Ryanair accused of encouraging binge drinking with Twitter advert
Ryanair has come under fire for ‘encouraging binge drinking as normal behaviour’ after posting a ‘shameful’ advert on Twitter.
The ad is aimed at students looking to take holidays after they’ve finished their exams and shows a young man lying face down on the beach with an empty bottle of wine next to him.
It was captioned: "To all Leaving Cert and A-Level students: plan your dream summer holiday now so you have something to look forward to. Book on Ryanair.com in between ‘studying’ tonight. This could be you."
Twitter users slammed the airline for being ‘irresponsible’ and for encouraging binge drinking and beach littering.
Dual Diagnosis Ireland, a group that helps people with substance abuse, said the advert was ‘shameful’.
Others pointed out that it was double standards from the airline, which last year tightened its policy on drinking on board its own flights, imposing a two-drink rule for passengers and banning the sale of alcohol before 10am.
But Ryanair brushed off the criticism saying the post was merely staff members ‘reminiscing’ on their own post exam holiday antics.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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