Travel price war – Consumer to benefit

A PRICE war between Ryanair and Irish Rail? It hardly seems a realistic contest.

Nevertheless, the state-owned railway company is bidding to lure customers away from Europe’s biggest airline.

Irish Rail deserves to be congratulated for embarking on a novel experiment involving an offer of free rail tickets on its Dublin to Galway line.

In a marketing battle for the hearts and minds of consumers, Irish Rail is banking on the belief that consumers are attracted by the chance of getting something worthwhile for nothing.

If the Galway-Dublin venture is a success, the initiative could spread to other lines, including the Cork-Dublin link.

Given the right kind of enticement, many people would prefer to travel by rail than by air. This has all the ingredients of a price war in which consumers should really benefit.