Ryanair - 4
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Yeah and someone else created an airport apparently worth 1bn Euros over the same kinda timescale. It cost peanuts and they are a common currency. Monopoly money. Hype. Sure there's power in it but Lord Acton reminded us what to expect. The Greeks knew it long ago. How well does MOL get on with his wife? Democracy anyone?
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Its been a long time since last post...
Well, back from the dead some may say...
Leo, I have to say I feel a slight bit flatulant after that much hot air blown up my rear end...
And the replies have been interesting... To give credit to some assumptions made by others there is an interesting point regarding open skies agreements and the use of Aer Lingus, but these points have far wider implications than mere cheaper air fares...
The biggest issue with a 'single irish airline' is a question of competition. Monopolies never work for the consumer... You want a good example? Take the government run example of SITPU at Dublin Airport... And I agree, theyre not perfect, but please compared to some others theyre not THAT BAD...
You talk about Aer Lingus funnelling the pax on to the states after stopover in ORK, SNN, and DUB... Ok, Sorry, but how do you plan to get a 330 or even 777 or 787 on the gnd in ORK?!?!
And to be blatantly honest, isnt aer fungus already feeding off our pax being brought into these airports already? Really they realise the positive aspects of competition... Whilst ryr might be taking pax off their Paris-Dublin route (poor bastards have to sit in a bus for 2 hours to get to Beauvais!), Aer Fungus more than realises many of these pax will then jump aboard an Aer Lingus flight to the states...
The honest realisation being missed here is that IF Ryr was to merge with fungus and create a super carrier to jump people through Ireland, they will be forced into a price corner that will still leave the Irish consumer higher and drier than they are today! Airfares for bookings from within Ireland will be artificially higher than abroad as a result of less competition and therefore less demand elasticity against the super carrier, and prices for those making the jump from HAHN (lets be realistic here too please) to NEWARK will be little different from where they are today...
ITS ECONOMIC FACT!
I agree open skies should be abolished, and in many ways its already happening slowly but surely... look at Zoom or Globespan...
The reality is the Americans are the ones holding the cards here... hence few other carriers except business class only suiters are making the bold leap into a heavily controlled market from the state side...
And the reality behind OLeary and Ryanair... welllllllll.......
He has made a highly profitable airline through illegal activities, tax evasion tricks, and lack of moral ethics in employee policies and practices... He is a bean counter who to date is getting away with breaking every rule in the book whilst squeezing people like one would blood from a stone... And when repurcussions finally come round to meet his actions, he throws a tantrum worse than my 4 year old Daughter!...
he has been lucky in the past, and smart in burying his misfortunes... history, it seems, is not so forgiven so as to forget...
Didnt our 'esteemed' leader recently hedge fuel at 74 dollars a barrel, only to see the price dip back to the 50s level 2 days later?
Didnt our 'foresightful' emporer wind our company in court both in Brussels with the big kids of the EU commission and the labour court in Ireland, one time almost ending up in Prison before he paid out a settlement to John Goss?
Didnt our 'generous' imperialist bring thousands of passengers difficulties in their journeys when his constant harassment and breach of contracts with handlers in Spain and now cabin crew in Italy finally led to Striking actions, with more such actions to come and the company having to concede defeat and give back what they promised plus more now?...
OLeary may have done wonders in the early years, no doubt... But he lost the plot and became arrogant...
its this arrogance which is driving our company into the pits, were getting a bad name, nobody likes us, and people even go out of their way financially to block our plans and operations!...
I dont need this... We dont need this... Ryanair could be great if it wasnt for this bloody fool!...
IF he was such a great leader, we would have seen this, realised this, and handled it with more tact and intelligence than his childish demeanors now allow him to display...
And before I get another rant of hot air up my blowhole, Leo, remember; It isnt lack of money that leads a company to become bankrupt...
Leo, I have to say I feel a slight bit flatulant after that much hot air blown up my rear end...
And the replies have been interesting... To give credit to some assumptions made by others there is an interesting point regarding open skies agreements and the use of Aer Lingus, but these points have far wider implications than mere cheaper air fares...
The biggest issue with a 'single irish airline' is a question of competition. Monopolies never work for the consumer... You want a good example? Take the government run example of SITPU at Dublin Airport... And I agree, theyre not perfect, but please compared to some others theyre not THAT BAD...
