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Comment
Fares Fair
There’s no doubt the low-cost airlines have transformed travel between
Britain and Ireland over the past few years. Where once a return trip across
the Irish Sea was an expensive option it’s now possible to fly on a regular
basis for relatively little.
Airlines such as Ryanair have promoted themselves as friends of the passenger
— and done much to encourage other carriers to cut their fares in a bid
to compete.
Take a look at the websites of Aer Lingus, Ryanair or BMI over the next
few days and you’ll find return trips between Britain and Ireland at the
end of January from as little as £50.
But, as in most things, it’s not always as simple as it seems. For when
the occasion arises the low-cost carriers are as keen to cash in on the
customer as most other businesses. Try booking a flight to Ireland today
to get you home for Christmas and there’s no longer a low-cost option. You’ll
find yourself paying more than £200.
In essence it means the airlines are charging up to four times as much
as they do at other times of the year — for the same service.
Of course they’ll argue it’s simply the law of supply and demand — and
as more people want to travel at Christmas and capacity is limited they
have every right to increase ticket prices.
But can you imagine the outcry if train and coach companies asked passengers
to fork out more at Christmas because extra people wanted to travel?
There’s little doubt that low-cost airlines have been a welcome innovation
for hundreds of thousands of travellers — but sometimes the hype doesn’t
match the reality.
Ferry Support
We make no apologies for returning to the subject of the Irish Ferries
dispute. The stand-off between management and unions over the decision to
replace 534 crew members with cheaper labour from elsewhere in Europe continues
to dominate the news in Ireland.
It also has the capacity to sour labour relations in the country for
years to come. Trade unions in Britain have now joined the debate and this
week thousands of people are due to march through towns and cities in Ireland
in support of the Irish Ferries workers.
So far most of the vitriol the dispute has engendered has been aimed
at management.
On this page Irish Ferries chief executive Eamonn Rothwell gives the
other side of the story. We urge you to consider his arguments — and then
make up your own mind.
Literary Licence
Apparently Liverpool Library’s decision to nominate Cecelia Ahern’s debut
novel PS I Love You for the prestigious IMPAC International Dublin Literary
Award hasn’t gone down too well in some circles.
Critics have sneered it is just not high-brow enough. What they actually
mean is that it’s too popular and they’d prefer something a little more
elitist to win the prize.
But shouldn’t they instead be celebrating the fact that it’s novelists
just like Cecelia Ahern who have helped fuel the current boom in reading
across Britain and Ireland?
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