Low Flying

From the BBC:
"Ryanair considering transatlantic flights in five years"

Budget airline Ryanair says it hopes to offer flights between Europe and the US in four to five years.

The Irish airline said its board had approved transatlantic flights as part of its plans for future growth, but warned it could take up to five years to become a reality. "It's dependent on attaining viable long-haul aircraft and we estimate that's four to five years away," a spokesman told the BBC. Ryanair first aired the plans in 2008.  The airline said it is currently talking to plane manufacturers about purchasing long-haul aircraft, but said it couldn't comment further on this.  "European consumers want lower cost travel to the USA and the same for Americans coming to Europe. We see it as a logical development in the European market," the spokesman added. It said it would like to offer low-cost flights between 12 to 14 European cities and the same number of US cities. Currently, the transatlantic route is dominated by long-established airlines, with British Airways and American Airlines the main players. Oslo-based low-cost airline Norwegian Air Shuttle began a service to the US in 2013, but recently blamed the costs of its expansion, including disputes with US regulators, for its first loss in eight years.

 

^ I have never flown Ryanair on purpose as I have heard only bad things about them from Americans, Canadians and Europeans who have flown them. I had the chance to fly them once when I was in London, but decided to use EasyJet instead. If people complain about the costs (usually hidden), customer service and the airline in general when flying around Europe I don't think I would even try flying them across the ocean. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31910867