Ryanair Considers Introducing In-Flight Pay-Per-Porn

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary has announced his latest ancillary revenue concept, now making him a cross between P.T. Barnum and Larry Flint.

 

As Irish low cost carrier Ryanair pushes forward in its continual quest increase ancillary revenue O’Leary has announced something unexpected even for him … well maybe not … Ryanair is considering introducing in-flight stream Pay-Per-Porn.

 

Ryanair’s next in-flight ancillary revenue strategy is to introduce paid real-time and streaming content to passenger’s laptops, tablets and smart phones.  The content Ryanair air is presently strategizing includes online gambling, games, movies … and adult movies.

 

Like many airlines, Ryanair is working on building in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) to entertain a captive audience and drive revenue from that captive audience.  While airlines have used paid content, as well as paid wifi access, to offset the costs of installing IFEC in their aircraft, no other airline has considered in-flight pornography.

 

In-flight Pay-Per-Porn posses some interesting questions for Ryanair. The obvious issue is protecting others from seeing a passenger’s streaming pornography, especially children. Ryanair’s answer to this is that passengers have the obligation to be aware of their surroundings; this is much like those who watch adult films on in their laptops … fly enough and you’ll spot these people once in a while.

 

The more unusual question for Ryanair’s consideration of offering streaming adult film content as a revenue source is that of the airline’s lavatory.   Yes, aircraft lavatories are already often germ ridden and have passengers queuing in the aisle, but Ryanair is taking it one step further.   Ryanair is reconfiguring their Boeing 737-8AS aircraft with a single lavatory to allow for 195 passengers, up from 189 passengers, per aircraft.  With adult films being shown on board flights, it would be a logical assumption there might be an increase in the use of the aircraft’s lavatories.

 

The reduction of lavatories, down to a single lavatory, goes hand in hand with Ryanair’s claims that Boeing is currently still in the process if developing a paid lavatory door, charging passengers €1 or £1 per entry into the lavatory.  The initial engineering problem with a pay-per-use lavatory door was related to both the weight of the door and the ability of a mechanism to collect both Pounds and Euros. Ryanair has reportedly shifted to the concept of a cashless pay per use lavatory door.

 

Presently Boeing will not comment on or confirm they are working with Ryanair to develop a pay-per-use lavatory door.

 

Will the European Union allow Ryanair to stream pornographic movies to passengers on board flights, or is this statement along the lines of Michael O’Leary’s June 2008 comments about offering long-haul business class passengers “beds and blow jobs”? Only time will tell.

 

If nothing else, Michael O’Leary knows how to get Ryanair in the headlines, even if it is for the company’s shocking marketing and revenue tactics.

 

Happy Flying!

 

@flyingwithfish