Aer Lingus - 6

[Skipness One Echo]

Relatively easy to have 2 separate brands from same company.

It's relatively easy in a complimentary relationship like Air France and KLM or BA and Iberia, with service levels in the same ballpark. However stepping off a decent long haul experience onto a bright yellow Ryanair B737-800 with a charmless crew and buy on board is far from a seamless transfer. I cannot think of any company(s) where this works well today. Even with BA and American, people get hacked off when they end up flying on a rubbish American B767 when they booked a BA flight, only to discover it's a codeshare. Once bitten twice shy...

[Damian O'Leary]

EI to bid for UK slots at LHR

Reported that EI intends to start LHR-EDI if successful in bidding for the take-off and landing slots at Heathrow released following IAG's acquisition of BMI:

Aer Lingus to bid for UK slots at Heathrow - Telegraph

[Charlie Roy]

Reported that EI intends to start LHR-EDI if successful in bidding for the take-off and landing slots at Heathrow released following IAG's acquisition of BMI

It has prescribed that eight of the 12 slot pairs must be used for flights between Heathrow and Edinburgh or Aberdeen to provide adequate competition to BA.

Would Aer Lingus compete with British Airways or code share I wonder...

[EI-BUD]

AerLingus has been one of the obvious contenders for this, given the size of their operation at LHR and their proximity to BA, lets say. (interlining on ORK, SNN, DUB and BFS to LHR, which is important to BA and EI alike).

The other likely candidates can only be to my mind
Virgin
bmi Regional

Virgin very unlikely to be serious about doing domestic.

BA would much rather have EI in the fold as they will have to cooperate anyway, as per the conditions of allowing another operator to operate LHR EDI and ABZ, if EI dont go for ABZ I cant see any other operator going after it.

Perhaps as a concession, BA could opt to serve INV in place of the slots to be allocated to ABZ route.?

As much as BA has made strong signals of its committment to BHD and the Belfast market (all very welcome), I still feel that EI doing a deal at BHD is linked to some sort of unwritten agreement with BA where EI gets onto EI ex LHR and BA exits Belfast martet. Whether EI is successful in getting LHR EDI slots that remains to be seen.

[WHBM]

Originally Posted by EI-BUD

I still feel that EI doing a deal at BHD is linked to some sort of unwritten agreement with BA where EI gets onto EI ex LHR and BA exits Belfast martet.

Given that EI is 30% owned by Ryanair, I can't see BA coming to any undisclosed agreement with them on anything, which information Michael O'Leary would have a field day with at a time of his choosing.

[EI-BUD]

WHBM; fair point, but MOL doesnt need to be party to all workings of EI behind the scene. FR is not a majority shareholder, besides my point was 'an unwritten agreement' which I suggest would be of mutual benefit to BA and EI. We will just have to wait and see, in the mean time the future of EI services at Belfast hangs in suspense, seems quite certain that this winter we wont have Aer Lingus on continental European routes ex Belfast, quite late in the day to be putting these on sale and Jet2 have announced service to TFS and ACE!

[Skipness One Echo]

Aer Lingus on LHR-EDI has the company codename "Operation Gatwick Base" for reasons I would not dare to guess at. Allegedly!

[racedo]

besides my point was 'an unwritten agreement' which I suggest would be of mutual benefit to BA and EI.

Its called a Cartel and not only illegal it could cost 10% of turnover in fines and jail terms.

[Jamie2k9]

Aer Lngus are moving from Terminal 4 (International) in JFK to Terminal 5 (Jet Bule base). This will benefit passengers who are connecting on Jet Blue flights which will require minimum connection time. Move due to take place during Q1 2013.

JetBlue | Investor relations | Press Releases=

[barossavalley]

Ryanair bid

Ryanair has until close of business today to submit offer document for Aer Lingus bid
Ryanair must submit Aer Lingus offer today - Irish, Business - Independent.ie

[Jack1985]

Ryanair makes formal Aer Lingus offer

''Ryanair Submits EU694 Million Bid For Irish Rival Aer Lingus'' Ryanair Submits EU694 Million Bid for Irish Rival Aer Lingus - Bloomberg

[Jack1985]

Aer Lingus edging closer towards an Alliance?

I hear a certain Lufthansa employee was spotted with a small entourage at Aer Lingus' HQ last Monday, could we finally see Aer Lingus re-joining an alliance in 2013? It's hard to see which alliance they could be headed for, Oneworld although possible seems now a longshot with the BA codeshare close to being ripped up by the looks of it. Star Alliance seems to be #1 in the running, SkyTeam shouldn't be ruled out however. Mueller's recent comments that any alliance would be outweighed by costs associated with it seems to have been addressed, we should be hearing this announcement soon I gather.

[LGS6753]

Aer Lingus: Ryanair bid 'not credible' - Telegraph

...Ryanair bid "not credible".

[Belboy]

The Aer Lingus board say the offer is not credible, what would you expect them to say.

[EI-BUD]

I hear a certain Lufthansa employee was spotted with a small entourage at Aer
Lingus' HQ last Monday, could we finally see Aer Lingus re-joining an alliance
in 2013?

Jack1985, sadly if this is true, it would suggest that BA/EI arrangements on Ireland London routes are not in a good place, and the gloves are likely to come off in terms of both airlines competing heavily on some of EI's most importand and highest frequency routes.

In addition, would a link with Star dilute EI work on DUB LHR and increased emphasis on Ireland/Germany routes with feed to LH network ex FRA?

Diverting connecting passengers over FRA as opposed to LHR may mean EI can cut DUB by 1 or 2 a day and leave these for other routes? Just a thought.

A link with Star may also give some clues as to why EI go back onto CPH as they could link with SAS??

EI-BUD

[Fairdealfrank]

BA/EI code share

Are BA and EI no longer code-sharing on LHR-ORK and LHR-SNN?

[VanBosh]

Is there any evidence of a deteriation with EI/BA? I keep reading it here but may have missed something concrete? Granted BA are now competing directly but I don't think they have enough seats /slots to fill what EI bring their way?

Also if they did join star would it have to mean no BA code share? Didn't they code share with KLM at AMS when in one world?

[mart901]

Isn't klm skyteam or have they changed alliance over the years? It may be that ei going into direct competition at BHD has caused a possible parting of the ways, for Willy Walsh to say FR's offer for EI is somewhat credible begs me to wonder

[Fairdealfrank]

EI alliance

Shame, would have liked to see EI to go back into oneworld.

No, membership of an alliance does not prohibit code shares with carriers in other alliances.

[EI-A330-300]

I hear a certain Lufthansa employee was spotted with a small entourage at Aer Lingus' HQ last Monday,

Think it may be more to do with EI DUB-FRA flights rather than anything else stated here.