OK, calm down everyone.
Before any wild speculation as to 'possible' suitors for Aer Lingus, can someone please outline a list of the benefits to any major in the purchase of EI? Because, for the life of me, I can't see too many. At best, it is a small regional, with a small, well served and very competitive home market that is experiencing a recession and contains no significant traffic hub, internal unions that on occasion will impact on operations and is staring at significant further provisions for its pension scheme. The airline is already an established feeder from its home market to all the major European hubs as well some US gateways.
Now, for an LH, IAG, KLM/AF or similar of this world, what's the upside? No US carrier is a likely buyer. Maybe a Gulf player with 'more money than sense' might take a look, but I doubt it. A merger with a couple of smaller players might make sense, at a stretch, but then who?
As ever, I'll defer to the Pprune-Parish-Brains-Trust.
JAS