Ryanair may cut winter routes to Malta because of costs

Hunters are shooting at road signs and turtle doves while the MIA and the government are both shooting happily at their feet and "birds" like RYANAIR and other airlines. When are the MIA and the government ending this old school ideology and expired accounting techniques to the benefit of the Maltese people? Malta and Gozo offer World Class History, World Class Night Life, World Class Beaches, World Class Food and thousands of hotel rooms. Isn't that a recipe for good tourism. Not enough!! Because shamefully the people in charge( MIA and the government) of letting tourists into Malta are indirectly not allowing airlines and foreign tour leaders to bring tourists over here. Because of ridiculous airport/departure taxes and for some reason, JETA1 fuel is always short obviously allowing for increased purchasing price.
Some people are just not aware about Malta's huge touristic potential and are just too dumb to notice. The most important thing is that by the end of the day he/she gets back home.

Three years ago Ryanair had expressed the same dictating attitude and eventual pullout of Klagenfurt airport in Austria.

Ryanair CAN BOAST of the 'TOUCH & GO' logo/risk factor for customers and tourism in general. Thus, it suits Malta best to limit capacity of the so called 'low cost ' and to ensure a level playing field.

Ryanair - Touch & Go.
NO CONSISTENCY

To C Scerri : No I do not want your tax money to pay for my airfares. I just want the only airport in Malta (unlike London heathrow which is one of 4 airports in London alone) to be a strategic tool in the government's hands to make Malta competitive and not an investment by institutional investors whose only objective, quite rightly, is to make a profit.

To make matters worse, the previous administration fobbed off (FZD actually laughed at the proposal on TV) the idea of a second budget terminal in Luqa sharing the same runway proposed by the GRTU. This trend is happening in many cities where budget terminals serve the same runway alongside glitzy terminals. That way there is competition between terminals to attract airlines which leads to lower costs and lower fares.

Whoever devised the MIA privatisation did not have sufficient foresight in air travel trends at the time and we are suffering from this now because airlines like Ryanair come and go as they please when it suits them and Airmalta has to suffer the costs and rely on government support because it is losing money. Perhaps C scerri is unaware of the fact that Airmalta's losses are footed by the taxpayers.

to C. schmid: Let us not forget that even Airmalta's lifeline may dry up someday unless it is returned to profit and that will be a real disaster for the Maltese islands. The time to act is now. Make Malta competitive for air travel in all respects including airport services and get Airmalta into profit on the basis of its strengths which are indeed many. Patriotic sentiment does not work in today's globalised markets. Business logic and forecasting trends does, and the only way to keep Airmalta serving the country is to make sure it becomes leaner and more efficient and competitive and that includes lowering the cost of buying its services, in this case Airport services.

For the likes of Sandro ... you nearly floored me! When you said you travel a lot and judged us who do not like Ryanair I thought you were a weekly traveller ... :) still too far off buddy. I travel practically every week. One of the many that now are benefiting from a more open EU market. We come from various sectors oil and gas, IT, medicine etc. I meet these people like myself on the plane. Then there are those Brits who own property in Malta, but they at least are more flexible than us who have no choice but to look first at schedule then price. Who do you really think is subsidising your 10 euro flight? Take a look at the Monday morning flight Malta-UK and Friday return evening.

Air Malta like any other national carrier lived in a different world back then when people travelled less so the past is gone and forget about it. What one has to applaud them for is how quickly they adapted. Air Canada and Swiss Air for example went bankrupt. Here let me point out that I will cheer the air staff all the way and all those ground crews that ensure the planes are spotless and well maintained. Truly they are doing a fantastic job. Only problem is the administration that in my opinion is over bloated and still suffering from too much political meddling and can be arrogant. If it became leaner I'm sure they can blow Ryanair away and still keep doing the less travelled routes that Ryanair nor any other low cost airline will ever do but are needed for business.

On the other hand if there was no competition then inevitably Air Malta will become complacent so something else needs to keep that going. If Ryan Air just floated around and behaved as an occasional deterrent then I think we would have hit the perfect balance :)

As for the other comments about the taxes I cannot really tell because I have never actually compared different airport rates but uneducated guess is that are paying 25% more than we should be. For that blame Gonzi!

All airports in the world charge airport fees (per passenger, per landing, per service etc.) The only difference is that whilst these charges can be low in very high volume airports (e.g. a bus costs the same in Malta in Heathrow - but this cost per passenger is much less in Heathrow than in Malta) or are very low in secondary, hardly known or used airports.

