|
Readers united against Aer Lingus
Letters have been pouring in to The Irish Post over Aer Lingus’s decision to axe its London Heathrow to Shannon service. Here’s a selection of your views.
Congratulations to The Irish Post for having the courage to take on Aer
Lingus in its cavalier attitude over the Shannon route.
The newspaper often trumpets its belief that it campaigns for the Irish
in Britain and this is one issue that has united most of us.
If Aer Lingus believes it can make more money by flying from London to
Belfast rather than Shannon then all well and good for them.
But the airline is supposed to provide a service for Irish people across
the world.
And there is no doubt Irish people in Britain value the Shannon service
from London otherwise we wouldn’t be using it.
It’s about time Aer Lingus management realised they have paying
customers with strong views. Hopefully The Irish Post’s campaign
will make them aware of this.
Michael Naughton
Manchester
We fully back your campaign to get Aer Lingus to reverse its decision
over the Heathrow to Shannon service.
Why they took the decision in the first place remains a mystery but it’s
to be hoped that the outcry may make them see sense.
Some 360,000 people a year use the route so how can that not make a profit?
If Aer Lingus care about their passengers who pay the wages then they
will think again.
Maria Montgomery
Via e-mail
I Regulary fly from London to Shannon and am appalled at the decision
to end this valuable service.
Surely Aer Lingus must have considered the thousands of satisfied passengers
who have been hit by their decision?
If not then the management do not deserve to be in charge of what is still
seen as Ireland’s national airline by many.
The silence of Bertie Ahern and his Ministers over the issue is also a
national disgrace.
It seems they are only interested when they feel there are votes at stake.
They should know many people feel extremely aggrieved at what is happening.
Joe O’Halloran
Leeds
Correct me if I’m wrong but does not the Irish Government own
a 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus?
That makes it the second largest shareholder after Ryanair.
In any other company such a large shareholder would have more than enough
clout to block decisions such as the one to end the London Heathrow to
Shannon service.
But it seems the government has no wish to do this.
So why do they cling on to their stake in the company? If they are not
prepared to use it then it is a waste of time.
Why not sell it and use the money to fund the things Ireland needs like
hospitals, proper medical care etc.
Paul O’Toole
Essex
Aer Lingus was once the pride of Ireland’s Diaspora. We looked
to the skies when one of their planes flew over and dreamt of home.
Not now. It is nothing more than a company whose sole aim is to make money.
Might as well fly Ryanair. At least they’re cheaper and make no
bones about their purpose in life.
David Scott
Richmond
What's wrong with Aer Lingus abandoning Shannon for Belfast? It’s
a company with one purpose to make as much money as possible.
All the people moaning about the decision should remember the airline
almost went out of business until it started being run on proper economic
grounds. Airlines do not operate to serve destinations no-one wants to
fly to.
Frank Halloran
Via e-mail
ALL backing to The Irish Post over their Shannon Airport campaign.
Let’s hope you have some success.
The Mullarkey family
Dover
IT’S hard not to detect the hand of politics in Aer Lingus’s
decision to shift its Heathrow slots from Shannon to Belfast.
The power sharing assembly is back up and running, both the London and Dublin
governments want economic prosperity in the North of Ireland and what
will help boost that? Why improved air links to London’s financial
muscle!
Now could this be more than a coincidence? We’ll probably only find
out when Bertie writes his memoirs. But by then the Shannon region will
be too impoverished to be able to buy many copies of this rivetting tome.
Joseph Mulcahy
Via e-mail
Much play has been made over the past few years with the Celtic Tiger
boom of Shannon Airport’s links to London.
In fact I recall several Irish Government Ministers trumpeting the fact
when they welcomed multi-national firms to the area.
So why now are they turning their back on the area as Aer Lingus decides
its pulling out?
Smacks of hypocrisy to me.
Jack Worley
Nottingham
Harrd to believe the Irish Government was up in arms when Ryanair wanted
to take over Aer Lingus.
With the move to end Shannon to Heathrow flights you have to wonder what
difference it would have made.
Are they saying Aer Lingus would have been any worse if owned by Michael
O’Leary? At least he doesn’t pretend his airline is something
it isn’t.
It seems to be the politicians only speak up when it suits them. So much
for honesty and decency.
Teresa Owens
Via e-mail
Me and my family would like to fully support your campaign to reverse
the decision to end Aer Lingus’s London to Shannon service.
It is a slap in the face to the many loyal users of the airline and will
be a disaster for many businesses in the south-west of Ireland.
One wonders why the government has not been more vocal in condemning the
decision.
Unless, of course, now they’ve been re-elected they actually don’t
give a damn.
Sinéad Dolan
Nottingham
Congratulations to Bertie Ahern and his cronies for finally coming clean
and letting us all know their top priority is big business and not the
people who voted them into power.
How have they done this? By staying silent over the Aer Lingus scandal
over London to Shannon flights.
They’ve let it go ahead despite having a big enough shareholding
in the company to block the move and instead merely set-up a committee
to look at the impact the decision will have on the Shannon region. How
much will that cost?
They don’t need a committee.
I can tell them. It will have a bad impact. So what are they going to
do? Nothing.
That’s government for you.
Tony Rogers
Via e-mail
Shameful. That’s the only word to describe Aer Lingus nowadays.
At one time they made out they were more than an airline they were a part
of Ireland.
Not anymore. They are simply a greedy, arrogant organisation that cares
not one jot for the people of Ireland.
Well, in return, we can show we care not one jot for them Goodbye to
my custom.
Janet Ryan
Via e-mail |
