You've really been listening to too much of MOL's spin. Aer Lingus made a profit in H2 2009, its not in the diarr straits that MOL would have you believe.
If one ignored MO'L completely and just looked at Aer Lingus own actions you would see what position company was in and it is bad both from a revenue persepctive and an industrial relations persepctive at this point in time.
1 Year ago spending millions launching Gatwick base and now withdrawning from most routes, cash has halved, second redundancy plan in 18 months with a huge cash outflow in 1st redundancy plan in paying off people to the tune of €100 million, current plan may not cost that but it will not cost nothing.
Options include paying statutory minimum redundancy in people letting go but that would probably backfire with strike action as people left behind would think that if it happens to them they would get the same so would act in their own interests first.
Companies don't go bust because they make profits, they go bust because they run out of cash and creditors / lenders don't have confidence that any cash they invest will get repaid. This is NOT the position with Aer Lingus but it could be if they continue to bleed cash at an unsustainable rate.
IMHO I think Mueller is doing a good job
in trying to save the Airline. He was taken on as a hatchet man who because he is not Irish will not get the same abuse as a native son. Unfortunately what he is trying to do is a couple of years late and unions now accepting a need for change when there is €500 M less than it was when they could have changed and invested in the future.