Given that the great recession took hold in the United States first, it was almost a certainty that recovery would come here first also.

This is a tribute to the rapid and aggressive approach which is usual in the United States when confronting an economic reversal. And it appears that indeed the US economy is leading the western world back to what we would like to think of as a more normal economic cycle.

But there have been casualties and consolidations along the way, notably in the airline business. Competitive air access from the United States to Ireland is critical for tourism recovery and growth, and to see how things were going, ITIC spoke with Jack Foley, Executive Vice President North America, of Aer Lingus, by far the largest carrier on the transatlantic routes to Ireland.

Click on the image below to hear what he had to say.

If you would like to comment on anything you’ve heard here, leave a comment below!

April 29th 2010