The uproar was deafening when Aer Lingus said they were pulling out of their Shannon to Heathrow route. It was the end of Ireland's Midwestern region, jobs lost and families thrown out of their homes in foreclosure and they'd be wandering the backroads and the boreens and God help us all.....
Once the smoke cleared, residents looked around and noticed that CityJet was coming to town. The Shannon Airport Authority took a page from Business Practices 102 and cut landing charges by 70% to attract a new carrier, and CityJet said we'll take it.
Beginning in February, CityJet will fly from Shannon to Charles deGaulle, two flights per day and one on the weekend. With that, the Midwest is re-connected to Europe and all the wailing is put behind. Not so bad, is it, to gain a new carrier that flies into an airport with four runways rather than two. And it's not all about the Ireland to France journey, but instead, it's the reverse route that will make a difference.
From Paris to Ireland, come for a long weekend. Play golf. Hike. Visit tourist destinations like old castles and country estate houses. Shop. Spend money. The Irish are a euro-based economy too, unlike England. Your money's good here, no need to exchange a thing.
But let us not forget that Minister Dempsey should be ashamed at having lost the Aer Lingus business, says Fine Gael TD Joe Carey. Sure it's grand that he's worked to bring in CityJet, but don't let that bit of good news spoil it for those who were determined to bring down the current government or at least get some Cabinet members to resign. If that part gets forgotten, then those who were in hysterics over Aer Lingus would look pretty stupid, yes?
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