Should porn be allowed on airlines?
European discount carrier Ryanair may offer discreet in-flight porn — for an additional fee, of course

Airlines already charge for blankets, legroom, food, and booze. Now one European carrier wants to expand those offerings to include porn. The chief of Irish discount airline Ryanair tells Britain's Sun that the company is considering offering titillating in-flight entertainment. The porn would be available via a Ryanair app for tablets and smartphones, which passengers could also use to gamble or play games. Does porn really have a place on crowded, irritant-packed airplanes?
This is a terrible idea: "If you thought sitting next to someone with a baby or a large person spilling over into your seat was bad, imagine spending hours on a plane next to someone drooling over pornography," says Mark Stachiew at Canada.com. Worse yet, imagine a young child sitting next to a porn watcher. Would there need to be an "adults-only" section on the plane? It's hard to imagine this idea really "taking off."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
C'mon, it wouldn't be so bad: "Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn't we?" Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary tells The Sun. Besides, it would be fairly discreet. We'd offer porn on a handheld device, not "on screens on the back of seats for everyone to see." This could be done in a way that pleased porn enthusiasts without offending everyone else.
But you can already watch porn on a flight: "If adult content is available via a smartphone app, doesn't that mean that internet access will be required to use the app?" asks Tom Hymes at AVN. And if in-flight internet access is available, surely you could watch porn without Ryanair's pricey app. Alternatively, couldn't you simply load porn onto your iPad prior to takeoff? "What fool would actually prefer to pay the inevitable surcharge required to access Ryanporn?"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How worried should we be about asteroids?
Today's Big Question Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth have fluctuated wildly this week
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why does Elon Musk take his son everywhere?
Talking Point With his four-year-old 'emotional support human' by his side, what message is the world's richest man sending?
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are sinkholes becoming more common?
Podcast Plus, will Saudi investment help create the "Netflix of sport"? And why has New Zealand's new tourism campaign met with a savage reception?
By The Week UK Published