HOME AT LAST A young boy watching the arrival of the FlyGlobespan flight GSM202 from New York at Ireland West Airport Knock, last week, after a week-long delay. Pic: Keith Heneghan/Phocus
IWAK still ‘fully committed’
Olof Gill
Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK) and FlyGlobespan remain ‘fully committed’ to their transatlantic air routes, despite the disastrous events of the past few weeks that saw hundreds of people stranded in New York’s JFK airport.
IWAK senior management are meeting FlyGlobespan representatives this Thursday, July 12, when it is expected that an immediate plan to rectify any problems will be finalised and put fully into operation.
Despite furious condemnations from many of last week’s passengers, both parties insist the route will continue as before. FlyGlobespan representatives, in conversation with The Mayo News, said that those passengers who paid for flights home out of their own pockets will have the return leg of their tickets reimbursed by the company. Those passengers who waited for the company to arrange alternative flights home for them, meanwhile, will not receive any compensation.
FlyGlobespan explained that the service ‘has been running smoothly’ since the recent disruptions. They assured their customers that the company will have a ‘very in-depth inquiry into all aspects of what happened’, in order to get ‘an overall look at how we performed’. “There may
be modifications to the service but we are committed to the route long-term.”
Officials at Knock, too, insist the future of the route is safe. “This is not something we’re going to give up on at the first hurdle,” they told The Mayo News. There will, they explained, be several meetings with the airline. “We will be looking for strong assurances from FlyGlobespan that this won’t happen again.” However, they were quick to add that interest in the route remains strong and ‘reaction from customers seems to be fine’.
Both parties emphasised that the service is still in ‘the embryonic stage of operating’ since beginning five weeks ago. In this time, they said, there has been a significant demand for the service with 6,000 transatlantic passengers and 25,000 booked to the end of October.
Liam Scollan, Managing Director, IWAK, said: “A continued priority for Ireland West Airport Knock is to build quality sustainable transatlantic services which will enhance the lifestyle of people living in the west, northwest and midlands, as well as the economic growth of this region. We are simply doubling our resolve to ensure that the people of the west of Ireland and those who want to visit this region will have the best possible service.”