You talk about Aer Lingus funnelling the pax on to the states after stopover in ORK, SNN, and DUB... Ok, Sorry, but how do you plan to get a 330 or even 777 or 787 on the gnd in ORK?!?!
And to be blatantly honest, isnt aer fungus already feeding off our pax being brought into these airports already? Really they realise the positive aspects of competition... Whilst ryr might be taking pax off their Paris-Dublin route (poor bastards have to sit in a bus for 2 hours to get to Beauvais!), Aer Fungus more than realises many of these pax will then jump aboard an Aer Lingus flight to the states...
The honest realisation being missed here is that IF Ryr was to merge with fungus and create a super carrier to jump people through Ireland, they will be forced into a price corner that will still leave the Irish consumer higher and drier than they are today! Airfares for bookings from within Ireland will be artificially higher than abroad as a result of less competition and therefore less demand elasticity against the super carrier, and prices for those making the jump from HAHN (lets be realistic here too please) to NEWARK will be little different from where they are today...
ITS ECONOMIC FACT!
I agree open skies should be abolished, and in many ways its already happening slowly but surely... look at Zoom or Globespan...
The reality is the Americans are the ones holding the cards here... hence few other carriers except business class only suiters are making the bold leap into a heavily controlled market from the state side...
And the reality behind OLeary and Ryanair... welllllllll.......
He has made a highly profitable airline through illegal activities, tax evasion tricks, and lack of moral ethics in employee policies and practices... He is a bean counter who to date is getting away with breaking every rule in the book whilst squeezing people like one would blood from a stone... And when repurcussions finally come round to meet his actions, he throws a tantrum worse than my 4 year old Daughter!...
he has been lucky in the past, and smart in burying his misfortunes... history, it seems, is not so forgiven so as to forget...
Didnt our 'esteemed' leader recently hedge fuel at 74 dollars a barrel, only to see the price dip back to the 50s level 2 days later?
Didnt our 'foresightful' emporer wind our company in court both in Brussels with the big kids of the EU commission and the labour court in Ireland, one time almost ending up in Prison before he paid out a settlement to John Goss?
Didnt our 'generous' imperialist bring thousands of passengers difficulties in their journeys when his constant harassment and breach of contracts with handlers in Spain and now cabin crew in Italy finally led to Striking actions, with more such actions to come and the company having to concede defeat and give back what they promised plus more now?...
OLeary may have done wonders in the early years, no doubt... But he lost the plot and became arrogant...
its this arrogance which is driving our company into the pits, were getting a bad name, nobody likes us, and people even go out of their way financially to block our plans and operations!...
I dont need this... We dont need this... Ryanair could be great if it wasnt for this bloody fool!...
IF he was such a great leader, we would have seen this, realised this, and handled it with more tact and intelligence than his childish demeanors now allow him to display...
And before I get another rant of hot air up my blowhole, Leo, remember; It isnt lack of money that leads a company to become bankrupt...
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Ryanair and the imitators who seek to emulate our success
Air Southwest and the imitators such as Ryanair who seek to emulate Air Southwest's success
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There is much in the origional post that rings true .... Aer Lingus has made profits recently but has in no way realised it's full potential i.e. older aircraft and uninspiring I.F.E. I am sure that it also suffers like many national airlines from a political input that stiffles enterprise and dynamism.
Ryanair on the otherhand have had a period of inventive expansion that appears to know no bounds ... I use FR regularly and despite its detracters, I think that it is an excellant service in that it does exactly what it advertises ... It gets you from A to B safely, on time and cheaply with not much else.
The question of monopoly is a valid one but only if we look at Ireland independantly and not as a country within the European Union. The same goes for all the other member states. Ryanair may be Irish registerred but it has over 30 bases around Europe and would be very well positioned to act as an economical feeder to a long haul operation ex. Dublin. Particularly if MOL's flair and vision are allowed to bear influence.
I have heard all of the stories concerning his man management approach, his lack of people skills and his confrontational stance ... all of which I am sure are true but no-one can deny his business acumen in this industry. A lot of people now have jobs that didn't and a lot of people fly around Europe that never used to.
