Irish soccer fans should be celebrated, not exploited – Mayo senator

Airlines are being criticised after imposing steep fare increases for flights to and from Prague at the end of March following the World Cup play-off draw, a Mayo Oireachtas member has said.

Senator Mark Duffy elaborated: “Within minutes of the play-off draw being announced, which will see the Republic of Ireland take on Czechia, ticket prices for both Ryanair and Aer Lingus for flights Dublin to Prague to coincide with the game surged dramatically, leaving loyal supporters facing inflated costs to follow their team abroad.”

To fly into Prague the day before the crucial game on March 26th, a flight with Aer Lingus increased by 66% within an hour of the draw, while a flight with Ryanair on the same day increased by 156%.

Return flights also saw a surge, with a Ryanair flight back to Dublin the morning after the game costing 105% higher an hour after the draw than earlier this morning, while with Aer Lingus the cost also more than doubled by 102%.

Senator Duffy has described the action by airlines as blatant opportunism.

“Irish soccer fans are being unfairly punished and penalised for their passion and loyalty. This is deeply disappointing as the fans should be celebrated, not exploited.

“I’m calling on the airlines to reconsider the increases and show respect to the thousands of Irish soccer fans who want to stand with our national team in Prague.

“Regulators should examine whether sudden fare increases are consistent with consumer protection laws, given the scale of the increases.

“In some cases the fare more than doubled in the space of a half an hour, this cannot be justified in a normal and fair market,” he added.