Ryanair’s Twitter jab mocks Boris Johnson’s Christmas party

Ryanair dove headlong into the controversy over illicit government parties, ripping U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his cabinet in a Twitter post over the alleged flouting of social-distancing rules. The discount carrier’s social-media team on Monday tweeted an image that listed mock government responses to coronavirus alert levels, ranging from “Small gathering with wine and cheese” to “Full on rave.” The post was retweeted almost 7,000 times and generated more than 500 replies. Some web users were aghast, calling Ryanair inappropriate or insensitive to the real suffering caused by Covid. Others applauded the Irish airline for using levity to point out government hypocrisy.“On one level this is unprofessional. On another it’s showing what a shocking state our government is in when companies can openly mock them,” said Twitter user Alan1975. “They must be confident that most of the public will be in agreement with them. Time for change.” The broadside isn’t totally out of the ordinary for Ryanair, whose outspoken CEO Michael O’Leary has excoriated government officials over their handling of the Covid crisis. He also compared the bailout of Deutsche Lufthansa AG to a “drunken uncle at the end of a wedding, drinking from all the empty glasses.” Ryanair’s social media team is often irreverent, though as users pointed out, the company also accepted government aid after criticizing handouts to competitors.<br/>