ryanair scraps in flight entertainment plans
23.04.05
Budget airline Ryanair has dropped plans to introduce in flight entertainment systems onto all of its flights. The airline had predicted a huge income stream from the systems, but an extended trial failed.
When the entertainment systems were first introduced 7 months ago, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary predicted that the portable entertainment units, which look something like a laptop or a portable DVD player, would become as common on his flights as in flight magazines, and industry experts predicted another profitable revenue stream for the airline. Its biggest European rival, easyJet, was thought to be keen to test the systems too.
Things looked bad for the trail as early as last summer, when Ryanair staff blamed a shortage of cartoons and a passenger mix which did not include enough children for a slow uptake of the system. But after an extended trail on 5 Ryanair routes, the airline has now concluded that its passengers are not prepared to pay the £5 per flight to access the system and the plans have been scrapped.
A Ryanair spokesman said yesterday: 'There was a lack of demand [for the system]. We decided not to take it any further.'
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