Hi I hope I don't get flamed for this because I've not posted on here very often and I don't actually work for Aer Arann - however as a fairly regular customer and someone that is passionate about airlines and the small guys I care about what happens to Aer Arann.
I have to agree with some of the points above, that the tables have really turned now, in that Ryanair used to complain about the bully boy tactics of the state airlines and now they are basically doing the same sort of thing. No doubt at all that they've been hugely successful and that should be applauded but it would be nice to think that Ryanair had the interests of Ireland at heart. Aer Arann provides something that it couldn't and can't. Ryanair started providing flights to places like Galway, I mean I even flew on EI-BYO in FR colours but they changed the model massively, however that was at a very different time in Ireland's economic development.
It seems to me that Aer Arann are taking a pro-active look at what they can do to prevent anything more serious occuring. With other, larger airlines looking at downsizing, and the increasing interest in turboprops RE could be on to something here.
Additionally, is what RE is doing any different in reality to what other airlines are doing and what most airlines do in the winter period. They stop seasonal flights. RE isn't grounding planes as such - FR is. RE is possibly going to cut some of the least profitable routes in the hope more money can be made with the charter/wet lease programme. To my (albeit non industry eyes) that seems like a sound plan. Titan Airways based at STN have a good profitable business - although it's their main focus. I think Eastern Airways does that sort of thing as well.
What really concerns me, as a traveller, is the absolute need to retain competition, retain jobs and skills and direct point to point travel options. I can say hand on heart I would rather travel on RE to an airport like Galway than say FR to Shannon. I'm not saying I do that every trip, but I would prefer.
The aviation industry is so volitile. I used to follow the ups and downs of TWA for years, their's was a bigger operation with many contsraints and historical problems. Aer Arann, is, in marked contrast pretty lean and nimble it's got focus and smart new planes. It's getting noticed. I hope for the people that work at RE that this proves to be a success, but I hope too that scheduled ops won't be impacted too severely.
My final thought is not about self promotion, quite the contrary really, I made a few RE vids and posted them on you tube one last week trying to emulate a sort of tv commercial. As a traveller and an aviation enthusiast that's how much I'd like to see RE succeed. That or I've got too much time on my hands! Surely the absolute worst that could happen in this environment is that RE shrinks to just the PSOs as income? however saying that they seem to have been increasing passenger no's for months on end I wonder if this is about trimming the peripheral services more than anything else. But that still affects people, those that care for and work for the airline.
Good luck to anyone working for RE and thanks for reading my thoughts.