Results 7,021-7,040 of 10,867 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Specifically, in terms of the airlines I mentioned, does Virgin Atlantic have interline agreements with those?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: With which airlines does the company have interline agreements?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is important to get the information, because the key premise behind the presence of the witnesses at today's meeting is concern about the interline agreements. That is my understanding of the thrust of what Mr. Thompson said. I asked about Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Lufthansa, KLM and Air France, which are the biggest groupings in Europe. Surely Mr. Thompson can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: But there is nothing to suggest out of the Austrian experience or the KLM experience that it would not happen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: That there would not be an effective interline arrangement in the future. Virgin Atlantic has effective interline arrangements with other airlines at the moment operating out of Paris and Amsterdam-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: I wish to go back to a question I asked a while ago about Mr. Thompson's engagement with Irish stakeholders and his obvious concern for the Irish citizen. The witness said he felt the consumer was not being adequately protected in the process, and taking up Deputy Kenny's point, I believe that is unfair to this committee and the work it has done, particularly given the number of meetings...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Is that the total number?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Does the witness know what percentage of the 100,000 are in the North Atlantic routes?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Would it be 60%?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: If 100,000 people are transitioning with Virgin and if it has made the decision to come out and advise the people that this is such a bad deal, would the airline not know, before the submission is made, how many are going to each of the destinations? From a brief look on the Internet, I believe there are 3 million direct seats into Ireland from North America, by a whole host of airlines,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: For argument's sake, if it were 60,000 out of 3 million seats on the North Atlantic routes, it is less than 1.5% of the total number of people who travel the North Atlantic to and from Ireland with Virgin Atlantic.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Is the witness expressing a concern for more than Virgin Atlantic?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: I accept the legitimacy of the witness's concern but from a transatlantic point of view, even at very high water, in the deliberations of the airline, 1.6% of the total traffic into and out of Ireland is handled by Virgin Atlantic on the North Atlantic routes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is a pity the witness did not bring those figures with him before he came to the Oireachtas with such obvious concerns.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is, but there are 3 million seats per annum directly into and out of Irish airports that are not affected by this at all. Plus there are more than 500,000 that are eastbound-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: When Senator Mooney asked about Dublin, Mr. Thompson's answer referred to whenever the opportunity comes about for some airline to look at Dublin. That opportunity is staring us in the face now. We know there is a lot of capacity in Dublin airport, there is pre-clearance on the North Atlantic, and there are fantastic facilities there. Has Virgin Atlantic had any engagement with the Dublin...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Proposed Sale of Aer Lingus: (Resumed) Virgin Atlantic Airlines (2 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: Taking Virgin Atlantic's concern for the Irish consumer at face value, Mr. Thompson's next port of call should be the DAA which would be delighted to see him.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments (1 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: 69. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Limerick will be issued a payment under the agri-environment options scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13458/15]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Premium Payments (1 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: 74. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a payment under the forestry premium scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick has not issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13480/15]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services Provision (1 Apr 2015)

Patrick O'Donovan: 102. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the creation of a Jigsaw hub in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13469/15]