In Malta we only have one airport and it has to serve all airlines and on a level playing field. MIA cannot operate without charging fees, remember it has its own expenses - electricity and water fees, personnel, cleaning, etc.

What these people that are happy to have low fees want is that us, the people, pay for their holidays through our taxes - thanks but no thanks!

Malta has been a tourist resort for much before Ryanair came into being and seeing the good results Airmalta has had this Winter, I believe that the good results in tourism in 2007 had little to do with Ryanair and more to do with some good moves of MTA and government.

350,000 in 18 months surely reflect the improved figures for tourism - as far as protecting anyone or anything is concerned, as someone who has worked in the private sector all my life without any job guarantees of any sort whatsoever from anyone- i'm not really particularly interested in anything except getting the best of what my money as a consumer can buy.

I think some people do not know what monopoly means since Air Malta had always stiff competition on most routes : Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Alitalia to Rome & Milan, British Airways to London & Manchester, Austrian Airlines to Vienna, Libyan Araba Airlines to Tripoli & Benghazi, Swissair (in the past) to Zurich etc etc. The routes served only by AIr Malta were those routes which other airlines opted not to fly to. Air Malta also contributes financially to promote Malta abroad. What is Ryanair doing in this sector ? Air Malta was never afraid of competition BUT it has to be Fair Competition.

i simply cannot understand why people persist in claiming that Air Malta had a monopoly.. competing against Lufthansa, British Airways, Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, Swissair and all the others who have come and gone over the past 30 years can hardly be called a monopoly...it is hard to understand why people simply want to belittle Air Malta....it is the national airline...and has been there in the good and bad times even when some others have collapsed.....how many countries having Malta's size can boost of an airline flying to around 40-50 destinations throughout the year?
supporting your airline is supporting your economy and supporting your future and that of your children.
and as I said in my previous message, this is hardly a matter of high airport fees as Ryanair is looking at grounding 20 aircraft next winter. don't think that these 20 aircraft are only being deployed to Malta. And these airport fees are also being paid by Air Malta and all other airlines flying to Malta. if Ryanair, flying to eight destinations, is claiming that airport fees are high and consequently stop its operations, what should Air Malta do since it is flying to over 45 destinations..and other airlines using MIA?

Ryanair is hands down the best airline in Europe.

When Air Malta starts offering anything below 100 euros, like the majority of Ryanair flights, I might start bothering checking their website.

What many of you don't seem to realise is that Ryanair is complaining about the airport charges. These charges are placed on anyone wanting to fly to or from Malta, and as anyone who has ever flown on an aircraft to or from Malta would know, they aren't low to say the least. Furthermore an aircraft owner or operator (or his representative) is required to pay Malta International Airport a passenger service charge for each passenger departing on an aircraft from Malta International Airport. This amounts to about 18 euros per passenger (refer to: http://www.maltairport.com/page.asp?p=5578 ).
Flying with AirMalta or Ryanair would incur the same charges. The high airport charges are part of the reason why airfares are so expensive no matter which airline you choose to fly with. Reducing these ridiculously high fares, would benefit airmalta passengers just as much as ryanair's. Such a move would need to be pushed by our government. Ignoring the problem and blaming the critics (i.e. Ryanai) won t solve anything.

how about another question - who's been charging obscene fares and abusing their monopolistic situation for nearly 30 years before the advent of low fare airlines?

People

I am sorry to point this out but rather then aiming at Air Malta why you don't ask MIA what is doing to support tourism?!!

Air Malta has and is doing it's share to sustain more traffic. Some have already pointed out the reduction in fares and has become more efficient and competitive!!!

If Ryanair has an issue because of costs fine good luck to you and find a way to solve this issue rather then pointing fingers to others to solve it for them.

Mr. Gouder you are right in your case but if more energies are directed towards the national airline then it would be possible to sustain again the Dublin route and others.

Stop aiming at Air Malta, ask MIA !!

Mr. Gouder, Ireland is not the UK.

Consider how you will get to Malta if Ryan Air decide they do not want to fly the Dublin - Malta route any more. A ferry to Wales or England then an Air Malta flight from a regional airport in the UK?

This company is mercenary, flying in for a subsidy and threatening to leave when it wants more.

Reducing competition (like Dublin - Malta) because no other company will compete against their state subsidised service is not a recipe for success.

The answer to Corina's question. Its simple its Air Malta.

