But any such plan is contingent on securing a fleet of low-cost, long-haul aircraft, which are not currently available.
Gee isn't it a coincidence that there are a whole bunch of green A330's all ready to go and ETOPS approved. My my. Now that management have showed their hand and shown that they didn't really want to deal at all but just drag things out for good measure we will finally see what is in store for Aer Lingus. Don't be surprised if you see the long haul being snapped up by FR/Aerfare, their 30% stake cashed in in return and what is left either taken private or sold off to the highest bidder. The government will be cornered into selling off their stake with scare tactics of a firesale and a backdoor deal to protect the LHR slots to keep the TD's and the voters happy. Meantime a whole bunch of senior managers at AL have just become overnight instant millionnaires and sorted for life. Nice work if you can