Ryanair accused of promoting binge drinking in tweet featuring student passed out on the beach

'This could be you'

Olivia Petter
Friday 08 June 2018 17:18 BST
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(Ryanair)

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Ryanair has sparked a furore online after posting an image on Twitter depicting a young man passed out on the beach next to an empty bottle of wine.

The post was intended to promote the budget airline’s services to graduating students and included the following caption:

“To all Leaving Cert and A-Level students: plan your dream summer holiday now so you have something to look forward to.

(Ryanair)

"Book on Ryanair.com in between 'studying' tonight. This could be you."

However, the airline's intentions had clearly been lost in translation, as Twitter users swiftly lambasted the airline for making light of binge drinking.

“Really @Ryanair…? Such a poor, lazy, clichéd and stereotyped image of students,” wrote one person on Twitter.

“Does this really meet your brand guidelines for #marketing and #advertising #campaigns?”

Others called the post “irresponsible”, with Ben Butler of Drinkaware also criticising the airline’s intentions.

“Getting so drunk that you pass out is bad for your health, your safety and that of other people and your pride," he said.

“It's surprising that this is Ryanair's idea of a 'dream summer holiday' and we would urge the airline to look again at this advert and the message it sends.

“Binge drinking in particular can be extremely dangerous as your body can only process about one unit of alcohol an hour, and when you're in a hot country, you need to be extra mindful of staying hydrated. Drinking a lot in a short space of time can lead to serious consequences, and could stop the body from working properly.

“Holidays offer the ideal opportunity to relax and to create lifelong memories but we would encourage people to be extra cautious, especially when it comes to drinking alcohol abroad.”

The post, which a spokesperson for Ryainair told The Independent was never intended as an advertising campaign, has since been deleted.

In response to the complaints, they added that the post was uploaded by the airline’s social media team “who were merely reminiscing about their own first lads/girls trip away, and recalling all the wonderful sightseeing, singsongs and cultural activities they enjoyed as teenagers.”

The controversial post comes after the budget airline called for a ban on alcohol sales in airports before 10am and a two-drink limit thenceforth, claiming that unlimited access to alcoholic beverages can pose “a particular problem during flight delays”.

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