Ryanair charters towards launch of first flights to United States
IRISH airline Ryanair has its eyes set on America and will begin pursuing transatlantic possibilities, the company reported yesterday.
The flight service known for its “no-frills, low-cost” currently operates in 30 countries in Europe and North Africa, and is looking to expand to 12 to 14 cities in the United States. “European consumers want lower cost travel to the USA and the same for Americans coming to Europe,” Ryanair said.
Although some subsidised promotional fares would cost £10, other one-way tickets would be priced at £99 or more, and there would be more expensive premium seats, said Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair’s head of marketing.
Not everything has been high-flying for Ryanair lately, however.
In February, the Court of Appeal upheld the 2013 decision of the Competition Commission (now the Competition and Markets Authority) to demand Ryanair reduce its 29.8 per cent holding in competitor Aer Lingus to five per cent.
Current business endeavours involve “talking to manufacturers about long-haul aircraft”, says Ryanair. These aircraft are crucial to transatlantic flights, the airline says, and Ryanair anticipates their acquisition to be “four to five years away”.