According to a reputable swiss travel magazine, Ryanair is contemplating grounding 20 aircraft in winter due to the high fuel costs.
This has very little to do with airport charges as I assume that these are the same for all airlines.
I suppose that this is the market but a question that the Maltese should ask themselves..who has been serving them constantly for so many years?

All those of you who have a negative comment about Ryanair are either not in the tourism industry or never bought a flight from Ryanair or do not have to work for their money . Myself I flew 3 times with Ryanair from November 2007 to January 2008 in all for less than 210 Euros in all something i could have never dreamed off untill 2 years

In reply to Annabelle Gauci, I'd like to tell her that 20 euros is the actual price you pay.

Luggage charge - I travel with a considerably large hand luggage. Ryanair are very generous in their hand luggage size.

Check-In charges - Again, with a little wit you don't pay for this neither. Simply use the online check-in option. You do it from home 5 days before and you don't wait at the airport, plus you don't pay anything.

You mention flight timings but all Ryanair flights are late in the morning or in the afternoon, there are no freaky 1am flights Ms Gauci. If you check out statistics, Ryanair is the no.1 most on-time airline.

The airports they operate are most of the times central. Valencia, Bremen and Pisa are 2mins away by bus from the city centre. I don't know Dublin. Standstead, Barcelona, Venice and Stocholm are not more than 1hr away by train/bus from city centre.

But then again, even places like Heathrow you have 30mins tube from the city centre.

Credit Card Charges - Pay with Visa Electron, you don't get charged with that. You only get charged with normal Visa and Masercard cards. P.S. Visa Electron is much much more useful and cheaper than a normal Visa.

Perhaps I am living in a world different from yours Ms Gauci, cos you don't know what you're talking about. As I explained you can fly with Ryanair for a measly 20 euros incuding return.

The cheapest flights you found on Air Malta are 120 euros for March 2009 (What are they kidding?) and with Ryanair more and more Maltese have the ability to travel with some wonderful prices of 20 euros... and sometimes less.

Some good points made in these comments;

to C. Scerri: Niche tourism is indeed a worthy aspect of tourism which Malta needs to invest in; however it is only a tourism product, and you still need to consider the transport phase of actually getting tourists to malta.

to S. Said: Air Malta had a near monopoly for over 25 years in Malta; so for us to complain as soon as someone else starts to get preferential treatment is a bit rich...why was Air malta charging us extortionate prices before the idea of ryanair even was suggested?

Overall, ryanair has been dissapointing, given the fact that many of its flights are infact a lot more expensive than air malta (irony) one has to wonder where these subsidies it gets are going.

Also, im dissapointed that despite the advent of several UK low cost companies, services to the uk have barely imcreased at all; only the service to luton has been introduced, while Scotland remains badly underserviced, while air malta persists in operating to Liverpool and Manchester, which are only 30 miles apart.

Whats critical for me is that the routes which are being served are full and therefore sustainable, if we think that just having the subsidies in place to enable ryanair to fly planes half empty every day will solve our tourism problem we are badly mistaken because this is unsustainable and will eventually stop.

Whether Ryanair or not, the problem we had in the past was that there was no real competition for Air Malta and Lufthansa. I like flying KM and LH however the ticket prices are sometimes ridiculously high. If you don't like Ryanair and other low cost airlines don't fly with them and use KM and LH same counts for people avoiding LH and KM. It's important that ALL airlines will stay flying to and from Malta. Whether cheap or expensive we need to have a choice.

It is sad that some comments here are about patriotic support for Airmalta and usual anti-profit banter about Ryanair.

The issue here is whether Malta can stay competitive with the current monopolistic practices at the airport. The way a deal was struck with Ryaniar 2 years ago is certainly not the best because it directly subsidizes an airline operating a particular route who then turns over that subsidy to our one and only airport which is owned by institutional investors abroad. This solution was a hotch potch solution for our dear bungling ex minister of tourism to stay in his place until kicked out by the electorate.

It is high time for the government to take stock of this subsidy arrangement and the resulting cost effectiveness and ensure that our airport and all costs affecting flights to and from Malta are reduced and kept competitive for all airlines operating routes to and from Malta, whether Airmalta or Ryanair or any other airline. We must also call a spade a spade and if the sale of MIA was a mistake because we lost control of our one and only doorway into the island, let's swallow the pill and make it right. MIA considerations should never have been about profit but about strategy.

After all this would be for the benefit of Airmalta, Tourism, Business and citizens working or studying abroad.

