Ryanair pulling out of George Best Belfast City Airport

[red hander]

Is there not a recurring theme here. MOL demanded x, in this case the taxpayers build him a longer runway or he would pull out lock stock. The airport faced him down and he is off.

While its not good for the travelling public of Belfast, its time more people stood up  to Ryanair's bully boy tactics.

Nail on head ... O'Leary's an odious little gobshite who treats his employees with as much disdain as his passengers

[thewobbler]

While I agree that O'Leary is a gobshite of the highest order, I also prefer to be able to fly to lots of destinations from my local airport than to not be able to. And Ryanair offer the best chance of that happening for me.

[Rois]

I rarely used Ryanair from the City Airport, and I'd have flown quite a bit over the time they've been here.

Give me Easyjet any day.  They go to much more interesting destinations.

Years ago I worked on the sale of Belfast City Airport when Shorts owned it, and the restrictions on flights were as plain as day, down to having to fly over Belfast Lough as opposed to the city at certain times.  I remember thinking that they must have changed when Ryanair began flying out, because they went out so early.

[thewobbler]

Rois there's only one Easyjet out of Belfast City and that's to Luton!

The reason Belfast City has less interesting destinations is that its runway was designed for shorthaul flights and smaller planes. The furthest regular flight out of it is a chartered ski flight to France in the winter.

I'm definitely not an aviation expert or fuel advisor, but it would seem that Spain and Italy must be out of range for aircraft from that airport, otherwise someone would have tried making money out of it.

[pintsofguinness]

Why don't yous like Dublin airport, it's hateful alright but so is every other airport.

[thewobbler]

Belfast Intl you can get parked a 5 minute walk from the airport for about £4 a day, you then rarely have to queue at check-in, security is a breeze, and the facilities are never crowded.

Belfast City is a 10 minute bus ride from the city centre, and getting from that bus to sitting in the departure lounge normally takes less than 10 minutes.

Dublin airport is attrition.

[Rois]

Yes I realise that thewobbler, I live 10 mins from the City Airport and 20 from the International, just saying that where I have a choice, I would generally tend to have gone with the International flight, be it bmibaby for East Midlands, Easyjet for Glasgow or Stansted. 

I have been on the chartered ski flight but it was to Geneva 

We're lucky in Belfast to have two airports, it is not a massive hassle to get to the International from within the city. 

[muppet]

Liz Fawcett, spokeswoman for Belfast City Airport Watch, which opposes the runway extension, said: "Residents are very pleased.

"They had a particularly unpopular 6.30am flight and certainly this will give some respite."

Unbelievable self interest there, probably didn't like the idea that a free state company was operating in east belfast anyway.

Unbelievable assumption that they had it in for a "free state company".  The self interest from Fawcett is no worse than some of the posters on this thread.

I will make it clear that I have no time for O'Leary, a patronising one trick pony who has done very well for himself in one area of business, but he does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Branson or Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

Ryanair's problem in Belfast is that unlike the rest of Ireland, there is much stronger competition from other budget airlines like Easyjet, FlyBe and Jet2, they don't have a near monopoly like they do in Dublin. Also I would say that more cynical nordies don't put up with the level of being patronised compared to the rest of Ireland, Steilos might come across as a git but he doesn't carry a "fúck you" attitude around with him all the time. Issues like runway extensions hide other excuses, Ryanair could easily bag slots at Aldergrove if they were serious about expanding their Belfast routes.

It is disappointing that Ryanair are stopping these services as it will affect some people,  but other airlines cut and change routes and airports including the two in Belfast all the time without getting big news headlines. I'm simply not going to lick holes here. At least the staff working for Ryanair at the City will get the chance to work elsewhere and if there is real demand, other airlines will fill the routes.

Ryanair will have 12 aircraft in Dublin this winter, down from 30 a couple of years ago. That is due to the incompetent of someone else of course. His only recent success is driving Aer Arrann into Examinership which hopefully they will emerge from.

As a High Court juge said here recently 'the truth and Ryanair are uncomfortable bedfellows'. So I wonder what the really issue is? Were they losing money there?

[ross4life]

Why don't yous like Dublin airport, it's hateful alright but so is every other airport.

Have been to some of the Worlds busiest airports for me Dublin far to crowded especially on peak travel times, I'm not sure will the new terminal change that

When you land in George Best Belfast City Airport your out the departure door within minutes compared to Dublin the walk sometimes out takes longer than the flight

[pintsofguinness]

Why don't yous like Dublin airport, it's hateful alright but so is every other airport.

Have been to some of the Worlds busiest airports for me Dublin far to crowded especially on peak travel times, I'm not sure will the new terminal change that

When you land in George Best Belfast City Airport your out the departure door within minutes compared to Dublin the walk sometimes out takes longer than the flight

Ah that walk does my head in alright they need to look at that, how any elderly person does that with bags etc is beyond me. Do they still have though gates in the portacabins, I haven't had to go down there in a couple of years but f**k me that must have been a two mile walk!

[Rois]

His only recent success is driving Aer Arrann into Examinership which hopefully they will emerge from.

Well not exactly wholly accurate.  Aer Arann committed to so many new aircraft, they were in trouble despite Ryanair. 

[ross4life]

Why don't yous like Dublin airport, it's hateful alright but so is every other airport.

Have been to some of the Worlds busiest airports for me Dublin far to crowded especially on peak travel times, I'm not sure will the new terminal change that

When you land in George Best Belfast City Airport your out the departure door within minutes compared to Dublin the walk sometimes out takes longer than the flight

Ah that walk does my head in alright they need to look at that, how any elderly person does that with bags etc is beyond me. Do they still have though gates in the portacabins, I haven't had to go down there in a couple of years but f**k me that must have been a two mile walk!

They still had the portacabins in June anyways i think there only used for Ryanair flights? the public transport is a problem in Dublin too.. have to wait ages for the right bus & then it takes almost a hour to arrive in the City Centre

[The Worker]

Had a flight booked for November, as well as accomodation paid up front in England.

Now the flights not running, im gonna lose out on the hotel payment. 

[muppet]

His only recent success is driving Aer Arrann into Examinership which hopefully they will emerge from.

Well not exactly wholly accurate.  Aer Arann committed to so many new aircraft, they were in trouble despite Ryanair.

Aer Arrann took the new aircraft after Ryanair went to war with them on the Cork - Dublin and Dublin - Kerry routes which led to a need for cash last year.

The volcano and the new aircraft may have caused them to run out of cash this month, but Ryanair strangled them before that.

[tyssam5]

Why don't yous like Dublin airport, it's hateful alright but so is every other airport.

Have been to some of the Worlds busiest airports for me Dublin far to crowded especially on peak travel times, I'm not sure will the new terminal change that

When you land in George Best Belfast City Airport your out the departure door within minutes compared to Dublin the walk sometimes out takes longer than the flight

Ah that walk does my head in alright they need to look at that, how any elderly person does that with bags etc is beyond me. Do they still have though gates in the portacabins, I haven't had to go down there in a couple of years but f**k me that must have been a two mile walk!

They still had the portacabins in June anyways i think there only used for Ryanair flights? the public transport is a problem in Dublin too.. have to wait ages for the right bus & then it takes almost a hour to arrive in the City Centre

In fairness to Dublin airport the bus service to other parts of the country is great though, you'd be in Omagh quicker by public transport from Dublin airport than Belfast international. Bus goes direct from the airport.