The Boys in Green will take on the Eastern European side on March 26
(Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Airlines have been blasted after flight prices to Prague skyrocketed after it was announced Ireland would take on the Czech Republic in a World Cup play-off.
The Boys in Green will take on the Eastern European side on March 26.
If they win, they will advance to a World Cup play-off final, which could be held in Ireland.
But many fans have been left devastated after Irish airlines Ryanair and Aer Lingus appeared to hike their flights to Prague after the draw.
Speaking yesterday, Senator Mark Duffy said: “Within minutes of the play-off draw being announced, which will see the Republic of Ireland take on Czechia (Czech Republic), ticket prices for both Ryanair and Aer Lingus for flights from Dublin to Prague to coincide with the game surged dramatically, leaving loyal supporters facing inflated costs to follow their team abroad.”
Ireland’s Troy Parrott and Séamus Coleman celebrate after beating Hungary. Will they be celebrating after tomorrow’s draw?(Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
He claimed a flight the day beforehand with Aer Lingus increased by 66 per cent within an hour of the draw, while a flight with Ryanair on the same day increased by 156 per cent.
Senator Duffy also said return flights saw a surge too, with a Ryanair flight back to Dublin the morning after the game costing 105 per cent more an hour after the draw than it had earlier this morning, while with Aer Lingus, the cost also more than doubled by 102 per cent.
He said the move was “blatant opportunism”.
Senator Duffy continued: “Irish soccer fans are being unfairly punished and penalised for their passion and loyalty.
“This is deeply disappointing as the fans should be celebrated, not exploited.
“I’m calling on the airlines to reconsider the increases and show respect to the thousands of Irish soccer fans who want to stand with our national team in Prague.
“Regulators should examine whether sudden fare increases are consistent with consumer protection laws, given the scale of the increases.
“In some cases the fare more than doubled in the space of a half an hour, this cannot be justified in a normal and fair market.”
Ireland fans (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
Searches by The Irish Mirror found flights to Prague the day before the game on March 25 with Aer Lingus for between €289 and €470.
Return flights on March 27, which is the day after the match, with Aer Lingus, cost between €307.85 and €427.85.
The following week, we found outgoing flights for €87.60 and return flights for €102.85.
Flights with Ryanair on March 25 started from €399.99 and went to €400.99, while the evening flight on that date was already sold out.
Return flights on March 27 started at €256.99 and went all the way up to €430.99.
The following week, a flight to Prague cost €62.84 while a return was €89.09.
Irish players and coaching staff celebrate Troy Parrott’s match winning goal in Budapest(Image: INPHO/Stephen Gormley)
Despite the price hikes, boozers in Prague were still expecting an influx of Boys of Green supporters.
Tony Williams, who is a barman at the Irish Times pub in Prague, said: “The Irish pubs will be hopping. It’s going to be very busy.”
The pint-puller added: “Some supporters will be trying to get a ticket at the stadium while others will just come over purely for the atmosphere and stay in the Irish bars.”
The Dublin man, who has lived in Prague for 12 years, reckons it’ll be a tough game for Ireland, explaining, “It’s 50/50, the Czech Republic aren’t a bad team at all.”
Meanwhile, Ben McBride, who runs The Dubliner, also reckons the pubs in Prague will be rammed.
He said: “It was great news for us when we heard that this morning.
“Obviously, we don’t know what the allocation will be yet, but I’d imagine a lot of fans will be travelling without tickets.
“Either way, it’s going to be a bumper two weeks with St Patrick’s Day the week beforehand.
“I think Ireland will beat the Czech Republic, I can’t see why not. The pub was packed last week when Ireland took on Hungary, and it was a great atmosphere here.”
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC – OCTOBER 11: General view inside the stadium during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B1 match between Czechia and Albania at EPET ARENA on October 11, 2024 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Christian Bruna – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
The Czech Republic plays at the Letna Stadium, which has a capacity of just under 18,000.
According to UEFA guidelines, visiting fans may only receive around 1,000 tickets.
It comes as ex-Ireland boss Brian Kerr said most were happy with playing the Czech Republic.
Speaking to RTE Radio yesterday, he said: “I think the Czechia draw was the second best option. I think people would have felt that Slovakia was the best option.
“I think it’s quite a good draw.
“Everybody wants to get there. But we’ve got a chance. We’re in with a shot.
“It’ll be a massive draw for the Czechs too, of course. And they will probably feel confident. But I think from our point of view, it is not the worst option once we knew we had to go away.
“If we can get through that, which won’t be easy, we’ve got a home game, possibly with Denmark or North Macedonia, who shouldn’t be ruled out, despite the fact that they were beaten 7-1 by Wales.”
A spokesperson at Aer Lingus said: “Aer Lingus has significantly increased capacity to Prague with five extra flights on Wednesday 25th, Thursday 26th, and Friday 27th March, to accommodate fans travelling for the Ireland vs. Czechia qualifier. This increase is already in place, and we expect services to be very busy during this period.”
Ryanair has also been contacted for comment.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.