I am bemused as to why it was a "complete waste of time".
I would also echo
Wedge's comments. Obviously, the vast majority (for arguments sake) of the people on here are more clever than the general public and hence will be able to see, if one lets oneself, beyond the negative spin of the program. However, If you leave behind animosity towards Channel 4 and all that goes with it, there were undoubtedly serious points (though some of these may not have been as fundamental to safety as the program's aura may exude).
1)
The sick on the floor. Yes, the plane wouldn't have crashed but even so, from a health perspective it was quite disgusting albeit amusing
. Ryanair had not record of sick on the floor? Interesting official response.
2)
The emergency exit not appearing to be in proper working order. This would on the face of it appear to be a serious blunder. One could conclude from that part of the programme that time constraints were put way before a potential catastrophic safety flaw.
3)
The sleeping crew. Not impressive to say the least. It doesn't take too much intelligence to know that cabin crew in a high-pressured situation combined with fatigue is not an optimal situation.
4)
The training. The training company was just downright silly.
My conclusion of the outcome would be this: while Ryanair's reputation will probably sink further than the new-depths that it continually tests, in the end, price will win out. Ryanair will hardly be affected.