Aer Lingus has a "moral obligation" and a "duty of care" to look after all areas of the State equally, according to a deputation of Kerry county councillors seeking a meeting with Aer Lingus chiefs later this week to convince the airline to remain on the Kerry to Dublin route.
The Kerry-Dublin route comes under a Public Service Order and is subsidised by the EU. The route goes out to tender shortly.
Fears have been expressed that Aer Lingus has no interest in reapplying as it may wish to concentrate on longer routes and larger aircraft.
But the Kerry deputation is to remind Aer Lingus "they are not Virgin Atlantic", and they should not align routes solely on a commercial basis.
"Aer Lingus are not Virgin. It's not as if they have to go after the profitable route. They were set up by the taxpayers' money," Cllr Paul O'Donoghue said at the September meeting of Kerry County Council.
"Now we have a situation where the people of Kerry are asking them to show a social conscience and they are slow to respond.
"They are duty bound to respond. They are owned by the people of Ireland," Mr O'Donoghue said. Mr Michael Gleeson said Aer Lingus had "an ethical and moral duty to treat all areas equally. As a State-funded body they have the same duty of care to Kerry as to Dublin."
Kerry's public representatives are also urging Aer Lingus to cut down on the use of top hotels for staff, and choose high-quality bed-and-breakfasts instead if it wishes to cut costs on the Dublin to Kerry route.
"Aer Lingus could cut down their costs. They have a staff of seven staying in the top hotels at £120 each per night," Cllr Michael Connor-Scarteen said.
A former chairman of the county council, Mr Ted Fitzgerald, said there was a greater need for Aer Lingus to provide a service in and out of Kerry than in and out of Europe. "We should ensure our national airline should take up the position of public good over commercial use." A pull-out by Aer Lingus would be detrimental to tourism and to industry and the airline should be compelled to tender for the Public Service Order Route, Cllr Jackie Healy-Rae TD said.
As it was Government policy to support the regions strongly, no reduction of standards on the Kerry-Dublin route would be acceptable, the county manager, Mr Martin Nolan, said.
An Aer Lingus spokesman said yesterday no decision had yet been made on whether the airline would tender for the route.