Making money...diners...dosh
Whilst you, CPS, may see the rival claims of Ryanair and Spanair as chalk and cheese, I for one have more problems in seeing the difference.
The "promises" allegedly made by a previous government have no moral, legal or political purchase when that government loses an election. ¿Can the Spanish owners of BAA berate the current UK coalition government for failing to "keep the promise" of the previous New Labour administration to build a 3rd runway at LHR so long as EU pollution rules could be met?
As for Ryanair´s long term commitment to Catalonia, the very concept is surely as oxymoronic as military intelligence.
Methinks that The Leprechaun and his airline could give any known state airline, bank, finance house or public utility a run for their money in terms of filleting every last eurocent from the public purse whether of Éire, of Catalonia, of San Marino, of Andorra or of Lichtenstein. And of promptly turning up the next day after signing the agreement to ask for more whilst threatening to move locally based airplanes to Andorra la Vella if his outrageous blackmail is not submitted to. All this combined with failing to meet even the most basic of regulations relating to national rules on employment law, on social security payments and a very long etc.
For O´Leary to accuse Artur Mas and his government of welching on a deal is indeed to take the concept of the pot calling the kettle black into stratospheric orbit.
In this context, recent Spanish press reports to the effect that Ryanair has been threatening the Spanish Government in this same way if it does not turn a blind eye to Ryanair´s failure to date to pay a series of major fines levied by consumer authorities make me wonder whether the sell by date of the Ryanair model is now measured in months or in weeks.
None of which is much consolation to the hard pressed Catalan taxpayer.