One sure thing is, that if Ryanair had not come to Malta all airlines including Air Malta, BA etc would still be charging the pre Ryanair super inflated prices. Competition is healthy, we need more and more Low cost carriers, tourists coming in with this type of carriers will spend their saved monies on fares in restaurants, hotels, villas and other local services. Without the Ryanair revolution we would have never had a good 2007!

this is a confirmation why a national airline is crucial.other airlines can pull out any time.it is not a matter of prices.

People like Janice Bartolo live in a world of their own!

Ryanair is not cheap when you consisder all charges, credit card fees, flight timings and the airports they operate to. The price paid and the value for money is what counts at the end.

Does she really think that Ryanair can operate a flight selling seats at 20 euros or less and make a profit! Absolutely not! Ask an economist!

The fact that she found that price is the way all airlines are working, buy early - buy cheap. This is also what Air Malta is doing and competing well I must say.

It stands to reason that today's Ryanair's press conference was intended as a statement to government - give us more subsidies or else we'll decrease flights. In other words pure blackmail.

I am against that the government subsidising an operation of a foreign airline from the taxes I pay. This is ridiculous!

I suggest Ms Bartolo to subsidise Ryanair by offering them part of her salary if she wants them so badly!

Dear Ms. Camilleri.
me and my family are Maltese citizens like you but with the difference that we live in Ireland. Just to remind you before Ryanair started to operate to Malta I used to fly with Air Malta but since Ryanair started to operate to and from Malta, Air Malta stopped flying to and from Dublin.

Ryanair is the only carrier for us Maltese citizens that can bring us back to our beloved Island.

That's why we support Ryanair nowadays.

Ryanair keep up the good service.

This is ridiculous, when will someone tell us the net value of the tourists Ryan Air brings in?
We should not be held to ransom by these mercenaries. Support Air Malta, BA and Easy Jet if you want to fly to the UK, it's these airlines that will bring in the customers we need!

I have agree with Sandro Grech. Ryanair is a wonderful airline and I know a lot of people who were able to travel more because of their cheap flights. In January I booked a flight to Spain for less than 10 euros and a return of 10 euros.

Can Air Malta give us flights for 20 euros? Even a 30min trip to Sicily costs more with Air Malta.

I think that Ryanair can give a lot of opportunities to the Maltese middle and lower class, who can easily afford to pay for 20 euro flights.

As Mr Grech pointed out, its hard to find anything cheaper than 200-250 euros on the Air Malta schedules... while Ryanair, especially in pre-summer and winter time, have tremendous prices of less than 20 euros.

I rather hope that Ryanair expands its business and gives us more from where to choose from.

I think those of you supporting Air Malta are missing the point. I have nothing against Air Malta and will often choose Air Malta over Ryanair or any other low cost airline even if the airfarew as a little more .... but not when it is a lot more even after taking into consideration the hidden costs.

The point via a vis low Cost airlines is the incoming tourists. There is no doubt that the low cost airlines, given the way they market their product, have been responsible for a larger influx of tourist s to our island and that is the more positive aspect of low cost. The bonus is us being able to travel for less.

We can be patriotic and nationalistic and supprot Air Malta but making Air Malta more competitive and having a good source of competition as well as the increased marketing of our country (via low cost for example) is the way to go. Cheering because Ryanair may cut back its flights to Malta is very short sighted and a significantly retrograde step.

The only good thing Ryan Air did was to make Air Malta become more aggressive. Hey, what monopoly would not become more complacent after all? I'm more annoyed with British Jet that seems to have jumped ship too quickly.

For those that travel regularly and time schedules are more important Ryan Air is just as expensive. So don't stay if you want more of our tax money. I'm sure that Air Malta can provide just as competitive prices as them during those least important slots for those that want to travel on rock bottom budgets. I don't like flying with Ryan Air and prefer to go Air Malta, or BA but we do need more competition to keep them in check so open up to anyone in my opinion.

This has nothing to do with subsidising Ryanair or Air Malta or anything like that and everything to do with offering competitive airport services that are comparable with what other countries are providing.

If we alienate the low cost airlines, we will lose an important part of our tourist arrivals, not only based on cost, but also because airlines like Ryanair often fly from regions like Pisa that Air Malta simply does not do, not to mention countries like Spain that Air Malta somehow seems to shun. And whoever says that Air Malta worked out cheaper for them should be thanking their lucky stars for the fluke.

I agree with David Attard; the issue isn't whether Ryanair should be subsidised over Air Malta.

Ryanair make their money by flying to secondary airports, which in Paris/Beauvais is a glorified tent and 100km away from central Paris. The airport charges are obviously cheaper. The issue with Ryanair in Malta is that they don't have a second rate airport to choose from.

