[Article] Direct Silicon Valley route vital for Irish business

Lifelike

Business people are calling for a Dublin-San Francisco direct flight, writes KARLIN LILLINGTON

A GROUP of Irish business people has begun a campaign to restore a direct Ireland to Silicon Valley flight, with a Facebook page dedicated to the issue getting close to 200 members within days of it being set up.

The Facebook group – “Direct flight – Ireland to Silicon Valley” – was launched by senior Irish technology executive John Hartnett, the president of the Irish Technology Leadership Group in Silicon Valley.

He has also initiated a discussion on the topic within the Innovation Ireland discussion group on business social networking site Linked-In.

Hartnett has pointed out that the loss of the flight is discouraging and possibly a dealbreaker for business possibilities running in two directions – US companies that might want to do business in Ireland or set up operations, or Irish companies looking to do business or base themselves in Silicon Valley.

When Aer Lingus shut down its San Francisco flight last autumn, business people reliant on that commute were forced back into tedious long-haul stopover journeys of about 20 hours in total, rather than a direct 11-hour flight.

At about that time, I had run into the Enterprise Ireland Leadership 4 Growth group of chief executives heading for Stanford University, queuing at Dublin airport to board one of the last remaining direct San Francisco flights. The ending of the route was a concern raised by several of them.

I had also spoken to serial entrepreneur Ray Nolan and Google’s director of finance and business intelligence, David Martin, who also had also voiced concern about the loss of a direct flight.

Perhaps given the improved financial profile of the airline recently, reinstating a west coast link might go back on Aer Lingus’s agenda. No one is holding their breath, though, and the business people posting into the Facebook and Linked-In discussions clearly think a US airline is a more likely candidate.

Certainly, with the new terminal coming on line at Dublin airport with full American immigration clearance facilities, it would seem potentially attractive for one of the big US airlines to put in a flight.

A connection through Dublin with immigration clearance could entice passengers outside of Ireland. If you live in the UK in a regional city, for example, how much more attractive is it to make a flight of similar length to Dublin, rather than deal with the nightmare that is Heathrow or Gatwick? You would get the added bonus of not having to queue at passport control in San Francisco or San José.

Both San José and San Francisco have demonstrated eagerness for a direct Dublin flight.

There was a long-standing rivalry between the two to try to woo Aer Lingus in and deep disappointment in San José when the flight went to San Francisco.

The fact that a report done for the Dublin Chamber of Commerce more than a decade ago indicated the strong viability of a direct Dublin-San Jose flight can only have made Aer Lingus’s choice even more frustrating to San José.

According to those familiar with the report, there was solid interest from American Airlines to set up on the route. However, the Irish government of the time insisted on the Shannon stopover – perhaps the most stupid and most business- and tourism- unfriendly requirement ever thought up by Irish politicians.

A consideration of technology industry business relationships and growth that almost certainly would have happened in Ireland all through the boom time if there had been a direct flight from the late 1990s boggles the mind now. But no: a shallow regional political decision propping up a relatively small number of jobs meant that such national considerations and potential long-term economic strength were ignored.

Sure, it would have been fine to send some US flights through Shannon, but the idiotic notion that every single US flight had to land in Shannon first has to rank up there in the list of case studies on how petty regional politics trump and damage national interest far too often in this country.

It is a shame that an airline (or two) did not get the chance to make a success of a direct Dublin-Silicon Valley route over a decade of a strong economy.

If the route had been established then, it would likely have been developed into a self- sustaining link. Instead, Aer Lingus finally got the chance to set up the route just in time for a severe recession and a dive in overall passenger numbers, making the route unviable for it.

Whether the route will come back into being now in more difficult times with a different airline remains to be seen.

Times have changed, but as the business people lobbying for its re-establishment say, there are many economic positives that can be put forward in support of such a route, which hopefully will appeal to one of the big airlines.

They say they intend to formally pursue options to get this route re-explored.

If the route cannot be re-established, there is absolutely no doubt that Irish hopes to develop economic links to Silicon Valley will suffer. The lack of a direct route just makes this journey too exhausting and inefficient.

Meanwhile, I hope those in government responsible for kow- towing to the Shannon stopover at the time of the initial report fully realise the missed opportunities – and the inconceivable loss to the Irish economy – their short-sightedness has brought.

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I completely agree with the above article - Ireland badly needs a direct route to the American West Coast to be reinstated. I can't see how it wouldn't be viable.

Fishtits

If it was economically viable it would be still scheduled.

