would be able to apply for more slots at Heathrow
And that could be one of the attractions of EI to other operators, they have a significant number of slots at LHR.
The Irish Gov't will be watching that very carefully, they won't be happy to see LHR lost as a link to Ireland, but at the same time, I can see the time coming when there will be changes to the way that LHR-DUB operates, and there are also a significant number of slots used to ORK & SNN.