Mr. Michael O'Leary:

It is not for the same reason, in that there is no transatlantic growth out of Dublin while the traffic cap remains in place for the next two to four years. There are American airlines that want to expand in Dublin but cannot get slots in the same way we cannot get Christmas slots here.

What we do very well in Europe is quick-turnaround and short-haul flights. That does not work on transatlantic routes. Norwegian Air and others have tried to do long-haul, low-fare flights, but it does not work because the premium traffic that wants to go from Heathrow or Dublin to JFK will not opt to go to Rhode Island or somewhere else. That premium traffic pays for the entire aircraft. Regardless, it is a moot point while we still have the traffic cap at Dublin Airport and, regrettably, the Minister for Transport will not reply to our traffic growth proposals. If we cannot persuade him that we want to grow by 50% on short-haul routes to Europe, then there is not much point in sending in a plan to enter the transatlantic market either.