Cheaper Transatlantic Flights on Horizon

Ryanair one of Europe’s leading low cost carriers announced on Thursday October 5, 2006 that they have made a bid for Aer Lingus the Irish flag-carrier airline. The bid announced to day was stated at being worth 1.88 billion dollars. If the bid is accepted with little inference from the Irish regulators travelers can expect to see cheap transatlantic airfare. Ryanair an airline none for its low-cost approach to air travel has in recent years dominated the European market with the likes of British Airways and Lufthansa. If the acquisition of Aer Lingus is successful Americans will have the opportunity to travel transatlantic at lower cost than any other carrier. This model has already been proven successful by Hong Kong’s Oasis who will soon offer one-way travel to London from its base of operations for 141 dollars. The addition of Aer Lingus to Ryanair may allow Americans for the first time travel the highly priced and controlled airways of the Atlantic at a reasonable cost. There is some opposition to this merger from both governments and airlines but fear not Ryanair is none for its perseverance. Should Americans expect the other airlines to match this rate? If this merger occurs in order to compete other airlines will have to cut cost, those cuts may fall on employees. Is it right for an airline to cut jobs in order to achieve the same cost as a smaller airline?