I know this is childish and massively stirring here, but there is at least one poster who will be very glad to hear of the "FR retreat from SNN and march into ORK". Personally I think the additonal FR routes have a lot more to do with Aer Lingus on the Gatwick route than Shannon.
I really have mixed feelings about the additional FR aircraft. On one hand if there is some duplication then the FR pax will be paying full whack in terms of fees and this will be good for the airport. This announcement would also grow passenger numbers significantly, again good for the airport. My only concern is that FR would damage the EI network because we have seen how fickle FR are in terms of pulling out of airports, when it suits them, which would not be good for the airport in the long term. The other carrier that needs consideration is W!zz, they have 5 destinations from Cork, at my last count. Diversity and competition are a good thing, so I hope W!zz will stay. There are many opportunities at Cork without going after EI's routes. Brussels, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds/Bradford, Aberdeen, Copenhagen, Madrid and so on all spring instantly to mind as destinations worthy of consideration. Of course there will be overlap, of some sort but I really hope EI will bring something new to the departure boards up on the hill tomorrow!
The last thing I ever want to see is a situation where the airport could be held to ransom by a single carrier and that carrier pull out. This is one are where I hope Cork can learn from the mistakes at Shannon.