IRISH people who dream of regular weekends in Paris can almost wake up and smell the coffee this morning following Ryanair's announcement of return fares for £79 from May 1st. The dramatic move by the airline, wbich undercuts Aer Lingus's rates is also expected to boost inward tourism.
Ryanair, whose entry to the Dublin-London market in the 1980s drove down fares and was the catalyst for a tripling of the traffic between the cities, will also offer "no frills" flights to Brussels at £79.
Announcing the new routes and the low prices, Ryanair said yesterday that travellers would benefit from its use of less popular, more distant airports at Beauvais and Charleroi, rather than Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Brussels-Zaventen.
Beauvais is some 35 miles north of Paris, while Charleroi is 35 miles south of Brussels. A special coach would meet each flight to ferry passengers to the city centre for £5. The airline has also negotiated a flat rate for local taxis.
Travel agents said the announcement was excellent news for customers in Ireland, France and Belgium, but warned that numbers travelling would need to double to sustain the current capacity.
"At the moment there are four flights to Paris a day, three Aer Lingus and one Air France. Ryanair is putting on three more. In the short term at least that is overcapacity," said Mr Neil Horgan, managing director of Abbey Travel.
Ryanair plans three flights a day to Paris, and two to Brussels, at £79 return midweek, £99 return at weekends and £149 for a same-day return. For the two lower fares, passengers must spend at least two nights, or ones Saturday night, abroad. There will be no designated business class seats.
Mr Tim Jeans, the company's commercial director, last night promised that at least 70 per cent of the capacity, or some 950 seats a day, would be sold at £79 or £99.
Last night Aer Lingus said it still expected to increase its European business. It has already announced a special offer price of £99 to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. These tickets must be booked before February 22nd for flights between April and October.
Its regular Apex fares to Pans and Brussels are £164 and £195.