Ryanair's Mile High Club

Indie Irish airline Ryanair is making turbulence in the skies with their latest aviation add-on:  in-flight porn on your tablet or mobile device.

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.

The Irish budget airline’s business model relies on controversial nickel-and-diming practices, or at least the threat of them.  Airline officials  discussed removing toilets or creating vertical “standing” seats to make room for additional seating, and converting toilets to a coin-operated system.

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.

All argument aside fon pornography itself existing, see a need, fill a need, as the saying goes. Hey, if people are willing to pay for it, it's going to happen.  The first time it happens in front of a family of four from Poughkeepsie, then you're going to have a problem.  Never underestimate the selling power of stuff like this, however.  I think more airlines are going to start discreetly doing this, especially European ones.