The one major obstruction to this plan (assuming some political accomodation can be found ... big assumption I know !!) is the complete lack of a suitable airport to house this idea, now or in any realistic near future .... shame really.
I. Duke
Ryanair on the otherhand have had a period of inventive expansion that appears to know no bounds ... I use FR regularly and despite its detracters, I think that it is an excellant service in that it does exactly what it advertises ... It gets you from A to B safely, on time and cheaply with not much else.
The question of monopoly is a valid one but only if we look at Ireland independantly and not as a country within the European Union. The same goes for all the other member states. Ryanair may be Irish registerred but it has over 30 bases around Europe and would be very well positioned to act as an economical feeder to a long haul operation ex. Dublin. Particularly if MOL's flair and vision are allowed to bear influence.
I have heard all of the stories concerning his man management approach, his lack of people skills and his confrontational stance ... all of which I am sure are true but no-one can deny his business acumen in this industry. A lot of people now have jobs that didn't and a lot of people fly around Europe that never used to.
The one major obstruction to this plan (assuming some political accomodation can be found ... big assumption I know !!) is the complete lack of a suitable airport to house this idea, now or in any realistic near future .... shame really.
I. Duke
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its this arrogance which is driving our company into the pits, were getting a bad name, nobody likes us, and people even go out of their way financially to block our plans and operations!...
Something rotten in Ryanair
There has been an analogy made in some quarters that Ryanair's bid to take over Aer Lingus represents a battle between the old and the new Ireland, writes Mary Raftery
Aer Lingus is predictably cast as the "old" - backward, union-ridden, inefficient, monolithic. Ryanair is the people's champion, the breaker of monopolies, forward-looking, flexible, focused on profit and proud of it.
However, to those who are happy to identify with Ryanair as typifying the new Ireland, the comments of Mr Justice Thomas Smyth in the High Court during the summer might come as a sharp shock.
"There are occasions," he said, "of which this is regretfully I think the second in my career as a judge I have had to do so, to say things that I found extremely difficult but which could not be left unsaid."
Ryanair had gone to the High Court alleging that pilots were being bullied and intimidated by their pro-trade union colleagues. The case was taken against the trade unions Impact, IALPA and BALPA (the Irish and British airline pilots associations). The bullying pilots were hiding behind aliases on a chat website, Ryanair claimed, and the court should order their true identities be revealed.
Instead, in an unusually perfect example of being hoist by one's own petard, it was Ryanair itself which was found to be the bully.
The background is as follows: in 2004, Ryanair was in the process of switching its aircraft from Boeing 737-200s to the more up-to-date 737-800s, and pilots needed to be retrained on the newer planes.
Ryanair wrote to all its pilots on November 12th, 2004, informing them that the company would refund them the training costs (€15,000) only if certain conditions were met. One of these was that should "Ryanair be compelled to engage in collective bargaining with any pilot association or trade union within five years of commencement of your conversion training, then you will be liable to repay the full training costs".
The letter's next sentence is an example of the famous Ryanair cheekiness which we all, for some unfathomable reason, appear to find so endearing. The pilots were told that "naturally this does not and will not affect your right to freely join any trade union or association of your choice."
Mr Justice Smyth was scathing about this. Describing it as "a Hobson's choice", he said it was "both irrational and unjust" that a pilot "through no act or default on his part could suffer the loss of €15,000". He added: "In my judgment this is a most onerous condition and bears all the hallmarks of oppression."
Pilots were understandably aggrieved by this condition. Ryanair management tried to discover what they were saying to each other on their website. Apparently supplied with a password by someone described by Mr Justice Smyth variously as a traitor, informer, Iscariot or Iago, the company infiltrated the website, and then took its court action to discover the identities of pilots who signed themselves "cantfly-wontfly" and "ihateryanair".
The judge found that there was no evidence of any bullying or intimidation of pilots by their colleagues on the website. He found wholly against Ryanair, and ordered the company to pay the costs of the seven-day action, estimated to be about €1 million.
He specifically found that the evidence of two senior members of Ryanair staff was "baseless and false". He judged that the real purpose of the company in investigating the pilots' website "was to break whatever resolve there might have been amongst the captains to seek better terms." He further stated that the decision to involve the Garda Síochána was unwarranted and had "all the hallmarks of action in terrorem" (ie designed to terrify).
