Sir, - What is it that people find so fascinating about air fares, especially the difference between the highest and lowest on a route, that they feel compelled to write to you so often? No other product gets such attention. Take for example washing machines: we have seen two, cheek by jowl in electrical stores with prices vastly different, but I doubt if you would publish a letter on this common phenomenon.
Now any first year economics student will recognise the difference in the cost of providing a flight seat on demand to the business passenger who must get to (say) Paris maybe at short notice, who demands a high level of service and needs to be delivered to a Paris airport; compared to the student who can be flexible, can take a seat which might otherwise be empty, and maybe can hitch-hike from Beauvais to Paris.
Even so, your correspondent Susan O'Driscoll (June 11th) is misleading us. I have no wish to defend Aer Lingus (they can do that themselves) but if her travel agents really quoted £346 as the lowest Aer Lingus one way fare to Paris they do not know their job (Aer Lingus has a £99 excursion return fare to Paris, ideal for the flexible student traveller).
So, maybe we could have a rest for a while from letters about air fares and leave room for more interesting subjects. - Yours, etc., W J Murphy,
Malahide, Co. Dublin.