Shannon airport ghost town ... soon?

RichieO

No, not soon, now. It's so quiet there now you can hear a pin drop, well you could if it weren't for the snoring of workers waiting for something to do. You can't put all the blame on Ryan-air either, at least he's a man of his word. So why is Shannon sinking into the mire from which it came? I do not believe it is entirely the "economic downturn" it is happening by design. The group of people called "The Shannon Airport Authority" are in fact " The Dublin Airport Authority " and as such, have absolutely no interest or loyalty to Shannon.
In fact the D.A.A. has over the last several years been doing there level best to destroy it. So Ryan-Air is using Shannon to lash out at both the D.A.A. and the govt 10 euro travel tax. The only suggestion I have heard to improve matters is to add yet another travel tax to Shannon Airport, surely it would only be the last straw?

Clareman

Gross min-management has led to the downfall of Shannon Airport, no other blame to be levied anywhere, well maybe with Aer Lingus, but they should have been sold a better deal.

Shannon had a guaranteed stop over for all transatlantic flights, they bent over and gave those up, they had the first Duty Free in the world, didn't push that forward, had a runway long enough for Concorde (in fact all pilots of that plane were thought in Shannon), it was the run off for the Shuttle.

Everyone from South Limerick, North Kerry, North Tipp, Offaly, Clare, South Galway should be flying out of Shannon, other regions should be flying from the other airports. Parking in Shannon is more expensive that any other airport, that's just 1 of the faults.

Management, or the DAA, are more interested in having Shannon as a goods airport rather than a people airport, with Dell no longer shipping from there, I don't know what goods are going to be going through there, unless they hope to use the pre-clearance for goods for courier companies

RichieO

Car parks are empty now and it's not the high cost of parking....

Butlerowski

I live on the n18 and most of our buses pass through Shannon, we lost 9 buses per day recently when Citylink cancelled services there, they now have 3 to and 3 from the airport at widely divided hours. So now, not only have we got less choice of flights and destinations from Shannon but we also have less buses to and from the airport, work, socialising, college, civilisation, etc I hoped to do an evening course in the autumn, if Citylink pull out of Shannon altogether it will be an impossibility without buying a car or moving into town. As it stands it is not possible to book Citylink tickets online past 30.04.2010
It could Be, Shannon: Last Out Lights Out

Shapey Fiend

The bus service from Shannon has always been horrible. I worked there during the boom times and even then most of the airport staff outside of the restaurant and the Ryanair contractors like Servisair were doing close to nothing. I wouldn't use that as a yardstick.

As long as there's a war going on, and it looks like that isn't going to stop anytime soon, Shannon will still do healthy business. There are a thousand plus soldiers in there buying duty free all night every night. Clare has a ton of UK nationals living here as well which keeps most of the Gatwick/Stanstead flights packed out all morning too. The rest of the day is pretty dead but it's always been pretty patchy in that regard. Hopefully if the US economy picks up the yanks will start holidaying abroad again and that'll pick up the slack.

dr.fuzzenstein

I heard an interview with Tony Killen on the Last Word a few years ago. This was before the end of the enforced stopover.
He was asked if Shannon shouldn't look toward the future, develop new routes into Europe and stop relying on something that will be coming to an end soon.
His answer: No, the enforced stopover is the only way forward, there is no need to look at anything else and everything will be fine and dandy as long as we enforce that stopover.
First of all I think that stopover has done nothing but pissed of thousands upon thousands of passengers and airlines, while only benefiting a few hundred people who actually wanted to get off there.
It's protectionism, abuse of state power, enforcing unfair business practices, uncompetitive, in short everything we have come to expect from big business in Ireland.
Ryanair finally gave the area it's big break, the place was booming, you actually had to queue for checkin!
I even used the airport on several occasions.
But I know quite a few people on the inside, they hate Ryanair with a passion, they detest doing business with them and would, quite frankly, sit around doing nothing while their guaranteed salaries rolled in. They resented being busy and having to work for a change, just like any decent state or semi state employee in this country does.
Of course having your main competitor in charge of your operations doesn't help and this issue should have been addressed in the courts a long time ago, maybe an Irish court wouldn't see it, but the European court would take about 5 minutes to find that that is simply stupid.
Who is to blame?
They all are, no one in charge of Shannon on any level has progressed from the 70's in the way they run the airport as a business, they all have completely failed to grasp the 21st century, they cannot move with the times and, like the dinosaurs the are, will all go extinct.
And take Shannon Industrial Estate with it and the rest of Clare.
In 10 years time we will be bottom of the pile, a mere housing estate by the side of the motorway that serves Limerick and Galway.
It's back to herding sheep and playing diddledey music in the pubs for tourists (what tourists we'll get from Dublin Airport).
To me personally Shannon Airport is about as useful as the Pope's balls, I have flown from there maybe 4 times in 15 years, it's up the road and fly from Dublin for me, I'd rather use Shannon, but it's utterly useless to me and anyone else.
Goodbuy Shannon, it was great while it lasted but you have to grow, adapt and compete or you die. And no amount of moaning and hand wringing and shouts of "It's not fair" will ever change that fact.