Mr Justice Smyth took two hours to deliver his 65-page judgment last July. His further characterisations of the actions of Ryanair include the following: "despotic indifference", "sneering disregard", "facade of concern", "unburdened by integrity".
Justice Smyth concluded that "without hesitation, I find as a fact that ... 'fairness' did not seem to come into the reckoning of the plaintiff [ Ryanair] in its dealings with the defendants on the issues raised in and by this case. In summary, in the words of Isabella in Measure for Measure Act II.2: 'Oh, it is excellent to have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant'."
It is important to remember that these are not the views of disgruntled Ryanair employees, or of passengers fed up by all the hidden charges on top of the airline's flight costs. It is, rather, an insight into the culture of Ryanair from an impeccably authoritative source, a judge of the land dispassionately and impartially considering the facts as laid before him.
It begs an important question. Do we really wish to equate the kind of values defined by Mr Justice Smyth with the "new" Ireland? Are we happy that a company which engages in activities so roundly condemned by the judge should stand for us as an emblem of what we wish and hope our society to become?
© The Irish Times
This vision makes no sense - it is a 1980's vision, complete with catch phrases.
For a start, the future of air transport is the Dreamliner, passengers, including me, are sick and tired of going through hubs. I want direct flights with as little as possible sitting around/weather delays/ technical delays/ security screens/ check ins and general airport bastardry as possible.
The thought of a hub, managed by the great and good MOL, as an an extremly fine mesh money strainer, has about as much appeal as waterboarding. To put it another way, when I see the words "connecting flight", I want to throw up.
I suspect that this bid has everything to do with smoke and mirrors, and not with "releasing shareholder value"
For a start, the future of air transport is the Dreamliner, passengers, including me, are sick and tired of going through hubs. I want direct flights with as little as possible sitting around/weather delays/ technical delays/ security screens/ check ins and general airport bastardry as possible.
The thought of a hub, managed by the great and good MOL, as an an extremly fine mesh money strainer, has about as much appeal as waterboarding. To put it another way, when I see the words "connecting flight", I want to throw up.
I suspect that this bid has everything to do with smoke and mirrors, and not with "releasing shareholder value"
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Jesus you've got me all misty eyed there now LHC. All you needed was a few bodhrans to accompany you, a mention of the "cry of the curlew" and "the way Sally O'Brien might look at you" and some of us might be tempted to go along with you.
The cynics however might disagree and mention asset stripping, monopoly and just good old corporate rape. I however could not possibly comment...
The cynics however might disagree and mention asset stripping, monopoly and just good old corporate rape. I however could not possibly comment...
er! You know what I meant!
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Right, Leo, how about this. Just like in the Taoiseach's speech the other day you have also chosen to briefly mention Cork as a by the way to my mind. If you are having a laugh at us that is your choice but for once let us give Ryanair a chance to undo the cynical negativity towards Cork and I am including in that regard the Bye, bye easyJet logojet.
To get your credentials up and running in the long haul game why not test the water so to speak by committing a brand new 737 to Cork next sumer for a first transatlantic service to Hartford, Connecticut, (BDL) at a twice or even once weekly frequency as Irish registered airlines are not bound by stopover regulations for opeations from Cork and Knock but American airlines are still so bound. Hartford is about 2 hours from both New York and Boston by road so there is no problem there to make a few more bucks in the bus ride!? Even for onward connections Southwest, Delta, Northwest have a fair range of destinations so that angle could also be covered too for folk wanting to travel futher west in the States. Okay, maybe at 189 pax the 737 might be at the very limit of range but what if Cork subsidized ten or fifteen seats on top of new route incentives it might be just possible and legal to do from Cork. Of course, you'd have to get a few aeroplanes with the higher trust ratings for the engines and a few fixes like the GOL airframes have for take offs from shorter runways like at Cork.
You'd have the Cork crowd grovelling at your feet and yer Jazz man from Ballinlough Road would have pages and pages to himself in De Paper and D'Echo for days & days on end.
The thing is Ryanair could make it happen but it'd be almost certainly be from Shannon and regretably not from Cork.
