Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have listened carefully to the debate. There is a slight contradiction in some of what has been said. It has been stressed repeatedly that for Shannon and Cork airports to grow, they need to be cheaper than Dublin Airport, or at least as cheap. Mr. Wilson said people want to get in and out of airports quickly. There was a marked contrast between Shannon and Dublin airports this summer. Passengers were queueing for hours in Dublin Airport but could get through Shannon Airport in ten minutes. Someone could have a pint, read a poem, do the downward dog or whatever he or she wanted before getting a flight. Does Shannon have to be cheaper in those circumstances?

Mr. O'Leary mentioned his friend from Nenagh who used to fly from Shannon but who now flies from Dublin and about the impact of roads. Roads, however, go in two directions. Even going to Dublin at the best of times, there are traffic jams right up the M7, to the extent that some people have even bought taxi licences to avoid them. Is the hinterland for Shannon growing and getting closer to Dublin, particularly during rush hour, or does it simply not matter to people as they just look at the price and put up with whatever hassle they have to put up with to get a flight for a fiver a less?