Passengers have hit back hard and hilarious after Ryanair told them to ditch mid-air beauty routines on short flights. The budget carrier, already famous for its blunt social media style, dropped a nine-word Facebook post that quickly racked up thousands of reactions and comments.
Nine words that set the Internet off
Ryanair’s update simply said “stop doing skincare onboard, it’s a 2 hour flight”. The message landed just as the trend for packing moisturisers, face masks and eye creams for even short hops has taken off online. Cabin humidity often drops below 20 per cent, leaving skin feeling tight and dry, so some passengers try to top up hydration in their seats.
Within a day the post had drawn a flood of replies. Many treated it as classic Ryanair rage-bait and answered in kind. One passenger wrote: “planning to charge us extra if we decide to do skincare on board”. Another asked: “Are you testing whether there’s a market for in-flight skincare? Asking for the upcoming €9.99 face mask add-on”.
Comebacks that stole the show
Kimmie Weddell Beier replied “I feel personally victimized….some of us have dates upon landing, you know??” while Karen Deakin wondered “What about the hair roller brigade?” Others took the chance to dig at the airline’s own rules. One person said “Stop measuring my bag with a ruler like it’s national security, it’s a 2-hour flight”, a clear nod to the frequent gate-side sizer checks that leave passengers scrambling. Another simply declared “I’ll do whatever I want on the flight thank you very much”.
These kinds of spiky exchanges are nothing new for Ryanair. The airline has previously told passengers to stop wearing jeans and has faced rows over cabin bags and unruly behaviour. A recent flight to Ibiza even ended with police called after a fight broke out, showing how quickly tempers can rise in a packed cabin.
Why the skincare habit exists
Experts generally agree that a full routine in a dry, cramped cabin is not ideal. London Luton Airport’s skincare guide, featuring advice from Dr Nora Jaafar, recommends doing most of the work before boarding. “The biggest mistake is waiting until you’re already at 40,000 feet to think about your skin,” she has said. Once in the air, a simple hydrating mist or lip balm is usually enough. Stronger products can irritate skin further when humidity is so low, and shared surfaces mean hands should stay clean before anything touches the face.
What do you find most annoying about other airline passengers?
Euro Weekly News has previously looked at the habits that drive travellers mad, from the “barefoot brigade” and “gate lice” who crowd the boarding area early to people who recline seats without warning or treat the aisle as their personal runway the moment the plane lands. Spain has also logged more than 1,000 reports of unruly passengers in a single year, with alcohol and aggression the most common triggers.
Mark from Malaga can’t stand one frequent habit on Ryanair flights: “To be frank, it seems to be mostly a Spanish cultural thing. No sooner does the seatbelt sign come off, scores stand up to get luggage from overhead lockers, and take out the bocadillos wrapped in tin foil out to tuck into. Can’t people wait until after the flight for their banquet?”
So over to you. Which passenger behaviour winds you up the most on a flight? Is it the mid-air skincare routine, the bag-measuring drama, the hair rollers, the seat recliners, or something else entirely? Drop your thoughts below.