To get your credentials up and running in the long haul game why not test the water so to speak by committing a brand new 737 to Cork next sumer for a first transatlantic service to Hartford, Connecticut, (BDL) at a twice or even once weekly frequency as Irish registered airlines are not bound by stopover regulations for opeations from Cork and Knock but American airlines are still so bound. Hartford is about 2 hours from both New York and Boston by road so there is no problem there to make a few more bucks in the bus ride!? Even for onward connections Southwest, Delta, Northwest have a fair range of destinations so that angle could also be covered too for folk wanting to travel futher west in the States. Okay, maybe at 189 pax the 737 might be at the very limit of range but what if Cork subsidized ten or fifteen seats on top of new route incentives it might be just possible and legal to do from Cork. Of course, you'd have to get a few aeroplanes with the higher trust ratings for the engines and a few fixes like the GOL airframes have for take offs from shorter runways like at Cork.
You'd have the Cork crowd grovelling at your feet and yer Jazz man from Ballinlough Road would have pages and pages to himself in De Paper and D'Echo for days & days on end.
The thing is Ryanair could make it happen but it'd be almost certainly be from Shannon and regretably not from Cork.
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Ryanair playing hardball for new airport?
"Ryanair is (still) considering Rzeszów in Poland as the site of its new technical base", said Polish press yesterday (Riga is being rumoured as an alternative location). According to an unofficial information cited by 'Puls Biznesu', FR is using the possible investment as a bargaining chip in a bid to open the Modlin airport near Warsaw for budget flights.
"The Irish proposed an exchange transaction," "In return for the selection of Jasionka for the construction of their base they want the guarantee that the airport in Modlin, where they could build an operational base for several aircraft, will be opened soon", writes Puls Biznesu. However, Tomasz Kułakowski who is responsible for Ryanair's sales and marketing in central Europe denies everything. "Since we entered into Poland we have been talking about the necessity to build an airport for budget airlines near Warsaw," said Kułakowski. "But we did not put forward an ultimatum in negotiations nor did we link those two decisions."
Regardless of that, experts say that such kind of Ryanair's ultimatum would be beneficial for the market. "It would be good blackmail and the president of Ryanair would be acting in our best interest," said Tomasz Dziedzic from the Polish Institute of Tourism, "If neither domestic policymakers nor local authorities are able to influence the construction of the airport, maybe a tough negotiator will succeed."
"The Irish proposed an exchange transaction," "In return for the selection of Jasionka for the construction of their base they want the guarantee that the airport in Modlin, where they could build an operational base for several aircraft, will be opened soon", writes Puls Biznesu. However, Tomasz Kułakowski who is responsible for Ryanair's sales and marketing in central Europe denies everything. "Since we entered into Poland we have been talking about the necessity to build an airport for budget airlines near Warsaw," said Kułakowski. "But we did not put forward an ultimatum in negotiations nor did we link those two decisions."
Regardless of that, experts say that such kind of Ryanair's ultimatum would be beneficial for the market. "It would be good blackmail and the president of Ryanair would be acting in our best interest," said Tomasz Dziedzic from the Polish Institute of Tourism, "If neither domestic policymakers nor local authorities are able to influence the construction of the airport, maybe a tough negotiator will succeed."
The vision thing
Poor old Leo,
Sounds like you had a hard day. There was me thinking you were just an arrogant, egotistical so and so and you come all over all visionary. So you're doing all this for the auld sod and not just your pockets. In reallity you belong alongside Gandhi, Martin Luther King and the Dalai Lama, thinking only of others...Worrying for your shareholders if you really have lost the plot this much.
I can just see the FR mega hub in SNN, arriving of my "connecting" flight but as its only a point to point airline I have to reclaim my bags and check in again, after I get to the top of the queue lovely Natasha tells me I've missed my flight, it'll be 1000 euros for a seat in three days now "f**k off!". At last I board my my shinning 787 (weren't they supposed to bypass hubs?), elbowing grannies to get a seat (its them or me) and watch those ancient wrecks of 330s lumber past (strange why so many successful airlines bought them). It seems the 787 will have devices to help keep the pilots eyes prised open and an FMS that can make duty hours go in reverse, can't wait.
You've made quite a pile Leo, why doen't you just retire to Mullingar and concentrate on the prize cows, you could even tatoo adverts on their arses and sell that. The planespotters might get all steamed up about schedules and the chance to photograph a 737 but the rest of us know what you are up to.
