EI/EIR have a contract clause on Scotland routes and overcoming this could be a problem but LHR will be guaranteed from next summer and may potentially be the only route in 2019.

From a fuel prospective yes however they will make more money flying NEO to LHR/AMS/CDG/FCO with J almost full. They will probally not do any med routes because the config in Y is more less an A320 and they will make little extra on the J class seats.

It looks like one of the new A330's will need a little TLC.

While under tow to the gate in SFO EI-GAJ rubbed up against a wall

https://www.independent.ie/irish-new...-36941213.html

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/loca...483521901.html

Edit: View looking from the front of the aircraft (credit Facebook via Boards.ie)
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/atta...7&d=1527158552

JAS

Had winglet removed on return to DUB

DUB-FRA-DUB
 

DUB-FRA goes 3 daily Mon, Fri and Sun over most of winter season just as Ryanair start. There is no question of the route been dropped but x3 daily won't last and 49 on a Saturday evening isn't great but not unusual.

LH/EI attract very different types of passengers with EI been heavily O&D and LH connections.

A350's still coming?
 

IB received its first A350 today, 26th June, and the first of the type for the IAG family.

According to the FlightGlobal article on the delivery;

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...t-a350-449738/

Is FlightGlobal just working off out of date information? Has no decision been made on the original A350 announcement? Or have the slots been reallocated within IAG and just not relabled?

Does anyone know for certain if the A350's are still arriving to EI?

JAS

FlightGlobal just working on old information.

Aer Lingus explained its future fleet plan at an investors meeting last year and no A350s were visible well into the 2020s. The fleet will focus on A321LR and A333 for the foreseeable but those saying the order is "dead" or "will never happen" are naive as that's not the way IAG works.

Within IAG any aircraft currently on the books could go to any airline should a business case be put forward and be successful, if in a few years Aer Lingus decide its ready for next generation aircraft it could get them pretty quickly by either dipping into the IAG orders or exercising options held by the group just like they did with the recent A333s. The A321LR was ordered pretty quickly once Aer Lingus displayed to IAG the business case was there for them.

So are the original 9 A350s still coming to Aer Lingus? No. Could they still arrive at a later date? Definitely.

OK so they're going to Iberia or BA instead? IAG are still taking them?

It's not clear.

The majority of the original order hadn't been assigned production numbers by Airbus yet, by early 2016 only the first aircraft had been given MSN 197 with delivery scheduled for Q2 2018 but that was later assigned to Vietnam Airlines, obviously not an IAG carrier. Obviously IAG already has an A350 order pool, I'm not sure if that officially went up by 9 units when Aer Lingus joined the group or not and that's the only way to tell where those aircraft went.

The original slot was clearly reassigned by Airbus on instruction from Aer Lingus/IAG sometime in 2016.

When I suggested the aircraft could arrive at a later date, I was talking about the larger A350 order already at IAG including options which could be exercised relatively quickly like the recent brand new A333 arrivals.

How many passengers were affected by NOC/Gatwick flight on 28/06/2018 that was canceled?
What was the real reason?

If that's the case go for it, you'll obviously get plenty of other rewards working through the tiers.

Owen,

Unless you can advance a level by 1 December 2018, there is no point in starting until after 1 Dec. They reset it annually so you have 1 year to move up a tier.