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.
I watched this documentary last week and honestly, it made me rethink some of my recent travel choices. I’ve always gone for the cheapest flights without thinking much about what happens behind the scenes, but seeing how exhausted crew members are and what gets skipped during turnaround was eye-opening. It actually reminded me of when I was booking a domestic trip recently and ended up looking into breeze airways customer service to see how newer budget carriers handle complaints. Price matters, but after watching this, I’m definitely adding crew welfare and safety transparency to my checklist before clicking purchase.