Ryanair calls business class service "beds and blow jobs"
by Jess McCabe // 27 June 2008, 17:50
Ryanair is courting publicity again, after announcing at a German press conference that the name for its business class service will be "beds and blow jobs" and the blow jobs will be "free".
According to the London Paper:
Michael O'Leary, the colourful head of Ryanair, told a stunned audience that while passengers in economy would pay as little as 10 euros to fly across the Atlantic, business customers would pay between 4,000 and 5,000 euros and get free oral sex.
This has partly become a news story, it seems, because Ryanair posted the footage on YouTube - I really hesitated before writing about this, because after all, the airline is just after some cheap publicity, and going on about how offensive they are just ramps that up for them.
True, true, but I just feel that this still needs mentioning - what about the women air stewards who end up working on this service? What working environment will this create for them? (Of course, they won't actually be prostituted by their employer, we assume, that being illegal).
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Sarah // Posted 27 June 2008 at 19:13
I know this whole thing is stupid and vile and hardly worth the trouble of criticising, but the thing that jumped out at me was that he didn't say 'oral sex', he said 'blow jobs', and maybe that was just for the alliteration, but - does he assume all business class passengers are men?
zohra // Posted 27 June 2008 at 19:34
Get. Out.
Charlotte // Posted 27 June 2008 at 19:39
Ryanair, once again, doing Ireland proud
Mary Tracy9 // Posted 27 June 2008 at 21:59
What I want to know is how come this bollocks publicity doesn't get banned on the grounds that it is, well, bollocks!
If 200 customers can get a tv ad banned, how many feminists would it take to stop this sexist bollocks?
Jess McCabe // Posted 27 June 2008 at 22:30
But that's just it, isn't it - if it's a press conference, posted on YouTube, it's not really like an ad, where you can go to the ASA and ask for a ban.
Torygirl // Posted 28 June 2008 at 21:06
Well dammit, I want my blow job!
a.j. // Posted 28 June 2008 at 22:21
... although a "blow job" can work for both genders. Imagine women travellers getting rowdy in "first class" on Ryan Air and demanding their free service.
perhaps Michael O’Leary doesn't mean for his staff to come through on his offer... perhaps he intends to personally fulfil all passenger demands.
Sarah // Posted 28 June 2008 at 22:40
I've never heard the expression used to refer to oral sex for a woman, have you?
Cara // Posted 29 June 2008 at 17:55
Never heard blow job used to refer to oral sex on a woman either...
Sabre // Posted 30 June 2008 at 11:19
Most definitions you find of 'blow job' describe it as slang for fellatio. So it does not really apply to oral on women although some people have adopted that use of the term.
What a stupid idea anyway! It's basically an airborne brothel! I can hear the jokes already: "Sex Plane gives new meaning to Mile-High Club" *chortle chortle*! Kind of made me laugh actually, I can't see it ever happening.
Cara // Posted 30 June 2008 at 20:00
Oh yeah and I won't fly Ryanair anyway...they are creeps who treat their staff like crap, in addition to the trend in charmingly sexist ads.
Kathy // Posted 30 June 2008 at 20:28
After Ryanair's last couple of brushes with the Advertising Standards Authority it became clear to me that their publicity department is run by Kevin the Teenager (they actually called the ASA "pathetic" last time!) This is why I won't take their flights - somehow I feel a bit worried about a company displaying this level of maturity being in control of a plane, particularly one with me on it.