CORK

[Tom the Tenor]

Re: CORK

Last Wednesday the Irish Department of Finance reported a budget surplus for 2005 of up to 2.5 billion euros. It would be good to think that the Cork Airport Authority along with the local public representatives could get together to make a strong case to government for some support to aid Cork with it's 163 million euro of debt for the new terminal.

The Cork Airport Authority needs to be more robust in it's negotiations with the Dublin Airport Authority and not be intimidated by the former Aer Rianta mandarins many of whom must still be throwing their weight around at the DAA. The clever people at snn have been good at being bolshy for decades so much so that even government ministers like Mary O'Rourke were only putty in the hands of the midwest mafias and gave way so much of the time to Shannon by steadfastedly holding to the staus quo with the stopover.

Cyrano's posts are thoughtful. He explains yield on business class seats to America and how important high loads are in that part of the cabin. Clever use of airport marketing supports is explained and how they can help and the poor likelihood of EI ever using 757s for flights across the Atlantic is outlined and quickly excluded. Cyrano concludes that flights from Cork to America are not feasible.

To me this is like Mary O'Rourke's sort of attitude - it concedes too much to Shannon and goes along with the status quo. The lobby at snn has had a competitive advantage with flights to America for too long because of the stopover and better airport infrastructure and Cork has not had a hope in these unfair circumstances. The stopover has suited Aer Lingus too in many ways and along with the short runway at Cork they have had the perfect excuse to do nothing for too long.

It is time to say No! Cork Airport will no longer be weak and be dictated to by an agenda of dirty politics propping up a competitive and clearly unfair advantage which snn has enjoyed for far too long. It is time for Cork people and the people of Cork, Kerry, Waterford and the South Munster area along with the supporters of Cork Airport to be strong and do the work and to get our airport the services to America that our people deserve. The political gombeens like Mary O'Rourke whom would be happy to keep Cork down to keep Shannon strong have had their day. Cork people will not be spoken down to anymore by the lobby from the midwest and their political yes men - Cork Airport will have direct flights to America!