GuinnessTony

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

Hopefully if the US economy picks up the yanks will start holidaying abroad again and that'll pick up the slack.

Even if the economy recovers Aer Lingus is charging way too much now.
Why is it $400 more than last year? That's a big increase.
Business was down this winter, but the prices were far higher than last winter. I have at least 10 friends who go home every February when it is cheap. They did not bother this year. Prices were similar to last summer, so they figured they would wait and see. Would it not have been better to fill the seats at a reasonable price (and not just at the last minute)?

This is the first year in 20+ years I will not be going home for the summer.
Between the inflated prices and the lack of Ryan Air flights out of Shannon for a weekend away from Rip Off Ireland it just does not make sense.

There are more RA flights now from Cork than Shannon.
Does that make any sense to anyone?

Another issue I have is why is it $300 cheaper round trip to fly to Spain on the same Aer Lingus flight? Boston->Dublin->Madrid for example. It's the same Boston to Dublin Flight. The government own 25% of Aer Lingus (unless I am mistaken) yet the airline benefits other EU countries.

That is really poor management IMO, but what else would you expect.
Would it not make sense to offer similar fairs and get people into the country and they may spend some money? The exchange rate is the best it's been in a while for the US and now Aer Lingus is making the flight cost prohibitive.

dr.fuzzenstein

GuinnessTony wrote: »

Another issue I have is why is it $300 cheaper round trip to fly to Spain on the same Aer Lingus flight? Boston->Dublin->Madrid for example. It's the same Boston to Dublin Flight. The government own 25% of Aer Lingus (unless I am mistaken) yet the airline benefits other EU countries.

That is really poor management IMO, but what else would you expect.
Would it not make sense to offer similar fairs and get people into the country and they may spend some money? The exchange rate is the best it's been in a while for the US and now Aer Lingus is making the flight cost prohibitive.

Nothing to do with exchange rate. Aer Lingus, unlike Ryanair, calculates the fares point to point regardless of connections as long as the flights are with themselves or on a codeshare.
That means you pay for a direct flight from Madrid to Boston. It doesn't matter that there isn't one, or where you connect. You could connect through Frankfurt, Paris or London, the fare would be the same.
When you fly Dublin-Boston as far as Aer Lingus is concerned that is an entire different flight.
And again, no difference how you fly.
The Irish market can bear a higher price, no matter that people don't have the money to spend, but other carriers will pull out due to a decrease in business, leaving Aer Lingus with a near monopoly. It's just like the 80's where they could charge you anything and sneer at you as you paid it. my GF was quoted a thousand pounds for a ticket to fcuking London!
And when you complained you got the attitude "if you don't like it then you don't fly"
So the price of the ticket does not reflect how far you fly, how you get there, but simply what price the market will bear.
And the Irish market has always been able to bear higher prices than anywhere else and Aer Lingus knows that.

GuinnessTony

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Nothing to do with exchange rate.

I understand that. My point was now that the exchange rate was less of a factor for US tourists (IE expenses in Ireland, exorbitant cost of a pint etc...) the air fare is now an issue.

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Aer Lingus, unlike Ryanair, calculates the fares point to point regardless of connections as long as the flights are with themselves or on a code share.......

