Aer Lingus and Ryanair
Reading all the posts one would think the free market had never been heard of and Aer Lingus has a God given right to exist and continue to exist. While EI is doing well at present and has a good cash reserve, how many times in the last 20 years has it been close to the wall? How many other airline mergers, take overs and closures have their been in that time? Is it not understood by experts that consolidation is the only sensible way forward. EI, as a small fringe player, is increasingly up against the likes of United on the Atlantic and BA in Europe - can it compete given its small scale?
Why not try Brussels - it has tried lots of other places such as Manchester (even basing an A330 to fly Man-Dub-USA), Gatwick, Aldergrove. None of them worked but maybe Brussels will.
Ryanair has the cash and the passenger numbers plus the scale to give flexibility.