Flight Attendant Fired Over $7 Sandwich

There are some things that just don't seem worth fighting over, but sometimes people are willing to go through a lot of drama for something relatively insignificant, as in the case of the Ryanair flight attendant who was fired for eating a sandwich on duty. 

According to The Local, a Madrid-based flight attendant was the subject of an official misconduct review back in 2010 after he was caught eating one of the airline's ham, tomato, and cheese baguettes. The $7.50 sandwich was meant for passengers, and Ryanair regulations reportedly require staff members to first inform a superior and then pay for any items before eating them. This flight attendant did not do so, but still, it was just a sandwich.

After Ryanair's investigation, the flight attendant was fired over the $7.50 sandwich. Understandably disgruntled, he filed a lawsuit in Madrid, where Ryanair has offices. His suit came to naught, however, as two judges said Ryanair operates according to Irish law. Confusing the matter was the fact that the flight attendant was hired through a job agency in Ireland and was officially part of the airline's branch in Oslo, Norway. The Spanish courts did not rule on whether or not the firing was just, but said the flight attendant would have to file suit in either Ireland or Norway.

Ryanair has run into problems before. It was recently fined €8 million, or $11 million, in France for violating French labor laws by hiring France-based staff on Irish contracts. Ryanair said it plans to appeal the ruling.