Dispatches: Ryanair Caught Napping

national | worker & community struggles and protests | other press Sunday February 12, 2006 23:10 by Elephant O'Room

Confessions of a Ryanair employee: Security lapses, dirty aircraft and dangerous, excessively long hours.

In a Channel 4 documentary to be broadcast on Monday, Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline, will be accused of security lapses, dirty aircraft and making its cabin crew and pilots work dangerously long hours.

Dispatches: Ryanair Caught Napping

Transmission: 8pm Monday 13th February 2006
Repeated 3.25am Wednesday 15th February 2006

Ryanair was founded in 1985 by Irish businessman Tony Ryan. It is Europe's largest low-cost carrier, operating 270 low-fare routes to 21 European countries.

Two Dispatches undercover reporters spent five months secretly filming Ryanair's training programme and onboard flights as members of the cabin crew . The reporters reveal what really takes place behind the scenes: inadequate safety and security checks, dirty planes, exhausted cabin crew and pilots complaining about the number of hours they have to fly. And watch Ryanair staff speaking frankly about their experiences and attitudes towards passengers.