Strange, though, that the last flight to DUB is 18.50. Is there no market for a later flight than that bearing in mind it is London we are talking about?

Okay so I'm in Tokyo - do I:

A) HND >> AUH >> SNN/DUB >> JFK
OR
B) HND >> LAX >> JFK

You tell me.... it's a stupid idea. They would end up losing a LOT of traffic who are crossing that way in flight time. It'd probably be more time efficient to travel through someone like Qatar or Emirates:
HND>> HUB AIRPORT >> JFK

The time saved going through Ireland on these intl flights is not worth it given the time lost in the air.

I read that article and it's not the most intelligent piece of writing. So, just because EY will be sending pax via DUB onto EI flights, the US suddenly gets a power of veto? Come on!

As for Japan, I doubt if that's the target market; I think they're probably looking much more at India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the M/E generally. There's enough potential traffic to make it worthwhile.

I'd love to see the potential flight times though. It's still going to be possible to fly possibly SIN >> JFK and avoid the extra time on the ground or possibly even SYD >> JFK - or to any other US destination. I'm not too sure EI has strong enough footing for a transatlantic boom. If it was a more viable option - we'd be seeing far more BA etc flights going LHR >> Ireland >> USA - but we don't.

The time lost on the ground is going to be too long for a widebody landining in e.g. SNN which will have, to be blunt, some people which will be having 'random immigration checks' and so much more - it clogs the whole system up. May as well as just dump them in JFK straight off and let the USA deal with them there and then rather than a hub airport where you are based at and they will just throw the pax right back at you.

LGWAGP
 

Looks like LGWAGP bites the dust from 09Jan2012. Low fares available up to that date, after that all fares showing £200+. Not a surprise given the competition on the route.

Noticed that myself when checking fares for next year. Increasing fares to £200+ was a similar tactic they used when closing the other routes, I remember easyJet ran adverts in newspapers pointing out the high fares only for Aer Lingus to go and announce the ending of those routes the next day.

Not exactly a surprise either way, it's lasted longer than I thought actually.

The A320 that operates the 3 daily LGW - AGP is moving to DUB in March. People have said the base is closing then to but there is one aircraft confirmed by EI moving to DUB.

If it does close and EI wanted to keep NOC, ORK they could do a W from DUB. Thats the way they are doing LGW-ORK this winter.

Posted on Dublin page also:

It looks very lightly that EI will handle EK.

It is also expected that the handling agreement will be unveiled as a codeshare for EK flights which would be great for EI.

Discussions have definitely taken place between EI and EK in regard to the handling contract. An announcement is due by the end of the month. Weather it happens this week or next is the next question.

EI have said recently they want to have code share flights to Middle East/Asia.

All from a few EI ground crew.

As for LGW the base is most lightly loss makeing and its about time EI do close it.

Aer Lingus have finally decided to add extra flights to sun spots for Christmas because of high demand.

DUB - TFS - 21 & 28 Dec, 4 Jan (regular Tue, Thur, Sat also operate)

DUB - ACE - 22 & 27 Dec, 3 Jan (regular Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat also operate)
on sale tomorrow

DUB - LPA - TBC

Aer Lingus keeping there 3 A321's for next summer season.

PLug FR gap PLEASE!
 

Will Aer Lingus ever serve BOH from DUB?

Not a chance with their own metal, the A320s are just too large an aircraft for the route and Aer Lingus would struggle to fill it profitably. Aer Lingus Regional operated by Aer Arann ATRs are the best bet for a BOH route.

If (and I'm speculating) the LGW base does close and the aircraft are re-based at DUB, is there a real possibility of W rotations to keep NOC and ORK served from LGW? What about the possibility of a W rotation to SNN, where judging by loads on all London flights (EI and FR), there is sufficient demand if the timings are right ( ie not crack of dawn inbound to LGW like the ill fated and short lived LGW-SNN EI service earlier this year)?

Is there a megalomaniac about to get his comeuppance?

Twitter

EK to codeshare with EI. Link not working after the tweet but it wouldn't be tweeted if not true

(auto spel changing words)

When with EI regional on Tueday DUB - BRS and was shocked with the load factors on the routes even though Ryanair are operating it.

6.40 departure to BRS 99% full
17.35 departure to DUB 85$ full
Was expecting a lot lower LF.

4 passengers who connected from JFK. I didn't think that they would have such high load factors.

LGW - AGP dropped from 8 Jan flights no longer bookable.

Aer Linugs LGW base is one aircraft for summer 2012.

LGW-DUB-LGW-NOC-LGW-ORK-LGW-DUB-LGW daily

Dublin increases to 6 daily everyday except Saturday when 4 daily. DUB aircraft operate the rest of LGW -DUB flights.

So what happens all the crew over there now?

Tom

Aer Lingus future
 

With IAG thwarting VS and buying BD and presumably having to withdraw from the EI codeshare to / from Belfast and Dublin, could EI make an appropriate (merger?) partner for Virgin? VS to take over all long haul with EI feed to their main hub at LHR from DUB, SNN, ORK & BFS and feeding into a secondary hub at DUB from all their European routes? All EI long haul destinations are well-establised VS destinations and thus could benefit from VS marketing power and VS has much more status as a long haul airline anyway.
It would be a bit of consolation prize for VS in contrast to BD but perhaps more feasible with the addition of Etihad financial muscle?
You wouldn't even have to have a merged brand I suspect.