Sounds like you had a hard day. There was me thinking you were just an arrogant, egotistical so and so and you come all over all visionary. So you're doing all this for the auld sod and not just your pockets. In reallity you belong alongside Gandhi, Martin Luther King and the Dalai Lama, thinking only of others...Worrying for your shareholders if you really have lost the plot this much.
I can just see the FR mega hub in SNN, arriving of my "connecting" flight but as its only a point to point airline I have to reclaim my bags and check in again, after I get to the top of the queue lovely Natasha tells me I've missed my flight, it'll be 1000 euros for a seat in three days now "f**k off!". At last I board my my shinning 787 (weren't they supposed to bypass hubs?), elbowing grannies to get a seat (its them or me) and watch those ancient wrecks of 330s lumber past (strange why so many successful airlines bought them). It seems the 787 will have devices to help keep the pilots eyes prised open and an FMS that can make duty hours go in reverse, can't wait.
You've made quite a pile Leo, why doen't you just retire to Mullingar and concentrate on the prize cows, you could even tatoo adverts on their arses and sell that. The planespotters might get all steamed up about schedules and the chance to photograph a 737 but the rest of us know what you are up to.
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Cast a cold eye, horseman, ...
If you are having a laugh at us that is your choice but for once let us give Ryanair a chance to undo the cynical negativity towards Cork and I am including in that regard the Bye, bye easyJet logojet.
I think that it is an excellent service in that it does exactly what it advertises ... It gets you from A to B safely, on time and cheaply with not much else.
The Duke goes on.....
is the complete lack of a suitable airport to house this idea, now or in any realistic near future .... shame really.
The reality is the Americans are the ones holding the cards here...
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They are indeed exciting times; what I would like to do is to leave the FR/EI aside and focus on the potential that exists for a very considerable advantage on t/a routes for Irish carriers. Just to set the stage again:
- Open Skies; slap bang in the middle of the largest single aviation market, with 700+m people.
- The ability to reach virtually any US airport from DUB, SNN (or even ORK);
- Question: who is going to be able to take advantage of this opportunity?
- NB: Just because Aer Lingus doesn't (or can't), it doesn't mean that someone else won't either. The market is there. Potential exists; someone will discover it.
- Look at our record in the past - the Shannon stopover, the short runway at DUB, the poor or backward planning - all examples of a litany, not just of wasted opportunities, but also of a casual attitude and wilful blindness to such opportunities.
So, please, please, let's leave acrimony aside for a moment; let's focus on what's out there and how we make it work. What I've said above isn't opinion; it's fact. We've screwed up so often in the past, but we have this HUGE opportunity dropped in our laps; if EI doesn't take advantage of it, the large US carriers may not either, BUT they have the capacity to throw at Ireland and come in and swamp EI, so it's not just a case of EI -v- FR, but a case of EI -v- CO, DL, AA, NW, etc, etc (and no doubt, UAL, when full O/S comes about).
It's not just a case of waiting around; we know DL is converting 757s with winglets for t/a routes and over the past 2 years, US carriers like DL and CO have been throwing capacity at European routes. Ireland being closest (and very accessible for 757s), it has to be assumed that once the Shannon nonsense is swept aside, they will throw capacity at Ireland; will EI be able to stand its ground? Again, I ask, given the opportunities out there, will 12-14 widebodies be enough. These are the questions we need to ask.
Do I have misgivings about FR being allowed to take over EI? Yes, BUT I have a hell of a lot more misgivings and concerns about EI being swept aside by the large US carriers AND about the huge opportunities ahead being missed AGAIN. FR intends to remain as a shareholder in EI, even as a minority (which I see as a rather good insurance policy for the airline), BUT ... let's make that relationship work; a combination of EI's name and FR's ability to develop new markets. Let's see how it can be made to work, because frankly, much as I love EI, vision is not exactly its strong point; DM says there's no way EI mgmt could work with EI, but when you have the combination of the threats AND opportunities which exist, that needs to change now.
