The announcement of this agreement is the beginning of what I hope will be a long relationship between the two companies. As others have mentioned before, I hope the Aer Lingus Regional banner will apply to a limited number of aircraft so that the Aer Arann brand which many have worked long and hard to preserve can live on.
On the subject of the current state of the ATR42-300 & ATR72-200 fleet, I have to agree they could do with a refresh. Passing through DUB yesterday I saw one of the more "aged" ATR42's pushing back. It's general appearance was disappointing and while cash is tight, I think a fresh livery should be on the job cards for the next letter check.
On an engineering subject, does anyone know why the early ATR 42's have an additional air intake / scoop beneath the primary engine inlet? It appears only on the "Classic" ATR42's and is not on any of the newer ATR72's. I believe Fokker 50's also had the scoop so assume it's related to the PW100 somehow???