No comment on potential charges for passengers

THE Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has declined to comment on reports this week that it is considering charging passengers directly for using Shannon Airport.
Management at Shannon have also declined to comment on the issue.
At the moment, airlines are billed for passenger use of Shannon. In some cases they are given ‘sweetheart deals’, where significant discounts are made available.
It has been reported that travellers would no longer pay passenger charges to the airline they use but would instead pay directly to the airport.
One benefit for the consumer would be that only those who fly would pay the charge. At the moment, airlines are under no obligation to refund passenger charges or taxes for people who do not take up flights that they have booked, for whatever reason.
It’s uncertain if the move would see passengers pay more for their flights.
Apparently, the change to the existing arrangement is being considered to raise extra finance for Shannon, which has seen a collapse in traffic over the last three years. In 2007, more than 3.6 million passengers used Shannon but this dropped to 2.8 million in 2009 and the figure for 2010 is expected to be lower again, as Ryanair is withdrawing services.
Mayor of Shannon, Seán McLoughlin has worked at the airport since 1996 and he said he wouldn’t support anything that would make Shannon more expensive.
“If it’s going to mean people paying more to use Shannon, I would be totally against it. People have to be encouraged and another tax is not the way to do that.”
He said that the number of tourists coming in from the US has declined greatly over the years he has worked at Shannon and that figures have been boosted by local people travelling abroad.
“I think we would first have seen a downturn when there was the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. It really bit after 9/11, people were reluctant to leave America, the US economy was going badly and the dollar was weak. When Ryanair came in, it gave a boost but it would mostly have been people from Ireland going abroad. Now people don’t seem to be going as much and you see evidence of that when you look at how much room is left in the car parks.”
Clare TD, Pat Breen said, “Reports that a new passenger levy may be introduced for Shannon-departing passengers are unclear on whether this levy is an additional tax or whether it is a proposal to transfer the taxes paid by the passengers directly to the airlines.”
He said that people needed to know where the revenue from any such charge would end up. “If a departing tax is being introduced, will this revenue stream be retained by the Shannon Airport Authority or is it another income stream for the Dublin Airport Authority to fund the development of Terminal 2? More importantly, will it secure Ryanair’s business at Shannon Airport and create future opportunities for the development of short and long-haul business? All of these issues must be clarified.”
Deputy Joe Carey said the proposals on the direct charges to passengers need further examination.
“This proposal needs to be discussed in more depth with the various stakeholders in the region. The one outcome we cannot have is a rise in ticket prices out of Shannon Airport.
“The tourist sector in the Mid-West is on its knees at present and any proposal that would place additional financial burdens on passengers to fly from the region will be met with strong opposition.”