EasyJet insists there will be no
Irish return
 By Cornelia
Lucey
Low fares airline EasyJet has said it will not reconsider the decision
to axe all flights to Ireland despite introducing 30 new routes across
Europe.
The British-based carrier pulled out of its routes from Knock, Cork and
Shannon in mid-2006 citing high airport charges and fierce competition
from other airlines.
And despite announcing record profits and passenger numbers, Easyjet spokeswoman
Samantha Day said: “There are no plans for us to return at any point
in the future.
“Unfortunately our routes were not financially viable which is why
we could not continue to operate.
“When EasyJet started Ryanair dropped their fares and added lots
of capacity which we could not compete with. But they have since increased
prices and dropped capacity which is frustrating.”
Knock Airport has suffered particularly with the the carrier’s cancelled
flights.
Airport spokesperson Desmond O’Flynn said: “We are still very
upset about the loss of EasyJet — we have suffered financially and
it’s very hard to try and replace the Knock-Gatwick route but we’re
trying our best.
“In February, Ryanair starts a new East Midlands route which is
great news for us.
“But there is not a day goes by where someone asks us why there
is no Knock-Gatwick route.”
One disgruntled customer has had his journey time between Britain and
Ireland doubled since EasyJet pulled out of all flights from London to
Knock.
Patrick O’Sullivan — who hails from Mayo — said: “I
used to fly from London to Knock on Fridays but now I have to fly to Dublin
and then from Dublin to Knock. It’s an extra two hours which I could
be spending with my family.”
But other customers claim the EasyJet service was substandard even when
it was running.
Kildare-born and London-based flier Eileen Walsh tried to fly from London
to Cork with EasyJet in the summer.
She said: “I wouldn’t fly with them again even if they were
still going. I went to fly from Luton to Cork and we weren’t told
which terminal EasyJet flew to.
“We went to Terminal 1 but then had to go to Terminal 2. It was
a nightmare and when we got to the check-in they had just closed and refused
to re-open.
“They said I could pay £35 for the next flight but that was
at 1.30pm which was the same time as the wedding in Cork that I had to
go to. So there was no point.
“They could have just let us through for our flight but they did
nothing to help us.”
EasyJet’s continued pull-out in Ireland spells good news for Ryanair
if for no-one else.
The low-budget Irish airline has been one of the main takers of EasyJet’s
old trade.
Although they axed the Knock to Gatwick route shortly after EasyJet, they
still hold the monopoly on the only routes between Knock and Britain.
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