Pilots tend to stay in the cockpit and wear smart shirts – but a Ryanair captain had the craic with Irish fans and wore an Ireland jersey on a flight to France.
The pilot, said to be Captain Greg Browne, came into the cabin and greeted his football-loving passengers before take-off.
He said he thought he would come out and chat to them face to face because it was such a “special occasion”.
The novel encounter took place ahead of Ireland’s Euro 2016 knock-out showdown with hosts France in Lyon.
In a video posted on Twitter by 2FM DJ Declan Pierce, the pilot can be seen telling his passengers to enjoy themselves, be as loud as they can and to have “a lot of craic”.
He added: “Have a laugh. I want to hear a few songs as well. If I don’t hear you up the front there’s something not right. I’m going to fly you back to Ireland if I don’t hear you singing on this flight today.”
In his tweet, Mr Pierce wrote: “Captain Greg Browne having the craic before the flight today! Only in Ireland!!”
Introducing his team, the captain delighted the cabin by saying his first officer and crew were all called Gary Breen – a reference to a favourite Irish fans’ song about dreaming of a team of Gary Breens.
Before making his way into the flight deck, the captain said: “Ryanair has a very strict uniform policy. We’re not allowed to wear our own clothes when we’re flying.
“But today, I think because of the occasion, I’m going to put that out the window and I’m going to wear my very own jersey while I’m flying the plane.”
He can then be seen pulling a green jersey on over his white shirt before disappearing into the cockpit.