US carriers know that FR is looking at long haul low cost and they know EI is key to this (whether EI recognises it or not), so once O/S comes along, they won't let EI breathe for a moment; however inefficient they've been in the past, don't expect them to be anything less than ruthless and if EI is unprepared, whether its working with FR or not, it will be attacked pretty severely. The best preparation EI can make, to ensure it's in a position to take on the competition and make the opportunities work is to make that 19% (or whatever it ends up being) work for it.
Whatever about the relationship NOW between the two companies, it would be a MONUMENTAL tragedy for Ireland, for Irish aviation and everyone involved in it, for these opportunities to be thrown away. For once in the history of Irish aviation, when we're presented with a major opportunity, let's not arse it up.
- Open Skies; slap bang in the middle of the largest single aviation market, with 700+m people.
- The ability to reach virtually any US airport from DUB, SNN (or even ORK);
- Question: who is going to be able to take advantage of this opportunity?
- NB: Just because Aer Lingus doesn't (or can't), it doesn't mean that someone else won't either. The market is there. Potential exists; someone will discover it.
- Look at our record in the past - the Shannon stopover, the short runway at DUB, the poor or backward planning - all examples of a litany, not just of wasted opportunities, but also of a casual attitude and wilful blindness to such opportunities.
So, please, please, let's leave acrimony aside for a moment; let's focus on what's out there and how we make it work. What I've said above isn't opinion; it's fact. We've screwed up so often in the past, but we have this HUGE opportunity dropped in our laps; if EI doesn't take advantage of it, the large US carriers may not either, BUT they have the capacity to throw at Ireland and come in and swamp EI, so it's not just a case of EI -v- FR, but a case of EI -v- CO, DL, AA, NW, etc, etc (and no doubt, UAL, when full O/S comes about).
It's not just a case of waiting around; we know DL is converting 757s with winglets for t/a routes and over the past 2 years, US carriers like DL and CO have been throwing capacity at European routes. Ireland being closest (and very accessible for 757s), it has to be assumed that once the Shannon nonsense is swept aside, they will throw capacity at Ireland; will EI be able to stand its ground? Again, I ask, given the opportunities out there, will 12-14 widebodies be enough. These are the questions we need to ask.
Do I have misgivings about FR being allowed to take over EI? Yes, BUT I have a hell of a lot more misgivings and concerns about EI being swept aside by the large US carriers AND about the huge opportunities ahead being missed AGAIN. FR intends to remain as a shareholder in EI, even as a minority (which I see as a rather good insurance policy for the airline), BUT ... let's make that relationship work; a combination of EI's name and FR's ability to develop new markets. Let's see how it can be made to work, because frankly, much as I love EI, vision is not exactly its strong point; DM says there's no way EI mgmt could work with EI, but when you have the combination of the threats AND opportunities which exist, that needs to change now.
US carriers know that FR is looking at long haul low cost and they know EI is key to this (whether EI recognises it or not), so once O/S comes along, they won't let EI breathe for a moment; however inefficient they've been in the past, don't expect them to be anything less than ruthless and if EI is unprepared, whether its working with FR or not, it will be attacked pretty severely. The best preparation EI can make, to ensure it's in a position to take on the competition and make the opportunities work is to make that 19% (or whatever it ends up being) work for it.
Whatever about the relationship NOW between the two companies, it would be a MONUMENTAL tragedy for Ireland, for Irish aviation and everyone involved in it, for these opportunities to be thrown away. For once in the history of Irish aviation, when we're presented with a major opportunity, let's not arse it up.
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Ryanair voted 'the worst airline'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6087016.stm
who??? 
Despite its growing business and role in revolutionising the way Europe's air industry has operated, Ryanair has often also proved a controversial company.
Founder and chief executive Michael Ryan has been an outspoken critic of rivals and the industry, while his staff have previously complained about low wages, overwork and having to pay for their own training and uniforms.
Founder and chief executive Michael Ryan has been an outspoken critic of rivals and the industry, while his staff have previously complained about low wages, overwork and having to pay for their own training and uniforms.
Ut Sementem Feeceris
Didn't Michael Ryan start RYANAIR with some Bandits (the aircraft type... 
) a long time ago. Mr O'leary was one of his underlings before becoming top dog.
Not sure, but I think Mr. Ryan still lives near Stansted.
A4
) a long time ago. Mr O'leary was one of his underlings before becoming top dog.Not sure, but I think Mr. Ryan still lives near Stansted.
A4