I agree with you on this completely, it just makes no sense to a consumer.
All AL flights (as far as I know) from Boston to Europe go through Dublin.
Why should the person next to me who is getting on another AL flight to Europe pay 300 less return?

Since the Government owns 25% of the airline they should flex some muscle here. (I know they are somewhat limited because of the EU)
Why are they trying to fill the flights with people passing through instead of trying to fill the flights with people who are going to Ireland and will help the Irish Economy.

Something that also concerns me is what you alluded to:

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

It's just like the 80's where they could charge you anything and sneer at you as you paid it.

I know. I've paid 400 pounds one way London to Dublin and never want to return to that. It does seem like it is going that way, and I am concerned.
I want to see family again, but it is getting cost prohibitive.
I know others that feel the same way and are voting with their feet.

Anyway we are somewhat diverting from the topic at hand of Shannon.
It is really disappointing and I am concerned for the region.
Ennis was dead last summer IMO. With increased Airfares I assume it will be worse this summer. And now with lack of access to the continent the area loses what could have been a big draw to the area if managed properly.

dr.fuzzenstein

The underlying problem is that in the 80's all the smart people left the country because intelligence and ability got you nowhere.
The people who stayed behind where the ones with connections.
You had to be double cream to make it in Ireland. Rich and thick.
Sadly these people still run the country but because by some tax loophole there was a bit of an upturn in the economy a lot of those who left came back.
Now that the country has been wrecked by the cartel of gangsters who runs it, these people are faced with a choice: Get rid of the criminals at the top, or get out (yet again)
But since this is the way Ireland traditionally has been run, i.e. by the boys club at the top, this "cute hoor" way of doing anything in Ireland is so ingrained and runs so deep I doubt it can ever be rooted out.
Best off joining the brain drain out of this country into places where brains and ability actually count for something, USA, Canada, UK, Germany, even France.
Places where you get hired for what you know not who you know, that value A&E higher than saving a few bob, places where they don't actually saw the branch off on which they're sitting.
I have met many, many very smart and capable people in Ireland but how did those thick and ignorant cnuts get to be in government? Somebody explain this to me!

Triangle

It appears to me (with my conspiracy hat on ) that it's a targeted approach to having one big, main airport in Ireland in Dublin.

I believe the strategic buzz line would be a centre of excellence. Not so go for areas outside Dublin but good for Dublin.

Tbh all the airports we have dotted around the countryside is insane - Knock for the love of god!!! one of the biggest wastes ever.

I do think there could be a place for Shannon if it was run right with it's own board of management and with the DAA taken out of the equation altogether. But then I dispise the DAA and the way they operate (off topic)

PARKHEAD67

RichieO wrote: »

No, not soon, now. It's so quiet there now you can hear a pin drop, well you could if it weren't for the snoring of workers waiting for something to do. You can't put all the blame on Ryan-air either, at least he's a man of his word. So why is Shannon sinking into the mire from which it came? I do not believe it is entirely the "economic downturn" it is happening by design. The group of people called "The Shannon Airport Authority" are in fact " The Dublin Airport Authority " and as such, have absolutely no interest or loyalty to Shannon.
In fact the D.A.A. has over the last several years been doing there level best to destroy it. So Ryan-Air is using Shannon to lash out at both the D.A.A. and the govt 10 euro travel tax. The only suggestion I have heard to improve matters is to add yet another travel tax to Shannon Airport, surely it would only be the last straw?

my sister works with ryanair from shannon. 40 hrs a month.it fcuked.

Clareman

I don't think the country is big enough for 4 international airports (5 if you include Belfast), I think Knock should be merged with Shannon for international, but kept as a low fares option.

If I was to do something to help Shannon I would be thinking along the lines of
Discounted parking.
Incentive plans for frequent travellers from the airport.
Bag size restrictions changed for travellers to Shannon.
4 bus routes into the airport (8am,12,4 and 8pm), and out as well as increased services from Limerick, would also get a spur train line setup ASAP.

Keano

Well it must be bad if the supposed home of the Irish coffee has gone so bad that none of the staff can make one!

dr.fuzzenstein

Clareman wrote: »

If I was to do something to help Shannon I would be thinking along the lines of
Discounted parking.
Incentive plans for frequent travellers from the airport.
Bag size restrictions changed for travellers to Shannon.
4 bus routes into the airport (8am,12,4 and 8pm), and out as well as increased services from Limerick, would also get a spur train line setup ASAP.

