Mr. Stephen Kavanagh:

Turning to Deputy Pat Breen's comments, the current arrangement with ACL is for four years. After we entered a commitment, it was to prove that this vehicle was capable of delivering a sustainable profit and, thus, a sustainable service.

I will make a correction. We never committed to providing a year-round, 365-day service to Boston and New York. We signed a commercial arrangement with the Shannon Airport Authority that clearly stated the Shannon-New York service would be a nine-month one, with no service in the traditionally heavy loss-making and seasonally weakest first quarter. Nevertheless, the Shannon-Boston route would be serviced on a 12-month basis. We have fully met our commitments to the airport and communication at the time. Be it a miscommunication or otherwise, we never committed to providing a year-round, twice daily service; rather, we committed to maintaining a year-round service.

The price of flights in this context could be expected and the consumer has more opportunities and choices. It is the value proposition that will convert the consumer. If one loses price competitiveness in an intensely competitive marketplace, one will lose traffic. For example, Shannon Airport's customers have choices with United Airlines and Delta Airlines. There is demand for services from the airport. We should have confidence that there is a natural market between Shannon Airport and North America. If British Airways or any other enterprise attempts to direct that traffic, competition will fill the vacuum. That is what we see on a daily basis. Across the world there are few monopolies in air transportation. It is becoming transparent and in airlines' interests to maximise revenue, but there is always choice for consumers.

Turning to the issue of Dublin Airport and pricing, I will use the San Francisco example. If a consumer can find a cheaper route via Heathrow Airport, please let him or her make that choice. We are operating a Dublin-San Francisco route. Just as there are cheaper ways, in some instances, of getting to San Francisco from Dublin than with Aer Lingus, there are also cheaper ways of getting from Paris to San Francisco, some of which involve Aer Lingus, than using Air France's direct service. That is the nature of competition.