I read the article in the I Times, my opinion? Pathetic.

It takes 11 hrs direct, 20 hrs via a hub (Heathrow/Schipol) etc

Travel times such as these have sod all to do with the multi million dollar profits these guys claim to generate.

Sh*t or get off the pot.

We're either good for it or not, sod your direct connection... if we've got it you'll come and commit.

We've shot our load with the fly by nights thank you.

Fishtits.

Ex had to go everywhere via Heathrow, Pain in the arse but it pays the bills.

Jim236

A West coast route will return eventually, Christoph Mueller has already hinted at this, suggesting it could return for Summer 2011. Whether it'll be San Francisco or LA is another question though...

Lifelike

Fishtits wrote: »

If it was economically viable it would be still scheduled.

You're missing the point here. Not only is this viable as an important link for business travellers to Silicon Valley but it's also important for enticing tourists to Ireland. Also, bear in mind that Dublin Airport will have full US border preclearance facilities from November onwards, meaning that Dublin could be used as a stopover for passengers coming from other European cities. They could take on passengers at Dublin, while the other passengers also go through the border preclearance. This would allow them to arrive as domestic passengers in the States.

It takes 11 hrs direct, 20 hrs via a hub (Heathrow/Schipol) etc

A 20hr journey is very annoying for most people to endure. To tell the truth, it puts me off going to San Francisco. If a direct service was announced tomorrow, I would most certainly consider using it sometime in the future.

bladeruner

Lifelike wrote: »

You're missing the point here. Not only is this viable as an important link for business travellers to Silicon Valley but it's also important for enticing tourists to Ireland.

While all the above are nice to have ....
Airlines are not there to make life easier for managers of american multinationals and its Bord Failte's job to entice tourists to Ireland.
An airlines job is to make a route profitable (unless its a PSO route and I cant see the Goverment wanting san francisco as a PSO ! )

Manic Moran

I took the SFO-DUB route once during its brief operation. It was wonderful. The trip was just so much more pleasant, get on the train, go to the airport, step onto the airplane, step off the airplane, hop a bus into town, and I'm where I need to be. Door to door, about 15 hours. Part of the reason I've not been back to Ireland since my return from Afghanistan is that I can't afford to spend (effectively) two extra days in transit for the sake of a few days in Ireland. A flying visit is far more feasible with a direct flight.

I was very disappointed when I discovered that the SF route was no longer running, but LAX is still. Who the hell goes to LA over SF for their holidays?

NTM

rob88

i dont think there are any direct flights dub to lax

Dacian

Aer Lingus will return to the West Coast WHEN it is profitable to do so. I wonder how many business class seats the facebook group will guarantee to the airline? Or how many tons of cargo/economy seats?

An airline can't fly the route until there is a viable business plan to ensure it turns a profit. Airport incentives form SFO/SJO meant nothing if the aircraft is less then 2/3 full. EI need bums on seats and cargo in the hold to make the route work,until they are assured of that we will have to transfer at a hub.

Stinicker

They should restore something to the West coast, would be a dead ringer for going down to New Zealand or the East coast of Oz, if they worked their minds right with either Qantas, Air NZ or United they could bring in some of the hordes of Irish scrambling to go downunder westwards instead.

rob88

Stinicker wrote: »

They should restore something to the West coast, would be a dead ringer for going down to New Zealand or the East coast of Oz, if they worked their minds right with either Qantas, Air NZ or United they could bring in some of the hordes of Irish scrambling to go downunder westwards instead.

pretty simple to go with etihad to oz from dublin

Gekko

Have joined the FB group and commented that they should get a feasability study going asap.

I'd say the best bet is getting an airline outside of Ireland to use Shannon or Dublin pre-clearance facilities during a stopover where Irish passengers would be allowed to board the flight.

With a feasability study, depending on what it shows, the group could start approaching the likes of Delta, BA, Virgin, Emirates, Etihad, Air India, etc.

IRLConor

Manic Moran wrote: »

Door to door, about 15 hours.

That's less of a speed advantage than I thought it would be. Dundrum to Mountain View used to take me ~17 hours if I went DUB-LHR-SFO (EI/BA) and ~18 hours for DUB-LAX-SFO (EI/AA).

Manic Moran wrote: »

I was very disappointed when I discovered that the SF route was no longer running, but LAX is still. Who the hell goes to LA over SF for their holidays?

Agreed. When I flew DUB-LAX-SFO at least half the people on the LAX-SFO leg were faces I recognized from the DUB-LAX leg.