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Aer Lingus starts Dubai service from next March
From €199 each way incl taxes.
http://www.rte.ie/business/2005/1027/aerlingus.html From the EI website Aer Lingus Launches New Route to Dubai Fares from €199 one-way including taxes and will be on sale at www.aerlingus.com from 3rd November Aer Lingus has today entered a new phase of its development with the announcement of a new non-stop service from Dublin to Dubai. Commencing March 2006, the service will operate three times a week and is expected to carry 70,000 passengers in the first year. This is the first time Aer Lingus has offered a long-haul destination outside of the USA and is the first step in the expansion of its new long-haul network. Making the announcement, Aer Lingus Chief Executive Dermot Mannion said "This is a very positive step for the airline and demonstrates our commitment to the development of a low fares, long-haul strategy, embracing new routes with significant growth potential. Our twin track strategy encompasses both short-haul and long-haul routes, which provides us with a competitive edge, a unique offering and furthermore enhanced choice for our customers. Dubai is recognised as the business centre of the Middle East. In addition it has seen a huge growth in tourism from the Irish market over the last 10 years. Dubai will also provide a unique growth opportunity for Irish tourism from new and existing markets. These factors give us confidence that this route will be a major success." In addition to being an attractive location in its own right, Dubai is the leading hub in the Middle East for destinations such as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Sydney. Dubai will be the fifth route in the Aer Lingus long-haul network along with New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. In all, Aer Lingus has announced sixteen new routes in 2005. The eight-hour non-stop flight of 3682 miles to Dubai International Airport will be serviced by three Airbus A330 aircraft. |
This is the first time Aer Lingus has offered a long-haul destination outside of the USA and is the first step in the expansion of its new long-haul network. |
They did.... Kinda scary an Airline that doesnt know their geography....
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Whats Next Hongkong and Sydney?
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Given Mannion's pedigree destinations he is familiar with via EK (starting with DXB, obviously) are probably his priority?
The question is - what routes/frequencies are going to be cut to free up a 330 for DXB, or is World Airways going to be supplying MD-11s for the T/A? |
Dubai
Orlando service is being cut from Jan 15th 2006 so a couple of these flights will surely be used for the new Dubai flights
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Lets hope EI decide to beef up the service somewhat!!! I cant see the Dubai locals taking kindly to the EI way of doing things when they have become so accustomed to the likes of Emirates etc!
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Presumably this is a run for EI-DAA.
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"Lets hope EI decide to beef up the service somewhat!!!"
Beef it up somewhat..!!!! its crap at the moment, starting from scratch would be a better idea, and that goes for economy and what EI term "Premier" |
open skies
Looks as if Aerlingus will not be in a position to take advantage of a relaxation of the bilateral.
There will be huge political pressure on them to maintain the current level of service at Shannon regardless of open skies. It looks as if they won't have the aircraft to expand to US out of Dublin so the advantage will lie with the US carriers who will have a major headstart on Aerlingus. Another negative impact of the Shannon Stopover the Great Sacred Cow of Irish Politics. Does anyone know what impact Open Skies may have on the Ireland Canada bilateral ?surely they won't maintain the stopover for Canadian flights if the US bilateral changes. |
With Gulf air operating a Dublin to Bahrain and onward connections from there (including Dubai), this seems a little like stepping on someone elses toes. Personally I thought it would have made sense to head off to somewhere they could connect with CX or QF and interline pax onwards. Maybe that's next....
Not sure there is a demand for 3 a week to Dubai from Ireland though! And they are up against some stiff competition (even with the nessecity to transfer at LHR etc!) |
Aer Lingus must privatise in 2006: CEO
The RTE News report I linked to in the first post has now been updated with a new headline as above.
He'll borrow to buy 3 aircraft. After that, he needs actual money for further growth. |
It really is a very depressing situation for Aer Lingus. The airline stands on the edge of the most exciting period in its history. If Open Skies goes through, I don't think the govt will be able to do much to pressure or force them, BUT the govt will be doing all it can to fight for a competitive disadvantage, to keep the stopover going beyond the introduction of open skies. You have to step back and think about this; despite it being clear that the stopover doesn't actually help SNN and the anachronistic idea that you can somehow help growth in one place by holding it back in another, the govt is going to fight for this. It's going to argue that we in Ireland - the country which most needs open skies - should have a competitive disdvantage vis a vis EVERY OTHER COUNTRY IN EUROPE. We have to hope that the Americans hold their line and hold fast against the stopover.
As for Canada, you're right; this is unaffected. And what you think of the chances that Ireland will open talks with Canada? Rather fat, I'd say. Against this background and with the unions angling for new national pay talks and an election due in 2007, how likely to you think it is that the Dear Leader will allow privatisation to go ahead? |
Orlando service is being cut from Jan 15th 2006 so a couple of these flights will surely be used for the new Dubai flights |
EI-WAT,
thats great news, however it is still not possible to book on the aerlingus.com website for orlando. It still says this "Aer Lingus operates from Oct 30 2005 - Jan 13 2006 on days Tue Thu Sat" Any ideas on when it will be possible to book after these dates? P206 |
Akerosid, with Delta recently announcing capacity dumping on Irish routes the Shannon stop might be viewed (perversely) as a benefit to Aer Lingus. It stops the kind of free-for-all on US routes that only a company with a thousand aircraft and Chapter11 bankruptcy protection can win.
I'm in favour of it going, but I'm not as pessimistic as you that its crippling Aer Lingus as it stands. Its a double-edged sword. |
Idunno...let the SNN stop over go. EI needs a good boot to react to competition. How? By needing modern aircraft like their competitors. If they had descent competition on the atlantic the IFS systems in the 330s would have been changed years ago. As much as I dislike MO'L I support his stance on competition. Monopolies, oligoplies are a thing of the past. AL is still lumbering in the past and is sunk back a lot in the last year.
Akerosid is spot on. It's depressing. Why? The government want no change to AL s status due to an impending election. Privatising AL is bumkin next year as the pension funds are a mess and the govt cant bail it out pre election. Likewise the govt must be seen to show its support in pushing of an easying out of the SNN stop over as against a sudden stop irrespective of the dramatic increase of business out of SNN thanks to LCCs. AL are swopping Orlando for Dubai....big deal. There just stringing out the 330s and looking to bleed an extra load of hours out of crews in a roster period. This is just robbing peter to pay paul. There is a dire need to lease/ buy aircraft/ recruit/ expand. I fear we'll see again the old AL using the A330s like their old 747 100s...to a state of being clapped out. People today are very in tune with fleets are not interested in flying on old aircraft. |
The Orlando flight is continuing until the 25-Mar-2006 now |
Bearcat, I said I agree with the SNN stopover going in the long term (RTFQ) and I agree that ALTs 330's are becoming a disgrace (esp in the IFE area), but where is the money going to come from for a new fleet if privatisation is the sham you suggest?
Perhaps Mannion is under some kind of delusion, because on the day he announced Dubai he also told the media the company would be taken private before the election. Maybe you know something he doesn't? Is he THAT ignorant of the bigger national political picture? Perhaps he's another WW in the making! The Shannon stop only affects ALTs TA services and I would contend that the future is not Westbound - but EAST. If preserving the SNN stop keeps Delta from capacity dumping into Ireland, while ALT expands EAST with an improved Biz class service and new a/c - thats acceptable IMHO and a good medium term plan. |
I believe the privatisation is via share issue so the government won't recoup any money and if the unions decide to maintain the percentage of their shareholding they'll have to pony up dough too.
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