Ryanair Rubbish’s False Claims of ACI

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Ryanair News
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News Release
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04.02.09
Ryanair Rubbish’s False Claims of ACI
(AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL)

Ryanair today (4 Feb) responded to the false claims made in a press release by the ACI, the trade body for many of Europe’s high cost, inefficient airports. Many of the claims made in ACI’s press release were described by Ryanair as “rubbish”.

Ryanair wish to point out the following:

1. Ryanair’s “one bag” carry-on rule prohibits no passengers from carrying duty free on board; it simply has to be packed into the passenger’s generous 10kg carry-on bag.

2. Less than 5% of Ryanair’s 800 plus routes operate outside the European Union and therefore the quantities of duty free purchased by Ryanair passengers is negligible.

3. Airport shopping has never been “an integral part of the travel experience”. Passengers have no interest in “airport shopping”; they simply want to get through airport terminals and on to their aircraft with the shortest possible queuing time and inconvenience.

4. The key to guaranteeing low airport charges is not “airport shopping” as the ACI claim, but rather the development of low cost, efficient terminal buildings, something that many of the ACI airports would know nothing about. ACI’s members include some of the biggest, most expensive, least efficient monopoly airports in Europe including BAA’s London Stansted airport (which the UK Competition Commission has recommended should be broken up in order to improve the service provided to consumers), and the Dublin Airport monopoly in Ireland (where a recent Government Appeals Panel has confirmed that Dublin’s new Terminal 2 is substantially oversized).

5. Charges paid by airlines and passengers will cover the cost of efficient airport infrastructure, but not the over-specified and wasteful Taj Mahal’s so beloved by many of the ACI’s high cost, inefficient members including BAA Stansted and Dublin Airport.

6. Ryanair’s one carry-on bag rule does not, as Olivier Jankovec falsely claims “interfere with the ability of airports to sell duty free/travel value items”. As long as these items fit into the passenger’s 10kgs carry-on bag, Ryanair’s rule will have no effect whatsoever on the sale of these items.


Responding today to the ACI’s false claims, Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:

“Lower airport charges are finally being brought about by competition between these monopoly airports and the development of low cost, efficient terminal facilities. Perhaps ACI Europe should remember that intra EU duty free disappeared almost 10 years ago, and it’s not coming back. At a time when many ACI members are reporting substantial traffic declines, perhaps Mr Jankovec and many of the other monopolists in the ACI should begin to focus on delivering to passengers what they really want which is, easy to access, efficient airport facilities and not over-priced goods masquerading as “travel value retail”. If Mr Jankovec and his members spent more time reducing queues at their expensive airports, then perhaps their passenger traffic would be growing, rather than falling at present.”