Looks like Ryanair wants to get into the transatlantic market in the next few years.
Recently, my mom flew on Ryanair from London to Rome and then back a few days later. The tickets themselves were £1 each! Plus taxes and airport fees of course. She ended up paying close to £79 for the entire trip! I think that’s about $157 to fly from London to Rome and back.
A few years ago, her and my dad drove instead and with the high gas prices over there, not to mention the numerous toll-roads, their trip cost them way over $1,000 then.
Great deal for the consumer but not so sure about the airline employees…
LINK
Ryanair Chief O'Leary to Start Trans-Atlantic Airline (Update5)
By Tracy Alloway and Dara Doyle
April 12 (Bloomberg) -- Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary plans to start a discount trans-Atlantic airline, offering fares as low as $12, following the ``open skies'' accord between the U.S. and European Union.
The new airline would fly from Ryanair's existing bases including London Stansted, Dublin and Frankfurt-Hahn, O'Leary said today in a briefing to reporters. The carrier would go to secondary U.S. airports at destinations including New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Dallas and Florida.
The agreement to loosen rules on lucrative trans-Atlantic routes will make the new airline possible, O'Leary said. The new carrier would begin flights in three or four years and compete against network airlines including British Airways Plc and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
``Ryanair's business model to date has been superb, but this could be a bridge too far,'' said analyst David Buik of BGC Partners in London. ``He may well have to reconsider starting an airline in a market that's already incredibly competitive.''
Shares of Ryanair, Europe's largest discount airline, fell 5 cents, or 0.8 percent, to 6.01 euros in Dublin. The stock has risen 66 percent in the past 12 months, boosting the carrier's market value to 9.3 billion euros.
Ryanair has grown from a single airplane in 1985 to a fleet of 133 flying to 130 European destinations. The Dublin-based airline is now the third-biggest in the world in terms of market value and competes with network carriers on short-haul routes.
Ryanair's entry into the European market, as well as that of its biggest discount competitor, EasyJet Plc, triggered a price war among European airlines in the late 1990s.
Premium and `No-Frills'
Ryanair charges what it claims to be the lowest fares in Europe, with routes such as London to Barcelona regularly selling for as low as 1 penny, excluding taxes. Tickets on the new trans-Atlantic service will cost from 10 euros, O'Leary told reporters. The carrier will offer premium seats in addition to ``no-frills'' economy.
``The implications of a successful trans-Atlantic Ryanair would be significant,'' Michael Linenberg, a New York-based Merrill Lynch & Co. analyst, said in a report. ``It is not entirely clear whether the impact would be unequivocally bad.''
The proposed airline would push fares lower and might encourage other low-cost U.S. carriers to move into the trans- Atlantic market, Linenberg said. Such airlines, including Southwest Airlines Co., JetBlue Airways Corp. and AirTran Holdings Inc., now fly only in North America and the Caribbean.
Discounters' Capacity
Discount airlines such as Ryanair and EasyJet have doubled their capacity in the past four years, leading network carriers to respond by focusing on attracting business- and first-class passengers.
``Consumers want frills included on long-haul flights, not `no-frills,''' said Paul Charles, a Virgin Atlantic spokesman. ``Opening up markets breeds fresh competition and new ideas, which really benefit consumers.''
British Airways, Europe's third-biggest carrier, welcomed competition on all routes to the U.S. ``We are a full-service airline offering a world-leading product onboard and exceptional customer service,'' Thomas Coops, a spokesman, said. British Airways shares rose 10.5 pence, or 2.1 percent, to 514 pence in London.
Competing With Aer Lingus
PART1
Cont...
Recently, my mom flew on Ryanair from London to Rome and then back a few days later. The tickets themselves were £1 each! Plus taxes and airport fees of course. She ended up paying close to £79 for the entire trip! I think that’s about $157 to fly from London to Rome and back.
A few years ago, her and my dad drove instead and with the high gas prices over there, not to mention the numerous toll-roads, their trip cost them way over $1,000 then.
Great deal for the consumer but not so sure about the airline employees…
LINK
Ryanair Chief O'Leary to Start Trans-Atlantic Airline (Update5)
By Tracy Alloway and Dara Doyle
April 12 (Bloomberg) -- Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary plans to start a discount trans-Atlantic airline, offering fares as low as $12, following the ``open skies'' accord between the U.S. and European Union.
The new airline would fly from Ryanair's existing bases including London Stansted, Dublin and Frankfurt-Hahn, O'Leary said today in a briefing to reporters. The carrier would go to secondary U.S. airports at destinations including New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Dallas and Florida.
The agreement to loosen rules on lucrative trans-Atlantic routes will make the new airline possible, O'Leary said. The new carrier would begin flights in three or four years and compete against network airlines including British Airways Plc and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
``Ryanair's business model to date has been superb, but this could be a bridge too far,'' said analyst David Buik of BGC Partners in London. ``He may well have to reconsider starting an airline in a market that's already incredibly competitive.''
Shares of Ryanair, Europe's largest discount airline, fell 5 cents, or 0.8 percent, to 6.01 euros in Dublin. The stock has risen 66 percent in the past 12 months, boosting the carrier's market value to 9.3 billion euros.
Ryanair has grown from a single airplane in 1985 to a fleet of 133 flying to 130 European destinations. The Dublin-based airline is now the third-biggest in the world in terms of market value and competes with network carriers on short-haul routes.
Ryanair's entry into the European market, as well as that of its biggest discount competitor, EasyJet Plc, triggered a price war among European airlines in the late 1990s.
Premium and `No-Frills'
Ryanair charges what it claims to be the lowest fares in Europe, with routes such as London to Barcelona regularly selling for as low as 1 penny, excluding taxes. Tickets on the new trans-Atlantic service will cost from 10 euros, O'Leary told reporters. The carrier will offer premium seats in addition to ``no-frills'' economy.
``The implications of a successful trans-Atlantic Ryanair would be significant,'' Michael Linenberg, a New York-based Merrill Lynch & Co. analyst, said in a report. ``It is not entirely clear whether the impact would be unequivocally bad.''
The proposed airline would push fares lower and might encourage other low-cost U.S. carriers to move into the trans- Atlantic market, Linenberg said. Such airlines, including Southwest Airlines Co., JetBlue Airways Corp. and AirTran Holdings Inc., now fly only in North America and the Caribbean.
Discounters' Capacity
Discount airlines such as Ryanair and EasyJet have doubled their capacity in the past four years, leading network carriers to respond by focusing on attracting business- and first-class passengers.
``Consumers want frills included on long-haul flights, not `no-frills,''' said Paul Charles, a Virgin Atlantic spokesman. ``Opening up markets breeds fresh competition and new ideas, which really benefit consumers.''
British Airways, Europe's third-biggest carrier, welcomed competition on all routes to the U.S. ``We are a full-service airline offering a world-leading product onboard and exceptional customer service,'' Thomas Coops, a spokesman, said. British Airways shares rose 10.5 pence, or 2.1 percent, to 514 pence in London.
Competing With Aer Lingus
PART1
Cont...
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