CONTINENTAL Airlines’ decision to expand its services in Shannon during the summer is surely not based on sentiment. Such decisions are taken in a cold, calculated fashion and only if there is the prospect of profit.

Continental will operate a second daily service, four times per week, between Shannon and its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, this summer. The new service, which will operate between May 28 and September 8, will bring the airline’s total number of weekly flights from Shannon to 11 during that period. All Continental services will use the airport’s full US pre-clearance facility to ensure speedy processing on arrival in the US.
A very upbeat Shannon Airport director, Martin Moroney said that in this challenging business environment, Continental Airlines’ decision shows the continued appeal of Shannon and the West of Ireland for doing business. Bob Schumacher, Continental’s senior director in Ireland and UK, said the increased flights is further evidence of their ongoing commitment to the Shannon Region and, in particular, its business community. If an American airline believes that it can do well at Shannon, how come it’s so difficult for Aer Lingus to arrive at the same conclusion? Does Aer Lingus have a blind spot when it comes to Shannon and its potential? Past history would seem to indicate that it does and that, just like with the abolition of the Shannon/Heathrow service, that was eventually reinstated, it has to be proven wrong first in order to have a change of heart. Now that Continental has identified potential at Shannon, will Aer Lingus be prompted to respond in a more positive fashion and commit to maintaining and expanding its transatlantic services?
Next week, Aer Lingus is due to outline details of its €197 million cost-cutting plans to major shareholders. The meeting should also hear about where the airline intends to operate in the current year. The detail is anxiously awaited in the Mid-West.
Since last August, Aer Lingus has had its Shannon-JFK New York service “under review” but towards the end of the year, the airline indicated its willingness to introduce smaller aircraft onto the route.
However, the new Aer Lingus chief executive, Christoph Mueller subsequently ruled out the change of aircraft on the New York route; distanced the airline on taking up the advantages of Shannon’s US pre-inspection station and would not make any commitments on new east-bound services from Shannon to off-set any Ryanair cutbacks.
Clare Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey sees Continental’s announcement as strong evidence of Shannon’s potential as a transatlantic airport.
He said Aer Lingus must follow the lead of Continental and maintain and increase their transatlantic business through Shannon Airport. With Continental benefiting from the presence of full US pre-clearance facilities at the airport, he said Aer Lingus’ refusal to utilise this service makes no business or commercial sense.
Mr Mueller must be convinced that Shannon does indeed have enormous potential, not only for Aer Lingus but for other airlines also. Tourism, business and airport supporters must ensure that a comprehensive dossier, with facts and figures pertaining to the airport and the region, is on his desk in advance of the all-important meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

Action against cancer

NO wonder we’re in trouble. Two years ago, the Government announced that the plan to provide the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) to girls to protect against cervical cancer was being shelved because of financial constraints.
Initially, the estimated cost of introducing and administering the programme was €16 million but last week, the Minister for Health, Mary Harney explained that following a new tender process, the cost of the scheme would be €3 million this year. Nipping and tucking to achieve savings is normal practice but when €13 million is pared – nay hacked off – the original cost of the scheme, serious questions have to be asked. Even allowing for leaner, meaner tenders for contracts in these recessionary times, this kind of revised price seems almost too good to be true.
Were the Department of Health’s terms of reference for the programme two years ago the same as the one that has been accepted now? Could the contractors have overpriced on the basis of erroneous information from the department? How and why this happened must be addressed.
Whatever about the massive drop in the cost in the programme in just two years, the important thing is that 30,000 first-year secondary school girls are to be offered the cervical cancer vaccine free of charge from later this year. When you consider that around 90 women die from cervical cancer each year, it is evident why vaccination at the earliest possible opportunity is essential.
According to Minister Harney, the reason why it is now possible to proceed with the programme is because vaccine companies have offered substantially better prices for Ireland. An innovative tender process conducted in recent weeks by the Health Service Executive has resulted in more affordable costs to the exchequer.
The vaccine is to be administered by HSE public health doctors and nurses.
Unfortunately, there’s no money available to introduce a catch-up vaccination programme for older teenage girls outside of first year.
However, there was further good news on the health front with confirmation that preparations are to begin for the implementation of a new national colorectal screening service. In Ireland, colorectal cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second most common fatal cancer among both men and women. Approximately 930 people died from colorectal cancer each year – 525 men and 405 women.
The new programme will be effectively a self-screening service with home kits to be made available from January 2012.  Patients with a positive result from the primary screening test should be offered a total colonoscopy.
Initially, the service will be available to men and women aged 60 to 69 years and it will be extended to everyone between 55 and 74 years on a phased basis.The significance of this initiative was highlighted by National Cancer Screening Service chief executive, Tony O’Brien who said the introduction of population screening for colorectal cancer had the potential to be one of the most effective public health interventions in the history of the Irish healthcare system.
It is imperative that both initiatives, which stand out as valuable aids in the prevention and early detection of cancers, are not delayed or sidetracked.