The comments here are evidence that the consumer ultimately decides which airline stays through their patronage. Gone are the days when the Maltese gov could offer subsidies (except in special cases of course) Low cost airlines are only getting subsidised now thanks to a special agreement in order to give the time to develop the low cost market to Malta, after a number of years they too will have to fend for themselves.

Well this is a sad news. To some people here, RyanAir at times are expensive than AirMalta however most of the time are half the price - even less. I fly often, both AirMalta and RyanAir (depends where I need to land and time) and RyanAir were always punctual especially coming from the UK, and AirMalta don't even know what punctuality means. If people here prefer AirMalta because of the food they give, then I am sorry you have really bad taste. I want to fly end of this month to the UK (can't take RyanAir this time) and AirMalta prices are exaggerated. Thanks to EasyJet I am flying at half the price! At the end of the day for a frequent flyer I prefer flexibility and feasible options - without ripping of my pocket which excluding onboard service the flight is the same albeit low cost or AirMalta. If people prefer to spend extra money just to fly AirMalta than is good to them, but flying 10-20 times a year at half the price, then one can save a good amount of money yearly - which even the rich people will consider and will not let it go unnoticed.

Well put Michael Ellul ! Increased fuel costs are for all, and why is Ryanair hollering this loud about airport costs - are they intending to convert the airport into their own private back yard ?

I have travelled twice with Ryanair.

Going through the 'weighing in' operation, every gram counts and if your luggage happens to just exceed the limit then be prepared ! I had to pay out of my nose for my hold-all camera bag slung on my shoulder - yes this is considered as luggage. To do so, I had to stay in a long queue of other passengers who, for some reason or another seemed to have infringed some stipulation in "the book" !!! The only solution was to PAY ! Furthermore, along the route we had to follow there were no trollies available for our use, and the departure gate was the most distant possible from the 'weighing in' station ! so pull,drag, push or carry the luggage until first signs of exhaustion set in, and still you are not even half-way to the gate ! - but then, you can always sit on your luggage to regain some breath ! Unbelievable !!!

When it comes to seat reservation this is unheard of, of course!!! ....literally reminiscent of the late 40's early 50's ...
I will not comment on the price of 'on board' refreshments! I simply preferred to fight my thirst until we got there.

I am sure that Ryanair is making a good profit, and the fact that it is still in operation is certainly not to be traced to some inherent and extraording sense of generous altruism towards Malta or its Tourist Industry.

AIRMALTA you are GREAT for the way you deal with your passengers - from weighing in to the moment when we getting off the plane !!!. When all is said and done and all calculations made - no !... you are not that expensive, and certainly competitive - no hassle, no tension, no sprints, no standing in queues for significant periods - all these do cost invisible money !

The usual tactics - first they come in with all the subsidies that we (the tax payers) have given them and now they threaten to get out if we do not give them more. Thank God that the Tourism industry is not fully dependent on Ryan Air.

Instead of subsidising and increasing profits to Tony Ryan & Co (and a few other shareholders) we should start to seriously invest in niche tourism - basically low numbers but high value added!

I only flew once with a low cost airline, and always prefer to fly AirMalta - after all the cost of the flight is a minimal percentage to the total cost of the holiday, like Mark said it is better to start your holiday well!

I have flown Ryanair tens of times and they have a remarkable business strategy.

Last month I flew to Bremen for 1c and 10 euros in taxes... same price for the return.

Air Malta dream of offering such prices. Ryanair is giving the opportunity to everyone in Malta to travel as much as they want, an opportunity previously reserved for the elite and the rich.

Everyone knows that with Air Malta you have at least 200 euros (inc return) for 99% of their flights.With Ryanair, if you go on their website, they have flights for 20 euros (inc return).

So with 200 euros...with Air Malta you travel once a year, with Ryanair you travel 10 times.

Sure you pay 3 euros for a hot dog on the plane, and if you have luggage you pay 6 euros... but look at how much you paid in the first place. For those who are complaining the check-in fees... if they are too high for you, perhaps you can use the web check-in and check-in for free and be able to avoid the queues at the airport.

Regarding their routes of Dublin, Stockholm and London, the demand is higher, therefore its not worth it using Ryanair in those cases. But Ryanair offers other destinations at unbelievable prices.

Considering Malta is an island, the government would be denying people the right of movement if it doesn't reduce the costs for European airlines to operate in Malta.

