Munster fans see red as airlines hike match fares
OPPORTUNISTIC airlines have guaranteed themselves a massive payday by hiking up prices by up to 10 times the original cost for the weekend of Munster's Heineken Cup quarter final clash with Gloucester.
The Red Army will once again have to pay through the nose to see their team play in a big European cup tie. Flights to Bristol and Birmingham Airports from Shannon jumped in price almost immediately after it was announced that Munster would be facing Gloucester in their home ground in Kingsholm on the first weekend in April.
The semi-finals will be played on the first weekend of April with the Munster match taking place on Saturday, 5 at 5.30pm.
Two lucky Munster fans managed to save themselves €373 by taking a gamble on Munster being drawn to Gloucester in the quarter-final before the fixture was finalised.
Richard Leonard and Darragh Durkan, both from the North Circular Road, booked flights to Birmingham with Aer Lingus last Saturday evening when Munster still could have ended up playing their quarter-final against Toulouse in southern France.
"We said we'd just take the chance because it was definitely going to be worth it," said Darragh, who plays for UL/Bohs. "We knew from past experience that the prices would jump once the fixtures were announced so we bit the bullet and followed our instinct that we'd end up playing Gloucester."
The flight from Cork to Birmingham from Friday to Sunday cost the two friends €55 each. The price of the same journey on the Aer Lingus website on Wednesday afternoon was €428, but only €48 in the week after the game.
And Ryanair has also provoked the ire of Munster supporters with flights leaving Shannon for Bristol on Friday and returning on Sunday costing €312. The same trip the weekend before costs only €65.
Flights from Knock airport to Bristol with Ryanair have also more than tripled in cost, going from €50 on Saturday afternoon to €162 by Sunday evening.
This is the second blow to Munster fans in a week after the Munster Branch announced on Monday that tickets for the quarter final would be allocated only to rugby clubs and supporters clubs with none going on public sale.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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