You mean 'Etihad nifancial sumcle surely.....WHY oh WHY do we keep seeing Teahid? The name of that airline keeps being re-spelled on pprune everytime. I have to force it with a leading apostrophe to make it spell correctly.

jdcg EI long haul routes are a lot better established with the 44 million Irish Americans market than VS could ever hope for. Dropping that brand would be insane.

jdcg; this is the most absurd presumption. BA are very happy with the level of feed from EI via LHR from DUB, ORK, SNN and BFS, why on earth would they want to withdraw from the codeshare with EI. Even if they do choose to operate on DUB & BHD to LHR?

They cooperated when they were on DUB LHR and they still cooperate today. If BA do opt to fly to Dublin or Belfast City post bmi, they still will probably have 4 or at most 5 rotations a day and EI in the case of DUB will have a lot more, hence potential to feed BA LHR network.

BA have axed LHRDUB in March 1991, and then in recent years axed LGWDUB and LCYDUB was abandoned mid season as it was a disaster. I cant see them touching DUB.

Skipness, have a search around, there as an explanation about Etihad's spelling on this forum recently enough.

Oh ok, I hadn't realised quite how strong a brand Aer Lingus might be in the States.
As to the EI codeshare on DUB / BFS, I'm only assuming they'd have to withdraw from it out of competition concerns as with the purchase of BD they'd have a total monopoly on Belfast / Dublin to LHR flights - which surely would draw the attention of the regulators. I'm sure they don't want to withdraw.

A quick check of the BMI website has them flying to over 20 countries. You have an issue with them on 2 routes to 2 different countries. We also have no idea how much profit is attributable to those routes when compared to their entire network. Small fry I would say for a regulator. The bigger issue would be the total share of slots at LHR post merger compared to their nearest competitor. But lets face it there are much smarter people than us who would have crunched the numbers and have the responses ready the regulator. If they didn't then they wouldn't have wasted the time and effort on putting in a bid in the first place.

This oft quoted 44 million is a misnomer as you will find this 44 million also includes many who can trace Italian / German / British / Scandanavian etc as part of the same heritage.

EI Longhaul in 2011 will carry way less than 1 million passengers so even taking a 50-50 split between Irish originating passengers and US ones they are carrying 1% of the supposed Irish Americans or roughly 9,000 a week.

In 2010 2.5 Million passengers used LHR-JFK and I don't see BA boasting of it.

Aer Lingus in the US is an Airline with services to Ireland and anybody relying on anything more than that.

If there was a brand that strong then Conti and others would struggle to get a look in.

Racedo, you have been quiet since your prediction that Aer Lingus would run out of cash suffered a hull loss.

41 million US citizens claim their primary ethnicity is Irish. US census 2000.

October Passengers
 

EI 907,000 passengers down 0.1%
EI Regional 69,000 passengers up 30%
Together passengers up 1.6% over October 2010

Short Haul - 831,000 passengers - no change
Lond Haul - 76,000 passengers - down 1.3

LF increased by 2.1% to 78.5%

Short Haul - increased to 81% - capacity increased by 0.8%
Long Haul - increased to 73.5% - capacity decreased by 3.9%

Irish Americans
 

the old saying is 40m americans are of irish decent and 60M americans think they are one of them

Nope I haven't been.

Perhaps you should read their own financial statements to find out where all the money has gone.

Bases and routes opened and cancelled, staff taxes paid for them, massive redundancies, losses paid for by using up shareholders cash etc etc... Goodbye half a billion.

And for what ?
How much has actually being spent building something ?
How many new as distinct from pre owned aircraft have they used to build the business ?

Aer Lingus has made up strategy after strategy and all of them have left them in a worse position than before.

As for the US market, whether its 40, 60 or 100 million people, the facts remain that less than half a million people use them from the US across the Atlantic each year so the idea that Virgin buying them would destroy something is kinda laughable.

Reports else where that EI are looking at resuming flights to Toronto. Odd choise as TS and AC operate it seasonaly.

Don't see it myself but anyone else heard anything.

Does anybody know if there are plans to have any new short haul routes next summer.

Did they ever fly to Toronto?

I thought Montreal was the only destination they had ever served.

Where it might make sense is if combined with a US West Coast route so that they would be less restricted by aircraft type and load. But they're not going to pick up many passengers in Toronto and with the competitition to Toronto, it will be challenging for the Dublin-Toronto part, so it would seem a strange choice.

In some ways, if returning to Canada, Montreal might make more sense.

Their last flights to Canada were in early 80's -707s routing Dublin Chicago Montreal

Maybe they should try bfs to Toronto, no competition up north and atleast our APD is lower now ( I know not as low as Dublin)

Ryanair are trying to call an EGM of Aer Lingus shareholders. Aer Lingus are turning the request down. It's descended into each side releasing to public view the letters they are sending each other as to why an EGM should or shouldn't be granted. Is this just a case of MOL tryi.g to cause trouble or is there some motion that could reasonably be addressed and that would have a non trivial impact ? If anyone is familiar with Irish company law, would be interested to hear their opinion as to the whole episode

Think the law is similar for listed companies everywhere in that shareholders can request an EGM and management can refuse one.