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Patricia's bid to save
Derry-Dublin flight
19.05.11
by Linda McGrory
A CAMPAIGN has been launched in a bid to find a
replacement carrier for the Dublin to Derry air
route when Aer Arann pulls out in July.
The 'Save the Derry-Dublin Flight' campaign has been
launched by Buncrana woman Patricia Doherty who
relies on the service to travel from her home in
Derry to her job as head of the business department
at Blanchardstown Institute of Technology in Dublin.
Patricia has set up an online petition and Facebook
page in the hope of garnering enough support to save
the air link.
She says many people in the North West regularly use
the service including business commuters, patients
travelling for cancer treatment and lawyers.
Aer Arann confirmed to the Inishowen Independent
this week it will cease operating the service on
July 21 when the Public Service Obligation (PSO)
subsidy expires. The company said the route would
not be viable without the subsidy.
Another frequent flyer, Fiona McCann, lives in Drung,
Quigley's Point, but works as a sales director for
MediaLink in Dublin during the week.
"As a regular weekly user of the Derry to Dublin
flight for almost eight years I am at a loss to
understand the decision to discontinue this service.
"The twice-daily service has over the years provided
a vital commercial link for the business community
in the North West at a time when the only
alternative means of travel is a four-hour journey
by road."
The two women say that passenger numbers for the
flight in the last number of months would not be
reflective of true need, because the service has
been unreliable.
"Service operators may point to falling numbers as a
reason for stopping the flight. However the morning
service was very well used until Aer Arann changed
the timetable, moving scheduled departures first
from 7.40am to 8.10am and then to 9.35am last
September. This has had a huge impact on flight
numbers as the new times alienated a large
proportion of the established customer base," added
Fiona. |
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Buncrana frequent flyer Patricia
Doherty who says commuters face huge upheaval when
the Derry to Dublin air service ends in July. |
Meanwhile, Patricia
says commuters now face huge upheaval.
"For me, and my fellow frequent flyers, it will
cause huge problems on a personal level including
much longer commuting times and the possibility of
having to stay away from home an extra night per
week," she said.
"But the bigger issue is that the North West will
have no direct air, rail or motorway link with
Dublin."
Patricia, sister of singer songwriter Kevin Doherty,
has set up a Facebook page and online petition to
fight for the retention of the direct flight.
"The Facebook page and petition have in recent days
started to gather momentum so I'm hopeful that this
will continue to increase daily.
"We are appealing to the Irish Government and the
Stormont Assembly as well as the broader business
and tourism community and the people of the North
West to ensure that this link is maintained and a
replacement carrier found.
"As well as discommoding the business traveller,
tourists, and the many Donegal patients who use the
service to avail of medical treatment in Dublin, the
long term economic impact on the North West will be
detrimental in terms of the region’s ability to
attract inward investment and for sustainable
employment growth," said Patricia.
She said she had contacted many politicians both
North and South but none had so far responded.
"We are going to put our thinking caps on in the
next few days to establish what our next plan of
action might be," she said. Meanwhile, sources have
told the local passengers that at least one British
carrier is keen to take over the route. Patricia
said she hopes her campaign will gain momentum to
ensure the flight is continued after July. You can
support the Save the Derry-Dublin Flight campaign at
www.petitiononline.ie
You can also visit Facebook at
www.facebook.com |
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