Ryanair offers cut-price seats after attacks
Monday, 24 September 2001Budget airline Ryanair is offering one million seats on its planes at £9.99 in a bid to fight off the effects on business of the attacks on the US.
'Other companies are grounding flights, laying off staff. We are going to fly our way out of this crisis,' Michael O'Leary, the company's chief executive said. 'Our solution is to get back in the air with more passengers and lower fares,' he added.
The deal for one-way tickets, including tax, covers travel to all Ryanair's destinations from October to January - but excludes the peak period over Christmas and New Year. The offer, which began on Friday, is due to end on Tuesday night.
'Our bookings last week was back up higher than before the incidents in New York and Washington,' O'Leary said, adding that Ryanair would not make any of its employees redundant.
Major rivals such as British Airways have announced massive job cuts and approached governments for help to overcome a downturn in air travel and an increase in costs in the wake of the attacks.
Last week, Ryanair dismissed the threat of an insurance wrangle grounding Europe's carriers this week, and accused rivals of begging for state aid instead of cutting fares. Insurance companies seeking higher premiums after the attacks gave airlines tonight to renegotiate war risk cover for their planes and for passenger liability.
US government leaders have agreed a $15 billion bailout of the nation's airline industry, fuelling pleas from airlines worldwide for assistance as well. But Ryanair and another big budget carrier, easyJet, said state aid is unwarranted and that some airlines were already in difficulties before the attacks.
