Ryanair fires six crew members after a staged photo went viral of them sleeping on the airport floor

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A screenshot of the security footage showing Ryanair crew members staging a photo of themselves sleeping on the floor

• Ryanair has fired six employees after they staged a photo of themselves sleeping on the floor of an airport in Spain, according to multiple reports. 
• The Guardian reports that a collection of Ryanair flights were grounded in the Malaga Airport in Spain on October 13 because of storms in the Portuguese city of Porto.    
• CNN reports that security cameras in the airport took footage that showed a number of crew members staging the photo, as they voluntarily got into sleeping position, but once a photo was taken they got up and started walking around again. 
• In a statement to Business Insider, Ryanair confirmed that six cabin crew members in Porto were dismissed on November 5, "for breach of contract on grounds of gross misconduct, after staging a fake photograph to support a false claim." 

Ryanair has fired six employees after they staged a photo of themselves sleeping on the floor of an airport in Spain, according to multiple reports. 

The Guardian reports that a collection of Ryanair flights were grounded in the Malaga Airport in Spain on October 13 because of storms in the Portuguese city of Porto.    

The Irish Times reports a group of eight pilots and 16 cabin crew members who arrived at the airport shortly after midnight had to spend several hours at the airport, and that the delay was caused by Hurricane Leslie. The Irish Times reports that the Ryanair employees had to spend "the night in the crew room at the airport" after being unable to book a hotel room in the Malaga region. 

According to CNN, on October 14 a photograph started surfacing of the employees sleeping on the floor. 

CNN reports that security cameras in the airport took footage that showed a number of crew members staging the photo, as they voluntarily got into sleeping position, but once a photo was taken they got up and started walking around again. 

Read More: A Ryanair passenger filmed a baggage handler carelessly throwing luggage to the ground

In a statement to Business Insider, Ryanair confirmed that six cabin crew members in Porto were dismissed on Monday, November 5, "for breach of contract on grounds of gross misconduct, after staging a fake photograph to support a false claim (widely reported in international media outlets) that they were 'forced to sleep on the floor' of the Malaga crew room, which was behaviour which damaged their employer's reputation and caused an irreparable breach of trust with these 6 persons."

But according to a statement in October from the Portuguese Union SNPVAC that was published by CNN, "The stranded Crew, in a gesture of protest, took a photo that immediately became viral: Laying on the floor was the only option to rest; their 'suitable accommodation.'"

Ryanair has pushed back on this characterization. While Ryanair told Business Insider they had nothing to add from their original statement, CNN reports Ryanair has said the staffers only spent a short time in the crew room before being moved to a VIP lounge and that "hotels were fully booked" because of a national holiday. 

A social media user posted the photo of the group of flight attendants posing in the sleeping position: 

Ryanair also posted the security footage of the employees staging the photograph: