Have we finally turned the corner? Aer Lingus plan Cork network changes
A well informed source at Aer Lingus has informed me that the new Cork to Brussels route has beaten expectations in terms of forward bookings and is making considerably more then expected ancillary revenue. I was also informed that bookings for the now Double Daily Amsterdam flights remain almost parallel to 2011 so far. This is quite a significant achievement for the Airport. However I forgot to ask would Brussels be continued into next Winter, this remains to be confirmed but it is know seriously likely that it will. I was also informed by my source that bookings to Sun Destinations remain positive with the exception of Palma Majorca, bookings are slightly down on the route but this is no doubt due to the competition from Ryanair which will now also serve the route. My source told me Aer Lingus want to grow at Cork but the current route structure is limited, due to the amount of seasonal routes and the over reliance on Irish Sun pax. I was informed last December that Aer Lingus reps were seeing increases in ''Flex'' bookings on routes from Cork with particular onward connection hubs or centers of Finance seeing the most (AMS, CDG, LHR). Now this may be all hopes or dreams but I have noticed Aer Lingus are branching away from their 2000-boom era focus on Sun Destinations ex Cork, for example the change they took this Winter on returning Barcelona and Rome seem to have paid off. It also is looking likely that the A319's will be at Cork next winter to maintain a 4 based Mainline operation, this however is just my own opinion and not confirmed. A lot of Likes, Likely and Hopes in the above but it is becoming clear Aer Lingus are getting serious about their Cork operation with a view to expansion on previous failed Business routes from Cork.