Ryanair ditches bikini calendars
Ryanair has decided to ditch its controversial calendars showing cabin crew in bikinis.
The airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary reportedly told Today FM that the calendar would not be published for 2015.
The fund-raising calendars were first published in 2008 but have since led to complaints of discrimination and being offensive.
Adverts for the calendars were banned in Malaga last year while in 2012 the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency said ‘sexually suggestive’ adverts to publicise the calendars were likely to cause ‘widespread offence’.
Ryanair has recently undergone an image overhaul in a bid to become more customer friendly, with particular initiatives aimed at attracting the family market.
The airline claims the idea for the calendars initially came from staff. Over the years it says the calendars have raised a considerable amount of money for various charities.
A spokesman for the airline said today: "We are finalising our charity options for 2015 which will be unveiled soon."
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Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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