For one thing, Ryanair made it clear on Friday that the airline had no plans to launch a service.

If it happens, setting up a new airline will actually be Michael O'Leary's idea of a quiet retirement after he steps down as Ryanair CEO.

The "announcement" - in fact remarks by O'Leary originally made to Flight International magazine - was also news to the airport that would be the New York area linchpin of the reported transatlantic strategy, Long Island Islip MacArthur Airport.

Full disclosure: this reporter grew up two miles from the airport and worked there on school holidays as a skycap.

Islip MacArthur isn't exactly sleepy - two million passengers passed through last year, or less than 10% of the traffic at Dublin airport. It's also about 50 miles from New York, a geographical oddity Ryanair passengers will be used to. It has 92 passenger flights a day, with Southwest Airlines - Michael O'Leary's lowcost inspiration - as its anchor tenant.

One other health warning about a Ryanair transatlantic service for Euro10 one-way. The price in news stories should, like Ryanair adverts, have been accompanied by an asterisk. The "taxes, fees and charges" that Ryanair leaves off its list price would actually make a Euro10 Stansted to Islip flight cost over Euro225. Zoom already offers a Euro344 service from Gatwick to JFK. And that's for a round trip.

On the plus side, a station for the Long Island Rail Road is 2 miles away, with hourly service into Manhattan and also trains eastbound to the Hamptons. A shuttle bus connection costs $5.

The airport also has four runways, one stretching 7,000 feet long and built for military transports that use it as a base.

But the news came as a total surprise to Catherine Green, spokeswoman for the Town of Islip, the local authority which owns and operates the airport.

"We had a couple of phone calls yesterday from New York papers. You're the first from Ireland, " she said.

Any official approach from Ryanair? "Ryanair hasn't discussed this in any way with us."

"The airport is not set up at this time for international flights, " she said, though the airport terminal recently underwent a $60m expansion. "It would require infrastructure to allow for customs and immigration."

Might that require investment? "Oh yes."

Would the town pay for it?

"Well, it would require investment."

If the transatlantic dream becomes reality and they're negotiating with Michael O'Leary over a terminal, Islip officials won't know what hit them.

But there is a chance O'Leary isn't waiting for retirement to get things going. Local rumour has it that a company connected to O'Leary has already been in discussions with Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, to sublet landing rights at Islip MacArthur for three domestic flights a week. Watch this space.