Ryanair’s Latest Stunt: Planes As Billboards

by Libby Zay on

Low-cost carrier Ryanair will charge for just about anything. The company has even announced it’ll be selling ad space on the outsides of its planes. From pay-per pee toilets to the promise of oral sex, this is far from the first ridiculous stunt Ryanair has pulled over the years. It makes us a little skeptical these billboards will get off the ground.

Let’s take a look at the company’s — and, perhaps more importantly, CEO Michael O’Leary’s — track record over the years:

2013: Ryainair sells ad space on planes
2012: Ryanair plans to increase plane door width to speed up boarding
2011: Ryanair teaches ‘mutiny’ students how to pack
2011: Ryanair jokes about “child-free” flights
2010: CEO questions need for co-pilots on flights
2009: Ryanair talks about introducing standing-room only seats
2009: Ryanair begins media storm about pay-per pee toilets
2008: CEO says business class passengers get free oral sex

That’s at least one PR stunt per year, leading us to believe the “planes as billboards” idea won’t take off. Besides, it’s a little doubtful that anyone would fork over more than $26,000 for a tiny ad that only people waiting in departure lounges can actually see (if they’re close enough, that is).

Video: Naked Ham Man In Banned British Commercial

by Laurel Miller on

I knew it was going to be a good day when I woke up this morning, turned on the computer to browse the news on CNN.com, and came across a hot naked man singing to a ham sandwich.

Admittedly, such imagery isn’t to everyone’s taste (seriously? But there’s cured meat!). But that’s not why Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned this witty commercial for Richmond Ham. It got, uh, canned, for a failure to uphold truthful standards in advertising, by declaring itself “Britain’s only natural ham made with 100% natural ingredients.” The ham is actually made in Ireland.


Video: How To Cook A Sheep’s Head

by Sean McLachlan on


One of the great pleasures of travel is the food. Of course, sometimes the food can be a bit strange. A new web series called “Africa on a Plate” takes you across the continent in search of unusual delicacies that aren’t so unusual in the local area. In the first episode, host Lentswe Bhengu shows us how they cook a sheep’s head in South Africa.

This video is part one of two. You can see the second half of this episode here, where Lentswe samples some home brew and eats a sheep’s head.

I must admit I was a bit put off at first, but as this episode progressed I could almost smell the rich meat being cooked to perfection. With a bit of seasoning I could eat this. Well, maybe not the eyes, but certainly the tongue and cheek.

For more “Africa on a Plate,” check out their YouTube Channel. They’re a brand new startup asking for funds on their Indiegogo site. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Best of luck to you guys!

This isn’t your usual how to cook show. Sit back and enjoy!

Colombia’s Lost City gets long-term preservation plan

by Sean McLachlan on


Last year, Gadling’s Aaron Hotfelder braved the mountainous jungles of Colombia to visit Ciudad Perdida, the nation’s famous “Lost City“.

These remote ruins were built by the Tayrona, a culture that thrived from 200 AD to c.1650 AD. More than 250 of their stone settlements have been found in a 2,000 square-mile area. The Lost City is the largest Tayrona site known with more than 200 structures over 80 acres. One highlight is a strange carving, shown below, that appears to be a map of the city.

Unknown to the outside world until the 1975, the site now attracts an increasing number of tourists willing to make the five-day trek, and this is destabilizing some of the structures. Erosion and local narcotics traffickers are also taking their toll, Popular Archaeology reports.

Now the Global Heritage Fund has teamed up with the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, which runs the Teyuna-Ciudad Perdida Archaeological Park, to preserve the site. The area will be fully mapped and examined, and they’ll create a management plan to reduce natural and man-made damage to the site. One good aspect of the plan is that it’s incorporating the local indigenous people. They’ve always known about the Lost City and consider it sacred, so their input will be crucial to ensure its future.

Photos courtesy William Neuheisal.

Airport advertising reaches new heights, literally

by Jessica Festa on

Literally everywhere you look, from the media to public transportation to city sidewalks, you will find companies heavily advertising. Apparently, no place is safe from billboards, not even air traffic control towers.

Yes, you read that right. In Medford, Oregon, Jaunted reports that the city council has just approved 25×25 foot signs that will be added to every side of the air traffic control tower. The tower itself is about 100 feet tall, so the enormous ads should be quite a sight to see. But, I guess that’s the point.

The reasoning behind this new advertising plan is to raise enough money to counteract some airport costs, for example, landing fees, that could help make the airport more desirable to new airlines and flight routes. Right now, officials are projecting that the ads will bring in an extra $3,000 per month.

While the Medford, Oregon, airport is the only one that we’ve heard of implementing this new advertising plan, we’re wondering if this will become the norm at airports. Of course, making extra money is nice. However, it would be nice if some structures retained their actual purpose, like keeping passengers safe, instead of becoming gigantic advertisements.

What are your thoughts on this new form of advertising?