Originally Posted by Based
Take Leeds for example, do you really expect another airline to replace their one summer daily reduction on the Dublin - Leeds route?
Actually, yes, I'd think it'd be quite feasible. Yes, Ryanair have the lowest cost base and the most aggressive marketing, so perhaps no-one else could get as many passengers as they could. But (and I'm just using Leeds as a random example) there must still be some passengers who want to travel between Dublin and Leeds and are prepared to pay slightly higher average fares than were on offer with Ryanair. Not enough to achieve a decent load factor on a 737-300, say, but perhaps enough for a Q400, or an ATR72. Just because a route is marginal on a 189-seater doesn't mean it's marginal on a smaller aircraft.
An example would be Dublin-Cardiff. Ryanair pulled off the route a couple of years back (to the sound of champagne corks in the CWL boardroom) and Aer Arann took it on. It's obviously worked out well enough for RE that they are still operating it - I'm sure the total passenger numbers are lower than with Ryanair, and quite possibly the average yield is higher, but the route is still there for the passengers who are prepared to pay a bit more.
C.