Unfortunately, this move by Ryanair brings into clear focus the kind of inexperience there is now in the board of the new Cork Airport Authority.
If this is the best the Cork Airport Authority can achieve in their business dealings with Ryanair it looks like they may be better off trying to organise the horse race known as the Cork Airport Handicap due off any minute at Lepordstown!
Sure, Aer Arann have been blase to say the least in dealing with their passengers flying between Dublin and Cork. Their punctuality and diversion rate has at times been poor and I am being mild. In spite of their whining about it can anyone actually quote me a day and date when Aer Arann last completed a CAT2 approach to landing at Cork Airport?
However, Aer Arann are a significant Cork employer with many based pilots, cabin crew and engineers. They fly 9 flights a day between Cork and Dublin and to a lot of passengers, mainly the business type of passenger on an expense account, frequency is important and Aer Arann do give that sort of service.
easyJet have recently announced an increase in daily flights from Gatwick to Cork by adding an early afternoon flight to complement the early morning and nightime flight. Now, Cork Airport appears to have open arms for Ryanair to compete with easyJet on London Gatwick? 5 daily flights between Gatwick and Cork from both easyJet and Ryanair from late November!! This kind of frequency is obviously crazy and it is clearly unsustainable.
What is going on at Cork Airport? This is a bizarre and frightening state of affairs for Cork Airport. I could see a situation in six months time where easyJet might quit Gatwick to be followed very quickly indeed by Ryanair ending a Gatwick service too spinning a story that they were once again consolidating their flights back to Stansted due to high charges at Gatwick etc.
Crikey, if the Cork Airport Authority were to make a deal with Ryanair why did it not include one or more new continental services? Even Hahn or Chareroi would at least be new routes unlike both Dublin and Gatwick.
Sadly, the lack of aviation business experience shown here by the Cork Airport Authority is obvious. Is the board of the Cork Airport Authority totally out of it's depth in the aviation business? Look at all the stupid carry on over the airbridges. A gombeen TD(MP) had to be wheeled out to kick ass there to get things back on track! By the way, where is the second airbridge because I did not see it anywhere this morning?
If I was high up in both Aer Arann and easyJet I would be on the blower double quick time seeking meetings with the Cork Airport Authority as soon as possible.
Mind you, there is always the chance that the people at Cork might not answer the phones!
That might have something to do with work!
