So Ryanair, that paragon of budget aviation virtue, has performed a U-turn on its family seating policy. British consumer groups are positively giddy, hailing it as a triumph for families everywhere. But before we uncork the prosecco, let us consider what this really means.
Ryanair, ever the enfant terrible of the skies, had previously charged families extra to sit together. It was a policy that reeked of intellectual decadence, a symptom of an airline industry that has long since abandoned any pretence of service in favour of extracting every last penny from its captive audience. Now, under pressure from regulators and public outrage, they have relented. Families will again be seated together without additional cost. Hooray.
Yet this is not a moment for celebration but for reflection. The fact that such a basic courtesy needed to be codified by regulators is a damning indictment of how low we have sunk. We are living in an age where common decency must be legislated. The Romans would have understood this decline. They watched their own institutions crumble under the weight of greed and selfishness. Ryanair is merely a microcosm of a broader malaise.
Consider the Victorian era, a period of immense industrial progress but also of child labour and squalid factories. Only through legislation did those excesses recede. Similarly, today we need the state to step in when corporate avarice goes too far. But this is a palliative, not a cure. The underlying disease is a culture that prioritises profit over people.
The irony is that Ryanair's original policy was not even economically sound. It was an exercise in petty tyranny, a test of how much inconvenience customers would tolerate. And we failed that test by continuing to fly with them. Now, after the U-turn, the airline will likely find that family bookings increase, and their bottom line may even improve. Yet they will not thank the regulators. They will grumble and look for the next loophole.
This saga also highlights the erosion of national identity. Once upon a time, British firms took pride in their service. But now we have an airline that is Irish by registration but global in its disregard for local norms. The notion of a 'British' airline is a quaint anachronism. We are all passengers on a globalised deathtrap of convenience.
So yes, welcome the U-turn. But do not mistake it for a victory. It is a minor skirmish in a long war against the soulless utilitarianism that has infected our age. The family that sits together today may still be stuck in a two-hour tarmac delay tomorrow. The system will find new ways to grind them down.
In conclusion, Ryanair's reversal is a small step back from the abyss. But the abyss remains. We need a full-blown cultural revolution, or at least a return to the principles of empathy and mutual respect that once made travel a joy rather than a trial. Until then, buckle up. The turbulence is just beginning.
