Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Previous editions
Friday, July 24, 2009
AER ARANN has said that it will consider its options over its longstanding "anti-competitive" complaint against Ryanair on the Dublin-Cork route, in light of the Competition Authority effectively ending any inquiry into the matter.
Aer Arann had lodged a complaint over a year ago, claiming that Ryanair was acting uncompetitively and illustrating predatory conduct on the route to the detriment of its rival.
The Competition Authority has decided not to make any further investigations, on the basis that it didn’t deem Ryanair dominant in transport options when travelling between Dublin and Cork.
Aer Arann said yesterday that all the Competition Authority has done is to investigate whether or not Ryanair is dominant on the route; and not if any anti-competitive practices took place; saying there is still scope to address the original complaint.
Unsurprisingly, Ryanair has welcomed the Competition Authority’s decision, reiterating its view that Aer Arann’s claims were false.
Ryanair spokesperson Stephen McNamara said, "We welcome the decision by the Competition Authority to drop its investigation into Aer Arann’s baseless complaints on the Dublin-Cork route. We offer the lowest fares on the route because we have the lowest costs and we’re competing with train, bus and car services, and not with Aer Arann. Ryanair has 80% of the air traffic on the route because we offer much lower fares, better punctuality and four return flights each day compared to Aer Arann’s two, high fare, inferior service flights."
Aer Arann could take court action on the complaint at a later date.
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