Madam, - The news that Aer Lingus is dropping its Shannon-Heathrow route should not come as any surprise. Over the past three years its services to and from Shannon have been cut back progressively, as any regular user will have noted.
The proposed relocation to Belfast International Airport obviously makes sense from the company's point of view and follows the decision to expand services out of Cork and Dublin. Even the most casual observer should have been able to read the writing on the wall. Understandably, staff at Shannon are aggrieved by this, and customers too should be unhappy.
However, the anger should not all be directed at Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion: he is, after all, an accountant, and it would be too much to expect him to consider the human cost and inconvenience. The present crisis at Shannon stems from the failure of the airport's management to ensure that there is healthy competition between carriers. at Shannon. Until recently, easyJet had tried to establish a regular service to London Gatwick, but gave up.
With the withdrawal of Aer Lingus, the way is open for Ryanair to establish a monopoly over the UK route from Shannon. This is very bad news and one can expect a radical change in its pricing policy.
As one of many regular business users who need either to land at Heathrow or transfer onwards to Europe, I want to know why Shannon Airport Authority did not anticipate the current situation, and why it has done nothing to attract other carriers to Shannon (such as the excellent BMI, which also flies into Heathrow). Luckily for me, Cork is only marginally further away than Shannon and that will now become my local airport.
Management at SAA has only itself to blame for the certain financial losses it will incur, but its ineptitude will have a wider and undeserved commercial impact on the region. Meanwhile, the Government's decision not to intervene possibly reflects its commitment to peace in the North and the necessity of economic support for this. But it also reflects a contempt for the people in the Mid-West, as well as the Cabinet inability to think strategically about how this region fits into a national policy for balanced growth and stability. Is there one? - Yours, etc,
Prof ANTHONY McELLIGOTT, Department of History, University of Limerick.
Madam, - Aer Lingus has cynically chosen an opportune time - the busiest holiday period of the year, when many business people and politicians are away - to announce the withdrawal of its essential service between Shannon and Heathrow. In spite of this, there has been considerable public outcry over this very damaging decision for the entire west of Ireland. I'm sure the general good feeling towards Aer Lingus will now erode and people will, regrettably, look more towards Ryanair. - Yours, etc,
STEPHEN O'DOWD, Glencairin, Dooradoyle Road, Limerick.