Pushback on CEO’s Porn on Planes Proposal

An anti-pornography group is now taking aim at Ryanair, whose CEO has proposed a new app for smart phones that would allow passengers to watch racy material in the comfort of their aisle seat.

The group, Morality in Media, today called on U.S. citizens and pro-family organizations in Europe to contact the European airline and “stop this outrage before it gets started,” according to a statement by Dawn Hawkins, executive director of MIM.

The CEO of Dublin, Ireland-based Ryanair floated the idea of offering porn on his low-cost carrier.  According to British press reports, CEO Michael O’Leary is mulling a new app for iPads or smartphones that would allow passengers to watch erotic movies – for a fee, of course.  O’Leary made it clear he’s not proposing to offer porn on the plane’s TV screens, just on personal electronic devices.  Still, as any flyer knows, there’s hardly any assurance that passengers and children sitting nearby wouldn’t be in for an unwelcomed and shocking experience.

Ryanair, which flies throughout Europe, charges fees for just about everything – from checked luggage to food and drinks, even for checking in online and printing your boarding pass, even though that is required because the airline doesn’t offer any check-in at the airport.  Much like Spirit Air in the U.S, Ryanair’s philosophy is to charge as low a fare as possible for your seat, then heap on fees for everything else.   Major airlines, of course, have adopted some of these fees themselves.

Ryanair’s CEO has made it a habit of suggesting controversial moves.  He’s talked about talking out some of the bathrooms to add more seats, selling standing room seats, and moving to pay toilets.  The airline has just launched a racy crew calendar, as well.