Flight update: Ireland by Linsey McNeill
ACCESS to Ireland from the north of England will become easier with the launch of more flights from regional airports this summer.
British Airways Regional will launch a thrice-daily service from Sheffield to Belfast City and a daily service from Sheffield to Dublin on June 14, while budget carrier EasyJet starts a similar frequency from Liverpool to Belfast International on June 15.
The two services follow hot on the heels of BA Regional’s new flights from Newcastle to Belfast, which began on May 2, and Gill Air’s Newcastle-Belfast and Prestwick-Donegal routes, which started in March.
EasyJet’s new service will operate alongside its existing flights from Luton to Belfast, which started last October.
Together with Irish carrier Ryanair, EasyJet has not only made flying to Ireland easier but also cheaper. Since the airline launched its Luton-Belfast service with fares from £48 return, rivals British Airways and British Midland have also cut prices. BA’s cheapest flight from Heathrow to Belfast now costs £59, while British Midland’s fares start at £49.
Ryanair’s cheapest fare to Ireland is £59.98, which is valid from 11 out of 12 of its UK departure points. The exception is Manchester where the airline’s lead-in fare is almost £25 more expensive, which it blames on the airport’s high landing charges.
Rival airlines Aer Lingus, BA, British Midland and Cityjet are offering similar fares on most of their flights across the Irish sea, even though they feature a more comprehensive in-flight service and more facilities for business travellers.
These fares are only available on a limited number of seats, however, and are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for alternative departures.
Although EasyJet and Ryanair offer a no-frills service, both airlines claim a high proportion of their passengers are business travellers. “Up to 50% of our passengers are business travellers who either work for themselves or for small companies that have kept control of their travel budget,” said an EasyJet spokesman.
The airline will offer a lead-in fare of £48 on its new service from Liverpool, but it is considering launching a £10 one-way advance purchase fare on selected flights during the summer to encourage passengers to book early.
“Our distribution costs are so tiny because we don’t pay commission to agents and we don’t offer any frills, so even at such low fares we can still make money,” added the spokesman. “Our philosophy is that it is better to make 10p per passenger than fly with empty seats and make nothing.”
He said that even though EasyJet does not pay agents commission, many are still making money out of the airline by charging passengers for making the bookings.
“A lot of agents are charging their corporate clients management fees, and even leisure travellers are prepared to pay a booking fee if the agent is able to save them money by finding the best deal,” he said.
Virgin’s low-cost subsidiary Virgin Express, which launched flights between Stansted and Shannon last December, is considering increasing its frequency on the route and launching other services across the Irish Sea.
A spokesman said: “With our promotional fare of £19 one-way we are attracting a lot of new business and our flights are virtually full.”
But not all passengers are looking for the cheapest fare, according to Cityjet. The airline, which flies to Dublin from London City and East Midlands, claimed its clients put convenience above cost.
“The price of the flight is not the first consideration for our clients, many of whom work in the City,” said a Cityjet spokeswoman. “The location of the airport is the most important factor.”
Even when these people are travelling on holiday or going home to visit friends and relatives, they are still prepared to pay extra to fly from a more convenient airport, she said.