Aer Lingus Cuts Fares By Up To 70% To Woo Back Pax ... For Nine Days!!

[The Guvnor]

From today's Telegraph. Obviously the EI marketing people know something the rest of us don't if they think all their problems will be solved in nine days! :D :D :D

Aer Lingus cuts fares by 70 per cent
(Filed: 09/10/2001)

AER LINGUS slashed its fares yesterday in an attempt to win back bookings after the September 11 attacks.

The national airline said prices had been reduced by up to 70 per cent on 26 routes.

Passengers will be able to fly to America for between IR£169 [about £140] and IR£249 [about £207] return, and to all UK destinations for IR£59 [about £49] return, including taxes.

The carrier has slashed prices on certain routes into the country by a half. The move comes just days after the full extent of the crisis in Aer Lingus was revealed.

Bookings on transatlantic routes have fallen by 80 per cent since the terrorist attacks and on European routes passenger numbers have dropped by 30 per cent.

The Irish parliament was told that the firm was losing IR£2 million a day. Cash reserves were set to run out by February 2002.

At least 600 job losses have already been announced and unions expect more to follow.

Calls have abounded from opposition members in the Dail for the Government to bail out Aer Lingus but European Union regulations forbid states from propping-up national carriers.

The special fare offers are available for travel until Nov 30 and can be booked between Oct 9-18.

[fruitbat]

From todays Evening Standard:

" Aer Lingus, which last week reported an 80% collapse in it's transatlantic traffic since 11 September, could be getting ready to axe 2500 jobs, more than a third of its permanent staff"

[Bearcat]

Mark my words.........Aer Lingus will be in receivership at managements request in less than twelve months.

[Nightflyer]

I understand from Irish sources that there is an important meeting of the Aer Lingus board today.

[airbourne]

Mark my words! Bertie will not be the Prime minister that lets Aer Lingus go under. If he does we can kiss his re-election chances good bye. The next Irish general election takes place in the less than a year.

[irish laddie]

i think it will be a 90 day offer if it was going to help them at all! :eek: :rolleyes: :p :o

[Bearcat]

Airbourne.I did'nt say they would go under but going into receivership is a different ball of wax. I hope it doesnt and am proved the opposite but now when I see the govt are looking at ways of giving loans which is essententially a bail out, this will never cure AL's woes as inefficent. If AL comes out of this alone, by shedding the necessary fat and emmerges as a lean and fit operator, they will be a respected member of the aviation and business community. If they are bailed out, it is a fudge and a disgrace. Here's hoping

[airbourne]

Bearcat, I wasnt having a go at your comment, only stating a point which I would think that anyone thats Irish would agree with. Bertie and Co have had more loopholes whens it comes to Europe, and I reckon they will back EI to the hill and not allow to fail. Major changes are need to make the airline viable again. Everything from fleet, crewing, ground ops, and subsidurys. Wheras Ei does not have a large fleet by standards of BA or AA or the likes, I would think that smaller aircraft on some routes are needed straight away. Theres no point in flying an A330 with 6 pax to ORD as they were doing in the past before dropping the route. The big boys need to really tighten the belt and should start cutting everything or else you wont see the shamrock flying over the Emerald Isle for long!

[2A]

Airbourne, AL have not dropped their service to Chicago. They have dropped Newark and Baltimore-Washington. Anyway, hope they survive - a great airline to fly with.

[PilotsPal]

Just spotted on BBC News that Aer Lingus is to axe about 2,500 jobs (around 40% of its workforce).

[mutt]

Pilots Pal,

Make that 2500 permanent staff AND 700 temporary staff.

Mutt.

[FlyingV]

Guvnor,

I would imagine that the 9-day duration of the sale is because nobody is flying at the moment and they need money right now, today and not some time next month. They don't want people thinking about it for a few weeks. They need to fill seats and earn money NOW.

Theres nothing to stop them from extending this sale if it proves successful. And considering that I'm finding it difficult even to get onto their website, it seems to be working.

Regards,
V.

[We're Just Office Boys]

V, the last time £59 was a cheap fare in Ireland was the gulf war. The Irish travelling public are not mugs and are unlikley to fall for this stunt.

[OneWorld22]

Gentlemen, we all know the apalling recent history of Aer Lingus. We have an inefficient union run airline where employee productivity is shockingly low. One man was sent in to turn this around and he got shafted by the unions.

How can this airline possibly be turned around, when you have union representitives sitting in on board meetings who don't have a clue what a balance sheet is or how to read a profit and loss account. You have at Aer Lingus baggage handlers and other personnel earning huge money as a reward for low productivity and that will never change while you have SIPTU running the show.

The question everyone has to ask is, if Aer Lingus is so blatantly inefficient and incapable of change, where a serious private sector corporate heavyweight could have turned things around and gets shafted in the most disgusting manner for his trouble, if the company is this bad and rotten to the core, why should tax payers fork out money to save it????

Does this mean that any company in financial trouble can expect generous Government hand outs? There is not a private mercant banker in the world that would lend Aer Lingus a penny.

I'm afraid the ignorant SIPTU monster planted the nail in the Aer Lingus coffin a long time ago. The Ray Burke North county Dublin mafia is alive and well and they'll go down with the Titanic.

[FlyingV]

WJOB, I repeat: considering how busy their website is, the seat sale seems to be working.

George Lee (no fan of semi-states) gave a very interesting report about EI on RTE News last night. I was quite surprised to hear the passenger/staff ratios for Aer Lingus compared to other European operators.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2001/1010/9News/9News1B.ram

Regards,
V.

[ 11 October 2001: Message edited by: FlyingV ]

[sgt.culpepper]

If you think the Aer Lingus 9 day seat sale is literally a nine day wonder , get a load of Ryanair's latest pitch. "One million seats" on sale screamed the advt in the Irish Independent on tuesday 9th Oct.. But according to the small print you have until midnight on thursday the 11th Oct to book...3days!!! -one million seats? .As Mccauley Culkin said I dont think so !

[EI - E I - O]

The word is that, when people go looking for the fares @ AL, they do not seem to exist. This will have a negative effect in the long term (if there is one. Listening to the AL union rep.(Des Gerarty) yesterday evening, I would be very worried, he comes across as a man, who should be representing Coach builders, down at the docks or something, he certainly isn't capable of making any impression with Mary Harney & Co. However, with the General Election fast approaching, Bertie, will be under a lot of pressure to save the day, as the airport, is within his North Dublin constituancy.

[FlyingV]

EI-EI-O

The cheap seats ARE there. I'm making 5 trips to LHR between now and end of Nov. Weekdays early departure, evening return. Mostly cost IEP 62.37

Only one (out first thing Mon. & back Fri. evening cost over £100 (129.32).

This includes all taxes etc.

Regards,
V.