{
  "id": 2791333,
  "title": "Emirates responds to Ryanair's 'hate it' dig at new economy headrests",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/emirates-responds-to-ryanairs-hate-it-dig-at-new-economy-headrests-2791333",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-23T12:20:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/travel/2026/08/23/emirates-responds-to-ryanairs-hate-it-dig-at-new-economy-headrests/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Emirates and Ryanair engaged in a playful exchange on social media following Ryanair's criticism of Emirates' new economy class headrests. The dispute began when Emirates shared pictures of its U-Dream Headrest on X, showcasing the adjustable design in both its upright and folded positions. The Dubai airline stated, \"Headrest down and ready for take-off.\" In response, Ryanair simply wrote, \"hate it,\" and included an edited image of its mascot in an Emirates seat. Emphasizing the contrast in passenger experiences, Emirates replied, \"Looks like someone's enjoying the legroom...\" and shared Ryanair's post. The interaction garnered widespread attention, with social media users adding their own humorous comments. Ryanair's response is in line with its reputation for irreverent social media content, often poking fun at passengers, the airline itself, and competitors. This isn't the first time rival airlines have engaged in online competition; last month, British Airways and Norwegian Airlines made a bet ahead of England and Norway's World Cup quarter-final, with the losing airline featuring the winner's logo on its Instagram profile for 24 hours. Other airlines, including Malaysia Airlines and Austrian Airlines, also chimed in with jokes.",
  "summary": "Emirates and Ryanair have had a playful exchange on social media after the Irish low-cost airline took a jab at the Dubai carrier's new economy class headrests. The exchange began when Emirates shared images of its U-Dream Headrest on X, showing the adjustable design in both its upright and folded positions. \"Headrest down and ready for take-off,\" the Dubai airline wrote. Ryanair's verdict was…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Emirates responds to Ryanair's 'hate it' dig at new economy headrests",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/emirates-responds-to-ryanairs-hate-it-dig-at-new-economy-headrests",
        "published": "2026-08-23T12:20:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}