuffle also broke out on a Canary Islands flight after a passenger was asked to pay an extra fee for a large piece of carry-on luggage. A Swedish man who went into cardiac arrest onboard was given as treatment a sandwich and soda by staff and later charged for it. Clearly, the airline has been successfully grabbing headlines around the world. And despite the controversies, the airline appears to be doing something right: Ryanair reported that its passenger statistics in October 2011 increased 4% year-on-year. |
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This guy wants to be a sleazy answer to Richard Branson with his hipster personality cult, but I love the hotel analogy, uh, sorry O'Leary but at a hotel you are at least in your own private room. I can't wait to see what passangers will do in their seats while watching his movies. Oh, I forgot, there's no seats on Ryan planes – case closed! This guy prides himself on being the Howard Stern of the air, and it's working – I read the article.
Ryan's boarding pass policy (and others) is shameless profiteering, but the real weenie is Lily Allen thinking she should be exempt because she (thinks she) is a "star" ... we have enough celebs waving their get-out-of-jail-free cards.
but they charge 40 pounds for inflatable dolls a piece.
...they should as well dish-out free viagra, condoms, handcuffs, whips and let madam Lucinda the temptress in tight black panties take in-flight passes between the aisles whipping all males who dozes off!
Pathetic way to make money.
A fake information: a very efficient way to get a world media coverage.
i love the creative thinking......I dont think i would ever buy it but i truly believe in freedom ....
Thoroughly tacky disgusting man, running a tacky disgusting airline, favoured by passengers who have no self-respect and who think they're saving money by flying a cattle truck that always lands at least 50 miles from where they want to be.
Because of all these hidden fees such cheap airlines charge they will never ever welcome me on board of their fleet
This is pathetic...!
Ryan’s got a great business Idea. They cater to trash and the world’s endless supply of idiots.
Next: O'Leary legalizes gay marriage in flight.
As someone who commutes to work by train, I can assure you that when someone is sitting next to you, no mobile device is completely private. Even if it’s just a small smartphone you can’t help but get flashes of whatever’s on the screen (and with a tablet it’s really right in your face) or pick up a bit of what’s coming through the earphones. This will never work. That aside, I’ve flown Ryanair twice and find the way they try to squeeze every cent out of you that they can extremely annoying, and their ground personnel are invariably humourless and unpleasant to deal with. Unless the price difference is really significant, I’ve decided to pay a bit more if necessary and fly with other airlines in the future.
Imagine the person sitting behind you jerking off.......if leg space was not a problem allready, now we will have to put up with something else poking us too.
There's a fine line between innovation and just pure stupidity. This is desparation.
Of course they won't. When will the media stop covering their marketing pranks?
Finally, Ryanair is offering something that is truly cheap!!
This is just another of MOL's FAKE stories to get free publicity. There are children on these flights so he would be facing charges of corruption of minors and I don't think even MOL is that stupid. Just another stupid story as I will say again for FREE PUBLICITY. This IDEA costs nothing but he gets the publicity.
Well this sure is another story of crumbling empires due to immoral behavior.
Stupid idea. Good for pervs.
:)
Get off after takeoff.
Self-gratification does not get one into the Mile-High Club. That aside, he should smooth customer relations, sounds like he has problems. Still he should do what his consumers demand. The prudes can ponder their Quaker lifestyles in the privacy and comfort of their sparkling clean sheets.
The way he holds the airplane and his face expression on the picture, I think, he is really going to make the idea into a reality.
..........sickening...........
This story is of course nonsense. Normally Mr O'Leary announces ludicrous ideas to bury some negative story about the airline. The "charging for toilets" story was announced to cover up negative quarterly figures. However, the company has just posted good figures so I guess we should dig deeper. What has he got to hide? Anyway, he has managed it again. We are talking about him.
I wonder how he feels when i'm watching it with his sweet daughter beside me,blowing my shlong!!!
Has he figured out how to charge for the air that passengers breathe? If people are willing to pay to be on his airplanes, whose fault is it?
Jack off while you take off!!
Really though, this is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!
"Ryan's boarding pass policy (and others) is shameless profiteering, but the real weenie is Lily Allen thinking she should be exempt because she (thinks she) is a "star" ... we have enough celebs waving their get-out-of-jail-free cards."
Can you actually prove that she wanted special treatment instead of just treatment for everyone? Otherwise you're just full of crap.
Really BAD idea !!
These guys are not qualified to operate an airline.
.
Are you nuts?
I have flown RyanAir. Never, ever, ever, ever again. I have more self-respect than to submit myself to another filthy, smelly plane. They give the term "cattle car" a whole new meaning.
Who's going to regularly clean the tissues out of the seat pockets then? This will never work.
Look at this dude, he has an airplane in his pants sticking out.
You state: "A Swedish man who went into cardiac arrest onboard was given as treatment a sandwich and soda by staff and later charged for it."..Now dear journalist, if a patient is in cardiac arrest he/she loses consciousness within seconds and death within minutes. This airline must have magic sandwiches and soda!
I cant believe all the people that actually believe this rubbish – its a way of free advertising...
They done the same with standing – "Seats" and charging £1 to use the rest room.
ITS NOT REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN
Beds and BJs in business class? It's like he thinks, in 2011, that only men travel for business.
It's hard enough to sit still on a flight without being aroused. I'd hate to have to use the lavatory toward the end of one of those flights!
Just don't get any of that on me
Don't think I want to use the toilets on those flights, unless you are supposed to use the barph bags only to pleasure yourself.
Completely disgusting.
Umm if a guy went into cardiac arrest I doubt a sandwich an soda would save him or do him much good. Most likely he had low blood sugar. CNN you need to improve on your reporting.
I guess it all comes down to who you're stuck sitting next to...
"Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn’t we?” Because an airplane is not a hotel room, Mr. Marketing Genius. There are others in close proximity that may be probably would) be) offended.
Wouldn't that mean they will need those extra bathrooms?
"Mommy, is that where babies come from?"
"No, dear it's riiiiiiiiiight...there. There. There. There. There. There. There."
by the time they land, more than the tray tables and seats will be in the upright position
Disgusting. The world's gone mad, and this dude doesn't deserve to be CEO of a crop duster fleet.
O'Leary successfully employs nickel-and-diming practices for getting free advertisement and media presence with these types of mostly fake "innovations". It's been working swimmingly for them, so kudos to him. It helps the fliers save money, and it brings a smile to the faces of those of us who are amused by the reaction to his antics from people who take themselves too seriously.
Innovative, indeed! The first "seedy" airline. :)
A few years ago, I took a Ryan Air from Glasgow to Dublin, and was quite surprised they serve beer free in coach. Small craft, short flight, good flight.
Compared to some of our airlines, that seemed pretty good.
Sticky seats...yuck.
As if I needed another reason to never do business with Ryanair.
yet another stupid idea from a horrible businessman...
I think the stand-up seats should come with a pommel in front (available only in coach, not available in business) shaped like Mike O'Leary bent over. Anatomically correct, please.
viagei na vossa companhia ryanair so nao fiquei contente que os vous sao feitos em portugal e com portugueses eu nao sou obrigado a saber ingles nao traduziao em portugues o que falavao isso e muito mau para portugal estamos a perder a nossa lingua PORTUGUES obg
Look at him in the picture. For a moment I thought it was from one of the acts at Ringling.
Yet another RA publicity stunt. Don't knock it, it worked. He's on CNN after all.
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i wonder if flying first class and business class will result in the different type of movies being chosen? either way, they are asking for a lot of people to be inducted into the mile high club.
You are absolutely right. In it something is also to me it seems it is very excellent idea. Completely with you I will agree.
It — is impossible.
Love Ryanair, please come to the US. The cheap flights are well worth all the oddities, plus anyone caught on the hidden fees, its your fault, its called reading, try it.