THOMSON Holidays has been unable to reach agreement with an Irish airline to carry its passengers out of Ireland this summer. "At the end of the day, we couldn't reach agreement on price," Mr Kevin Dufficy, Thomson's general manager for Ireland, said.
Now Thomson will use Britannia Airways, the charter airline subsidiary of the Thomson group. Britannia will fly out of Dublin and Shannon.
Thomson claimed that 5,000 Irish holidaymakers have booked with the company in just over a week. Thomson is offering 40,000 seats on the Irish market Its arrival here has been marked by controversy over its claim that it would be cheaper than the established operators.
Meanwhile, US visitor numbers to Ireland this year will be boosted by the arrival of two new scheduled carriers. World Airways is to operate four flights weekly from Newark Airport to Shannon, Dublin and Belfast.
The Chicago based American Transair, which has been operating charter flights to Ireland, will begin a scheduled service this year.