Aer Lingus and Ryanair accused of ripoff
by Dave on 21/10/09 at 2:26 pm
If you’re a World Cup fan, you might know that France is playing against Ireland for the World Cup playoff set to be played on November 18th. Budget airlines Aer Lingus and Ryanair took advantage of the event and skyrocketed their ticket prices. The cost for a seat on November 17th or 18th increased by 500% 20 minutes after the Irish team’s fate was confirmed.
Ryanair decided to introduce extra flights for fans wanting to see the game, stating that these would be “at least €20 cheaper than Aer Lingus” and that they will be sold out fast. The basic cost for a seat on a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Beauvais increased from €4.99 to €124.99 on November 17th or 18th, one-way, taxes included. The cost for a round-trip around the time of the match can exceed €350.
“All of Ryanair’s flights to Paris were blocked off at fares of €150 one way prior to the draw, which was still cheaper than Aer Lingus’ fare of €165 one way,” said Stephen McNamara, head of communication for Ryanair. “In response to the surge in booking since lunchtime, Ryanair has added extra flights and slashed fares to €125 one way”.
The other option for a flight from Dublin to Paris, Aer Lingus, also significantly increased its prices, the outward leg costing €164.99. Two days later or 3 days before the match, you could get a ticket for as low as €0, without taxes.
Fine Gael’s sport spokesman John O’Mahony condemned these practices and said football fans would “rightfully feel aggrieved by this obvious and unjustifiable rip-off”. He said the prices are “off the wall” and, even though people expected for prices to increase, the actual prices are ridiculous.
An Aer Lingus spokesman said the prices are given by supply and demand: “There is a huge demand for the tickets and we have over 2000 seats on the day to and from Paris.” Aer Lingus also added extra flights on the day of the match to cater to the interest of Irish football fans.
You might also be interested in:
pierre
Oct 21st, 2009
I’m not surprise for Ryanair, they are familiar to these kind of practices, but Aer Lingus! Its a shame for a company which pretends to be “different” than Ryanair.