Good so far.
But what they really need to do is to re-negotiate with Ryanair.
Because without them, no one is going anywhere and the European market needs to be tapped.
As it stands Shannon is the airport to nowhere. I don't fly out of there because I can't go where I need to go.

Run_to_da_hills

Clareman wrote: »

I don't think the country is big enough for 4 international airports (5 if you include Belfast), I think Knock should be merged with Shannon for international, but kept as a low fares option.

If I was to do something to help Shannon I would be thinking along the lines of
Discounted parking.
Incentive plans for frequent travelers from the airport.
Bag size restrictions changed for travelers to Shannon.
4 bus routes into the airport (8am,12,4 and 8pm), and out as well as increased services from Limerick, would also get a spur train line setup ASAP.

One big f*ck off airport in the midlands (Athlone ) is sufficient in this day and age, cheaper parking, connected by motorways and rail, I'm surprised O"Leary hasn't come up with it seen as he is not too far from there himself.

Clareman

I think that they should have a look at some of the major hubs in Europe, see who's flying into there and see if they want to setup a Shannon route. In realistic terms, it's not feasible to have routes from Shannon to a load of different places in Europe as the plans will all be half empty (or full ) whereas if there was a few flights a day connecting to a major hub that would open up the rest of the world that would be ideal, Aer Lingus have that with Heathrow but that's too expensive, Paris or Frankfurt would be great

dr.fuzzenstein

Clareman wrote: »

I think that they should have a look at some of the major hubs in Europe, see who's flying into there and see if they want to setup a Shannon route. In realistic terms, it's not feasible to have routes from Shannon to a load of different places in Europe as the plans will all be half empty (or full ) whereas if there was a few flights a day connecting to a major hub that would open up the rest of the world that would be ideal, Aer Lingus have that with Heathrow but that's too expensive, Paris or Frankfurt would be great

Shannon is a two bit provincial airport. Who flies to these? Ryanair.
The problem with Ryanair is that they don't do connections.
I'm not willing to fly to Stanstead and pay for everything again so I can hang around there for 4-5 hours waiting for the next flight.
And for commuting around Europe on major airlines I'd have to win the lotto first.
Shannon would be great for a bit of cargo and bring bodies in via Ryanair.
No large scale main stream airline will fly there, not enough commercial business. These guys make money on business and first class, coach is a waste of space for them.
Ryanair all the way, there is little or no business in anything else and obviously some people would rather go down with the ship than be rescued by Mr. O'Leary.

firesidechat

Looks like shannons loss is kerrys gain.
This cannot be blamed on ryanair or the 10e tax surcharge.
Shannon lacks the competitive spirit,!!
Always the poor relation with the hands out.
Bollox !
Fire the lot of em.....Useless cnuts.:mad:


Kerry profits from Shannon cutbacks

Ryanair today announced its seventh route from Kerry Airport to Dusseldorf (Weeze), less than a week after the airline dramatically scaled back its services to and from Shannon Airport.

The airline says the new service, which commences on July 1st, has been made possible due to low costs at Kerry Airport. This is the third new Kerry route to be announced since Ryanair cut routes and aircraft from Shannon Airport.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said: “Ryanair is pleased to announce a seventh Kerry route to Dusseldorf (Weeze) from summer 2010. As a commercially run airport, Kerry realises that airports and airlines must work together to reduce the cost of travel to Ireland as the Irish Government’s suicidal €10 tourist tax continues to collapse Irish traffic and tourism”.

