From today's Scotsman:
Ryanair’s free ticket offer takes in Scottish flights
Iain Dey
UP TO 300,000 free air tickets have been put up for grabs by budget airline Ryanair.
The no-fares tickets, which mean passengers need only pay airport tax and service charges, include 50,000 seats on flights from Scottish airports.
A return flight from Edinburgh to Dublin during the promotion, which will run from early next month and for most of January, will cost just £10.
Ryanair commercial director Michael Cawley said: "We have been talking about free flights for a couple of years now, and we are delivering our promise."
The move, which was announced as the Irish airline unveiled plans to launch a fourth daily flight from Prestwick to Dublin, is the latest in a string of promotions from Ryanair and other budget carriers since 11 September.
Cawley told The Scotsman that Ryanair, now Europe’s second largest airline by market capitalisation, was continuing to look to further expansion as larger carriers feel the pinch.
He said: "Ryanair is willing and able to step in where other airlines are pulling out."
Scottish no-fares tickets are available on services from Prestwick to Stansted, Dublin and Brussels, along with the Edinburgh-Dublin route.
The no fare deal, which covers midweek and selected Saturday services, also includes flights from Stansted to a further 30 European destinations.
The promotion ends at midnight on Thursday and is only available on Ryanair’s website.
Rival budget airline, Go, urged travellers to "read the small print" before booking, and pointed to its own £10 each way, tax inclusive flight from Glasgow to Stansted.
But Ryanair insisted the tax only return fare on its Prestwick-Stansted service is still cheaper, adding up to just £19.20 in total. The airline also said it offers 10 flights a day from Glasgow against Go’s six.
Ryanair’s new flight to Dublin, which will start on Valentine’s day 2002, will see it fly approximately 240,000 passengers on the route every year. Just five years ago only 120,000 people flew on Glasgow-Dublin services across all airlines operating the route.