Passengers want shorter queues
Airport passengers have no interest in airport shopping and simply want to get through airport terminals with the shortest possible queues says low cost airline Ryanair.
The airline has responded to what it describes as “false claims” in a press release by ACI (Airports Council International), the trade body representing airports in Europe.
In its own press release, Ryanair states: “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”.
Ryanair says that ACI members “include some of the biggest, most expensive, least efficient monopoly airports in Europe including BAA’s London Stansted airport”.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara comments: “Lower airport charges are finally being brought about by competition between these monopoly airports and the development of low cost, efficient terminal facilities”.
In a press statement Ryanair says that 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”.
The budget airline also defends its one bag carry-on rule, which it says does not as spokesman Olivier Jankovec suggests in ACI’s press release “interfere with the ability of airports to sell duty free/travel value items”. Ryanair says that duty free goods simply have to be packed into its “generous” 10kg carry-on bag allowance.
“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’ ,” suggests McNamara.
“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,” McNamara concludes.
Written by: Nick Purdom