Meanwhile, the low frills airline today announced that it recorded a 13% increase in passenger numbers in March, compared to the same month in 2010. A total of 5.3 million passengers travelled with the airline last month.

dr.fuzzenstein

But we're always back to the same problem.
Kerry is independent and can make it's own decisions.
Shannon is run by bureaucrats in Dublin who only have Dublin's interest at heart, see Shannon as a pesky competitor and have been given the opportunity to run them into the ground.
Shannon needs to go to the European Court and sue to have this insanity revoked.
You cannot have your business run by your main competitor, yet another oddity that in all of Europe you will only find in Ireland, thanks to the Irish government's "pick and choose" approach to Europe.
These guys need to be taught that this is not a buffet, you cannot just cherrypick what you want and ignore the rest.

golfball37

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

But we're always back to the same problem.
Kerry is independent and can make it's own decisions.
Shannon is run by bureaucrats in Dublin who only have Dublin's interest at heart, see Shannon as a pesky competitor and have been given the opportunity to run them into the ground.
Shannon needs to go to the European Court and sue to have this insanity revoked.
You cannot have your business run by your main competitor, yet another oddity that in all of Europe you will only find in Ireland, thanks to the Irish government's "pick and choose" approach to Europe.
These guys need to be taught that this is not a buffet, you cannot just cherrypick what you want and ignore the rest.

My 1st cousin woks in the Airport and he says Dublin are subsidising the place big time, there wouldn’t be wages paid only for the DAA. Be careful what you wish for? If DAA were to turn Shannon loose the jobs in the airport would be gone in under a week. I do agree it should be managed locally however.
Ryanair are all about publicity, they basically wanted to be paid for the privilege of landing in Shannon. Management in Shannon rightly said no as the much maligned government did quite rightly over the Hangar 6 fiasco also.

LadyTBolt

golfball37 wrote: »

Be careful what you wish for? If DAA were to turn Shannon loose the jobs in the airport would be gone in under a week.

Are you for real? The best thing that could happen Shannon Airport right now would be for DAA to take their claws out and let Shannon run itself or better still, sell it to somebody who is actually wanting to make it profitable.

Shannon is a puppet on a string so far as the DAA are concerned and all decisions made in relation to that airport are made by the DAA. Ryanair pulling routes is effectively the cause of DAA. Shannon Airport will never be a competitive airport in this country as long as the DAA control it. Right now, all they are concerned with is raising enough funds from Dublin Airport to pay for its new terminal and if it can move any revenue from Shannon to Dublin to do that while keeping a large portion of the costs out of there by way of maintaining a shared services centre in Shannon then that's exactly how they will do it.

If Shannon Airport was owned privately it would be owned by investors who will do all they can to attract new business to the airport to make it profitable, something DAA is certainly not going to do or interested in doing any time soon. Additionally, as DAA is semi-stated the government will not lose partial control of an international airport so that will never happen either. Shannon Airport unfortunately has no short term prospects and nobody cares enough to do anything about it.

RichieO

The D.A.A. is running Dublin, Cork and Shannon, Cork does not appear to have the same kind of treatment Shannon has, Shannon has become the sacrificial pawn in a political game, that the mid-west is losing big-time.

It's not clear what the game is or the rules of it, but it seems there is only one player, the D.A.A. Checkmate, the Mid-West looses.... :cool:

GuinnessTony

golfball37 wrote: »

My 1st cousin woks in the Airport and he says Dublin are subsidising the place big time.....

I could be off base but I would assume that the US Military is subsiding this Airport big-time and without Ryan Air it will be the only thing keeping it going.

As for Ryan Air, I took several flights out of Shannon last summer and every one of them was filled. Had the Airport been able to work with RA I really do not think they would have reduced the flights at the start of the summer season.


As for having the people who run Dublin Airport running Shannon is ridiculous. These clowns have one of the worst Airports in Europe in my opinion. What kind of Airport in a major city does not have rail transport? I can remember paying 20 POUNDS (maybe my memory is going?) for the bus to Drumcondra from the airport. I know it is cheaper now, but a train from the airport should have been the first priority before another terminal IMO.

This is one of the reasons I avoid Dublin Airport. It is impossible to get to from city center for a early flight unless you stay at the airport. That adds at least 100 euro to each flight or 20-30 euro for a taxi (assumption, not 100% sure of the price of a taxi)

IMO Dublin airport is no different than any of those fields that RA flies to in Europe.

dr.fuzzenstein

golfball37 wrote: »

My 1st cousin woks in the Airport and he says Dublin are subsidising the place big time, there wouldn’t be wages paid only for the DAA. Be careful what you wish for? If DAA were to turn Shannon loose the jobs in the airport would be gone in under a week. I do agree it should be managed locally however.
Ryanair are all about publicity, they basically wanted to be paid for the privilege of landing in Shannon. Management in Shannon rightly said no as the much maligned government did quite rightly over the Hangar 6 fiasco also.

