FOR years, Irish consumers have been infuriated by the sterling/euro divide, powerless to avoid paying a massive premium on goods coming from the UK.

Now for the first time, the shoe is on the other foot as the country's low-fare airline has decided to cash in on the falling value of sterling.

Ryanair told the Sunday Tribune it is now operating on the basis of parity between sterling and euro for all products bought on its aircraft.

For example, a sandwich bought on board advertised at €4.50 would cost £4.50.

The difference in value is still substantial, with the exchange rate last week standing at around 93p to the €1, meaning visitors or Irish people returning from the UK are paying a premium of 50 cent or 11%.

One disgruntled customer said: "I wanted to buy a can of beer and a sandwich on board a flight back to Dublin from London.

"The advertised price said it would cost me €9. I had some sterling left over from my trip over there and presumed it would be cheaper, maybe £8 or something like that.

"A member of the cabin crew explained – with a straight face – that the currencies were now so close together that £1 was equal to €1.

"You can rest assured that this would not have been the case when the divide was much bigger and Ryanair was happy to have two sets of prices."

A statement said: "Ryanair regularly reviews the exchange rate which operates on board its aircraft for onboard sales.

"The rates charged on board reflect the exchange rates applicable at the time Ryanair purchased goods from its suppliers. There is parity at the moment."

Ryanair's move to "parity" comes at a time when retailers in the Republic have been under intense pressure to start reflecting the fall in sterling's value on goods bought here.

Despite the decline of the pound, many retailers were persisting with the use of an exchange rate of £1 to €1.50 according to a survey by the Sunday Tribune last December.

Another survey carried out by the National Consumer Agency that month found that the average difference in price was around 51%.

A Cow Milk jug at Laura Ashley was
the worst offender, costing just £16 in the UK and Northern Ireland and €28 in the Republic.

Price differences of up to 50% were seen in a range of retailers including Dunnes Stores, Miss Selfridge, Monsoon, Mothercare, Adams and Argos.