Ryanair hits back after being accused of insulting a passenger

Low-cost airline Ryanair has hit back after being accused of bluntly insulting a passenger who complained that their so-called window seat had no window.

The disgruntled passenger had taken to Twitter on Thursday to complain that despite booking a seat furthest from the aisle, they were sitting next to a solid wall.

In a photo posted to the social media platform, the young man shared a photo of himself – taken by the person sitting next to him – with his thumbs up sarcastically and a wry smile on his face, with no window in sight.

The photo was taken with a 0.5 ultra-wide angle lens (also known as fish-eye), a feature of many modern smartphones that allows users to capture a wider field of view.

As a result, the passenger’s body—particularly his dark green jersey—appeared distorted, making him appear unusually wider around his waist and legs, while his head appeared unnaturally small.

It wasn’t clear from the post where the passenger was flying or what time it was, but it was clear he wasn’t happy sitting in a seat where someone would normally be able to enjoy the view during the journey.

“Where’s my window seat?” he asked on Twitter, tagging the airline in his post.

Ryanair’s Twitter account is known for responding to disgruntled passengers in its own sarcastic way.

His Twitter bio reads, “We sell seats, not windows,” referring to the public complaint, which wasn’t the first time someone has taken to social media to say they’d booked a window seat without sacrificing the view. to get.

The Irish airline responded to the post hours after it appeared on Twitter.

“Pay for the luggage you stow under your jersey and we can talk,” it said, jokingly referring to the distortion caused by the wide-angle lens, which makes the passenger’s jersey appear much larger than it naturally is.

While many users dismissed this as a sarcastic remark typical of Ryanair’s Twitter account, one person attacked the airline.

“Fat shaming is not cool,” they wrote, apparently interpreting Ryanair’s comment as the account calling the passenger overweight.

The comment got dozens of likes from other Twitter users, but not as many as Ryanair’s response, which garnered more than 2,000.

Ryanair’s Twitter account, known for responding in its own sarcastic way to disgruntled passengers, responded to the post. “Pay for the luggage you stow under your jersey and we can talk,” it said, jokingly referring to the distortion caused by the wide-angle lens, which makes the passenger’s jersey appear much larger than it naturally is

While many users dismissed this as a sarcastic remark typical of Ryanair’s Twitter account, one person attacked the airline. “Fat shaming is not cool,” they wrote, apparently interpreting Ryanair’s comment as the account calling the passenger overweight. The airline clapped back: “Tell us you don’t get the 0.5 lens joke without telling us you don’t get the 0.5 lens joke”

Ryanair’s Twitter account is known for responding to disgruntled passengers in its own sarcastic way. His Twitter bio reads: ‘We sell chairs, not windows’ (pictured)

The airline’s Twitter account clapped back: “Tell us you don’t get the 0.5 lens joke without telling us you don’t get the 0.5 lens joke.”

The “fat shaming” accusation wasn’t the only criticism of Ryaniar’s response.

Another user wrote: ‘Another sarcastic response to SM from Ryanair. The last time this happened, they insulted a newlywed couple and suggested that their marriage would not last. To be expected, I suppose, from this nightmare airline with customer service.’

The airline replied bluntly, “This is not a customer service channel.”

Another asked, “Do people still use Ryanair?” to which the Twitter account responded, “16 million people did it in April, to be exact,” once again receiving a slew of likes.

MailOnline has contacted Ryanair and the passenger for comment.

The Twitter exchange came as Ryanair ordered 300 new Boeing 737 Max aircraft in a deal that will create 10,000 jobs and could mean lower airfares.

The Twitter exchange came as Ryanair ordered 300 new Boeing 737 Max aircraft in a deal that will create 10,000 jobs and could mean lower airfares

The move – which involves firm orders for 150 of the aircraft and options for a further 150 – is worth more than $40bn (£32bn).

Delivery of the aircraft between 2027 and 2033 will enable the airline to create more than 10,000 jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers, Ryanair said.

Each aircraft will have 228 seats, about 21% more than the Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, which is expected to be replaced by half of deliveries.

Ryanair expects annual passenger numbers to rise from 168 million in the year to the end of March to 300 million in March 2034.