Couple of points here:
The DAA is deliberately running Shannon into the ground so they can get more flights and more revenue in Dublin.
That means making the airport unprofitable, then saying "this airport makes no money, let's close it down".
Same thing happened to Ennis general hospital. Deliberately starved of funds and run into the ground (again from Dublin, funny, isn't it?) so they can say "let's close or downgrade this tip.
I don't care if they give it a lick of paint or whatever else they're doing, no A&E means lifes lost.
If the DAA turned Shannon loose and had people run the airport who:
A: Had brains
and
B: Cared about it's future
it would absolutely thrive. Having Galway and Limerick plus Clare and an industrial estate on your doorstep can only be a recipe for success.
I said it before and I'll keep saying it:
Thick Mickery, gombeenism, backhanders, cute whoorery, starving the west to feed Dublin,
and anyone who says different is either a moron or a liar. End of.
You can give the Airport to me and I could turn it around.
You could give the airport to a blind, insane and dead howlermonkey and it would turn around.
But give the airport to the assholes, thieves, liars, criminals and corrupt bastards who are running it now and guess what? The place is falling apart.
Go to court to get Shannon out now!
And I'm willing to put my name, address, phonenumber, picture and invitation to meet me in the Glor carpark after dark anytime!
And the Ryanair thing? Michael O'Leary offered business to Shannon, the turned it down.
His prediction was there would be tumbleweeds blowing down the runway. He was right.
Some people need to be told that business practices have changed since 1978, move with the times or die.
Every person Ryanair brings in generates revenue. But aparently we don't need that, now sure we don't a begosh, begorrah, a she'll be grand, she'll be grand...

golfball37

Shannon is draining the DAA of money, they would love to get rid of it but they can't until the government commit to the implemantation of the State Airports act.

The DAA is not what is wrong with Shannon airport. Even when Ryanair were at peak traffic in Shannon the DAA were subsidising a massive weekly loss to keep Shannon breathing. If that money were pulled the ESB in the airport would be cut off such is the high cost of doing business there currently.

It may not be popular what I'm saying but it happens to be accurate.

dr.fuzzenstein

golfball37 wrote: »

Shannon is draining the DAA of money, they would love to get rid of it but they can't until the government commit to the implemantation of the State Airports act.

The DAA is not what is wrong with Shannon airport. Even when Ryanair were at peak traffic in Shannon the DAA were subsidising a massive weekly loss to keep Shannon breathing. If that money were pulled the ESB in the airport would be cut off such is the high cost of doing business there currently.

It may not be popular what I'm saying but it happens to be accurate.

You may even be right.
I still maintain what's wrong with Shannon Airport is the DAA. But local management as it stands is not great either.
The entire thing needs to be restructured. Fire every single person who has anything to do with running the airport. Get new management made up of people who know what they hell they're doing, turf out the unions and re-hire staff (old and new) under contracts that actually reflect 21st century business practice, turn the place private and have it run by people whose goal is to make money, not pander to unions, governments and other assorted bloated windbags who only have their own backpocket at heart.
Of course it losing money, it's not only run remotely, but drained of money by a hugely bloated and vastly overpaid workforce (bit like the civil service).
The days of a free ride in state and semi state organisations is over, there isn't enough money coming out of the private sector to subsidise vast swathes of useless bodies that where hired in the 80's as a posh way of being on the dole.

