Madam, - It is interesting that Fintan O'Toole (Opinion, May 10th) had to go as far as Canada to find an example of failed competition in relation to privately run terminals. I wonder how many successfully competing terminals he flew over to get there?
Nevertheless, when he accuses the PDs of being driven simply by ideological motivation he should look back to 1984 when Des O'Malley, another man driven by ideology, stopped the Air Transport Bill passing quickly through both Houses. This was a Bill that intended to criminalise anybody selling tickets for less than the Government. Two years later Ryanair operated its first flight to London, leading to an almost instant 54 per cent decline in fares, a fall which has continued to this day.
Competition in Ireland will always beat regulation, not just in the cost to the customer but also in the standards of efficiency being offered. - Yours, etc,
HUGH HARDIMAN, Fields Terrace, Dublin 6.