Continental a major factor in Shannon’s future

SHANNON Airport’s best hopes for hanging on to its year-round New York connection probably lie on the other side of the Atlantic. A leading aviation analyst and Clare TD, Deputy Pat Breen share this view but they differ on the manner in which the link will be preserved.

“The presence of Continental at Shannon is the very best reason for Aer Lingus to stick with Shannon. If Aer Lingus, for whatever reasons, should pull out a Shannon-New York service, even in the loss-making low season, that would only serve to open the gate as wide as possible for Continental to consolidate the traffic out of Shannon,” said the aviation specialist, who has observed activities at Shannon for 40 years.
“In its concerted efforts to keep Aer Lingus as a permanent presence on the JFK New York route, Shannon’s trump card is Continental. The Continental service into Newark is a link to New York in all but name and Continental’s hub at Newark ranks as probably one of the best in the United States, with onward connections to 150 domestic destinations and as many connections to other countries. The strategy of the Shannon negotiators in bringing Continental into Shannon in the early 1990s and the sustained efforts that have gone into keeping Continental at Shannon has proven by far the strongest reason why Aer Lingus would be risking a great deal by even a temporary suspension of its direct service to JFK,” he said.
Meanwhile, in warning against the running down of Aer Lingus staffing and services at Shannon, Councillor Pat McMahon pointed out that Continental is winning against Aer Lingus because the American carrier has an earlier departure slot and with a smaller capacity aircraft, has the operational economies to offer lower fares than Aer Lingus.
That Aer Lingus thinking was swinging towards changes in departure time and aircraft configuration, which would mean reduced overheads, was indicated when the Oireachtas Joint Transport Committee quizzed senior management figures from the airline in November.
Even though Aer Lingus has been in what were described as “deep discussions” about initiatives on the New York run, as well as east-bound possibilities in recent months, the airline’s chief executive, Christoph Mueller, went into reverse on the Shannon possibilities when he met with local TDs and later with local interests during a session organised by the Mid-West Regional Authority.
Having listened to Shannon strategy possibilities aired at the Joint Transport Committee where he is a member and then to Mr Mueller last week, Clare Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen now believes another US airline could enter the picture on the JFK New York route.
“There is very little doubt that Aer Lingus, like many airlines, some of which are much larger than the Irish carrier, is facing into very serious times ahead and greatly needs a much larger carrier to take it under its wing. As we heard from Aer Lingus at the Joint Transport Committee, the airline is setting up an independent joint venture with United Airlines to open up a new Washington to Madrid service from March. United Airlines is part of an alliance, which includes the German carrier Lufthansa. Under that alliance arrangement, it is United and not Lufthansa that operates transatlantic flights out of Frankfurt. With Aer Lingus searching out ways in which airline crews can be recruited in the United States at US wage rates and conditions, I could very well foresee United coming onto the Shannon-New York route as a defensive measure against Continental and Aer Lingus only joining in for the big demand high season months,” Deputy Breen concluded.