We are an EU nation now, lets do like our European counterparts and eliminate our borders once and for all. We have all seen the increase in tourism because of low-cost airlines... but it's not just that.

It the possibility for a Maltese citizen to travel in Europe for 10 euros, the price of a meal.

I do think that Ryanair have bought a lot more tourists to Malta, 350,000 they say, I'm not sure how many of these would have come if it wasn't for them and I'm not sure how many of these are actually Maltese people, i also do think that Ryanair is good in general for Malta and Gozo in the long run, especially during the winter when occupancy levels are low in hotels.

However, i come to Gozo twice a year and i WILL ALWAYS fly Air Malta, simply because the service you receive is a lot more pleasant than Ryanair and is a nice way to start your holiday instead of being cramped on a plane that is nothing more than a bus with advertising etc. I purchased tickets for me and my Girlfriend in January and we could have flown with Ryanair for £90 each return including taxes but even though this was half of what we paid with Air Malta i would still rather pay extra. With Ryanair you also have the inconvenience of going to Luton and the return flight lands far too late to get into London at a reasonable hour.

Long live Gozo and Air Malta
Mark Duffy

Subsidizing Air Malta is not the issue here in case you haven't noticed. Its the high airport charges which are the issue, and it would be great if some real attention was given to this issue.

Dr Gonzi, please do not give in to these indirect, hinted-at demands of these people. Air Malta is there to stay. Any assistance should be directed to our national airline which helped - and still does - tourism to thrive, and which provides us with reliable, safe, excellent and scheduled air transport to and from Malta. Ryanair is an airline built on the concept of the 'quick-buck' and no commitment. None of the European countries gave in and relied solely on it. Neither should we. Taxpayers money should be invested wisely and dexterously i.e. in a well-managed, committed AirMalta to Malta and the Maltese.

I totally agree with Mr Ellul. I study in the UK and travel to Malta frequently to visit family. Air Malta has always offered better prices than Ryan Air. I travelled with Ryan Air once to Malta and I will never do it again. Apart from the "cheap" flights they have, you are also charged £6/baggage you check-in, another charge for the check-in service and obviously you pay for any food or drinks you buy on the plane. Air Malta......best airline from all aspects. I have travelled to Malta only paying Lm45 including taxes....while Ryan Air prices were way more expensive.

Apart from that, you get a free meal on you flight and Air Malta has the best in-flight entertainment on the Malta routes! Thanks Ryan Air, because with your introduction Air Malta has become more competitive. And now what? You are making excuses about airport costs! If Ryan Air was the competitor it said it was going to be, it would not threaten to cut its winter routes but it would try to increase competition within the market!

I just have one suggestion for Ryan Air. Instead of begging the Maltese government to lower airport costs, wouldn't it be better to reduce your bizarre charges and strive to improve your service.

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going"!

'Bye 'bye, fresh water sailors!

If anyone (airline) wants to show its mettle, let it fly ALL YEAR 'ROUND to Malta...particularly in the lean winter months when the country most needs the tourist arrival figures.

It doesn't need a rocket scientist to sell airline capacity in the summer months!

And to think that we have "patriots" on this rock who will stop at nothing to throw jibes at our Air Malta who has ALWAYS been there for Malta and the Maltese....and not just in the summer months!

Choose Air Malta - Flying you all year round!

This is for Michael Ellul. If you can afford to fly Air Malta every time you need to travel, it does not mean that everyone can. So please show some respect to the others. Air Malta's fares have in some cases gone down, but they are a long way off from those of Ryanair (yes, even if you add on the hidden extras). And you have to take in consideration that onboard service on Air Malta has also dropped to Ryanair standards!!

If we give Malta airport for free will they stay? Please Ryanair do stay. We beg you you are the saviour of Malta. So where is Gonzi now? Getting confused here is the PM our saviour or Ryanair. Come off it Ryanair you doing business and so are we Maltese. we too mean business. Dr Gonzi Air Malta was with us every minute since its birth providing us tourists all year round. I would prefer subsidising Air Malta into becoming more competitive rather then subsidising Ryanair. Air Malta gets Maltese citizens to vote in every election sometimes even for free. Air Malta helps us daily when we go on Ryanair with a few extra kilos they charge us if you go on ryan air with a hand luggage a bit bigger then their measurements they charge us. sometimes using Ryanair is more expensive then Air Malta. Bless air Malta and help her out to be more competitive. Would prefer seeing a tax reduction for foreigners (customers) when they arrive in Malta rather then giving our airport for free to Ryanair.