irishleedsfan

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Couple of points here:
The DAA is deliberately running Shannon into the ground so they can get more flights and more revenue in Dublin.
That means making the airport unprofitable, then saying "this airport makes no money, let's close it down".
Same thing happened to Ennis general hospital. Deliberately starved of funds and run into the ground (again from Dublin, funny, isn't it?) so they can say "let's close or downgrade this tip.
I don't care if they give it a lick of paint or whatever else they're doing, no A&E means lifes lost.
If the DAA turned Shannon loose and had people run the airport who:
A: Had brains
and
B: Cared about it's future
it would absolutely thrive. Having Galway and Limerick plus Clare and an industrial estate on your doorstep can only be a recipe for success.
I said it before and I'll keep saying it:
Thick Mickery, gombeenism, backhanders, cute whoorery, starving the west to feed Dublin,
and anyone who says different is either a moron or a liar. End of.
You can give the Airport to me and I could turn it around.
You could give the airport to a blind, insane and dead howlermonkey and it would turn around.
But give the airport to the assholes, thieves, liars, criminals and corrupt bastards who are running it now and guess what? The place is falling apart.
Go to court to get Shannon out now!
And I'm willing to put my name, address, phonenumber, picture and invitation to meet me in the Glor carpark after dark anytime!
And the Ryanair thing? Michael O'Leary offered business to Shannon, the turned it down.
His prediction was there would be tumbleweeds blowing down the runway. He was right.
Some people need to be told that business practices have changed since 1978, move with the times or die.
Every person Ryanair brings in generates revenue. But aparently we don't need that, now sure we don't a begosh, begorrah, a she'll be grand, she'll be grand...

If i could thank you 50 times i would. massive thumbs up.

houseinthesun

Such rectal noise!
"my cousin told me that...." I've never heard such rubbish, bit like I heard from a friend of a friend, isn't it, total tripe!
I worked in the Airport, the DAA only want Dublin, they have no choice with Cork. Cork people will stand behind what they believe in, politicians, business people etc. What have we in the midwest... spineless gombeens as politicians, Killeen takes it up the as*, Dooley has a hump in his back he's bent over so much, cant even stand up straight any more!
DAA provide financial back-up to Shannon.......If the DAA are running Shannon where do you think the revenue generated in Shannon is going.
Typical of our Irishness, they have an Airport ,we want one as well.
Ireland is a fairly small country, 4ish Million people with 5million airports.
Cavan might be the only county in Ireland without one. Each and every Airport recieving subsidies and grants from the Government and the EEC. It was easy for RA to go to Kerry, any business man would do the same, their cheap base was running out, move to Kerry recieve subsidies for landing in a regional under developed area and when those grants run out, move to water ford, then Galway, Knock and so on....
FACT...Cargo which was on the Shannon - Chicago flight left Shannon on the flight every morning, now the flight has been reduced to a few times a week, when it goes out of Dublin, Shannon has to truck the Cargo to Dublin Airport, at a cost of a few €000 per 40ft container, which Shannon has to pay for and Dublin charges the customer for the freight, Shannon absorbs the transport costs into their overheads.........................
DAA need to get the f**k out of Shannon, re-name it the Mid-West Airport or something and get the people of the mid-west to use it.
I need a drink after that!

golfball37

Rectal noise?? I’d say you have people who hang on your every word?

Decisions made by AIRLINES as to their schedule of flights to and from Chicago don't really play any part in this debate as to whether or not the DAA is screwing Shannon. If the DAA is getting the revenue from certain activities it is certainly subsidising a lazy workforce who won't come into the 21st century as a counter balance. Brow beating about looking after our own is a tiresome practice which is what has this country in the mess we are in. Certain things are worth fighting for like A&E services in Ennis, sadly the airport with its current structures is a little more difficult to fight for.

And please don't preach about gombeenism , Clare will still vote in droves for FF at the next election. Ennistymon was 82% in the last local ffs. We get what we deserve down here because we settle for 2nd best. At the moment I’m happy the airport is still open, the DAA don't care about Shannon but they are paying for it. Until the State Airports act is implemented [I’ll say it for the 2nd time] Shannon airport cannot make autonomous decisions. DAA do not want to be managing Shannon airport it is costing them a fortune. Get on to your local TD if you feel strongly about it and ask why there is legislation in place but it is not being enforced and listen to the answer? Ask the 2 FF TDs also about the motives of their vote on the Aer Lingus/Heathrow fiasco.
If the local TD’s, representative of the people, don't care about Shannon then it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise if it goes under.

RichieO

With most of the airports closed and losing millions, Shannon Airport must surely be the least affected International Airport, no consolation there though, as when and if things pick up, Shannon will still be deserted.

This volcanic dust problem is not going to go away anytime soon, it could go on for years, as it has before in it's history.

It Looks everyone is going to have to adapt to a much slower way of travel.