Airline denies bypassing Shannon

Aer Lingus was accused yesterday of forcing business out of Shannon Airport and discriminating in favour of Dublin Airport.

The chairman of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) for the Shannon area, Mr Declan O'Grady, claimed that Aer Lingus passengers travelling direct from the US to Shannon are forced to pay up to 50 per cent more than those who choose to fly to Dublin.

Citing examples from the Aer Lingus website, Mr O'Grady said that a passenger travelling from New York to Shannon next November 2nd and returning on the 12th will pay a return fare of $737, while Aer Lingus is offering a ticket for $490 if the customer chooses Dublin Airport.

Mr O'Grady has described the situation as outrageous.

"This is not an isolated case. There are plenty of examples on the Aer Lingus website that clearly demonstrates blatant discrimination against Shannon," he said.

Mr O'Grady said the fare structure brings into question once again the commitment of Aer Lingus to Shannon. "We are worried that Aer Lingus is looking down the line to 2004 when the US/Ireland Bilateral Air Agreement comes up for review."

He cited other examples where it is 28 per cent and 16 per cent more expensive to fly to Shannon from the US than it is to Dublin.

Pointing out that the hotel industry in the region has a 20 per cent drop in business this year, Mr O'Grady expressed concern about the proposed cuts in Aer Lingus's service out of Shannon this winter.

He said: "It is impossible for the hotel industry to plan for the future when we are not even consulted about these changes.

"We need a commitment from Aer Lingus that there will be no further reductions in capacity and we demand the abolition of discriminatory air fares which continue to damage Shannon and the mid-west."

However, a spokeswoman for Aer Lingus described Mr O'Grady's comments as "mischievous and unhelpful".

She said that from October 27th to March 31st next, the Aer Lingus in-bound fare from Kennedy Airport, New York, to Shannon would be $318 plus taxes return.

She added: "This represents a $20 discount on the equivalent fare to Dublin.

"Aer Lingus has over 8,500 seats still available for sale at this fare level."

The Aer Lingus spokeswoman said: "The IHF examples are selective dates when these fares have already been sold on New York-Shannon and are still available on New York- Dublin.

She said: "In the context of the existing pricing bias that exists for Shannon over Dublin, we find the IHF statement mischievous and unhelpful."