Aer Lingus fire alert
 

Anybody know anything about the A330 New York bound return emergency in dublin today due to Fire Alert??

An Aer Lingus flight bound for New York made an emergency landing at Dublin Airport this morning following a fire alert on board the aircraft. The plane was en route to JFK Airport when it returned to Dublin after a fire warning light was activated. No fire was detected on board the aircraft, which landed safety at around 11.30am

Fligths arriving after the Aer Lingus A330 were told that the AFF was not available. This lasted for approx. 30 minutes.

Not that it really matters or has any relevance, but I was on this aircraft this morning from JFK to DUB. It's EI-JFK "St Colmcille". Although this is surely a false alert, it's a strange feeling anyhow :rolleyes: What if this had happened in the middle of the night over the pond while I was on board ?...

These EI 330s are getting old, it's obvious as a passenger : many things are worn out or inop in the cabin and with AerLingus charming policy of doing everything they can to look more and more like a no-frills (even on transatlantic services !), there isn't much done about it.

What a shame for the Shamrock...

Good landings to all

L

believe there was a ryanair go-around shortly after the A330 landed because of a Aer Lingus plane on the alternative runway (blocking it)???
anybody

I was at a lunchtime lecture recently given by Willie Walsh Quote "Aer Lingus is a low cost Airline rather than low fares " given the state of the A330's is this not taking low costs to extremes.

What Price Safety ?


Cliste

Some proof gentlemen? I've not noticed them being worn as a frequent pax... the oldest of these is 9 years? hardly a dinosaur...

Please limit your remarks to something less slanderous unless your prepared to back it up with fact.

Something similar happened to a BA 747 this past weekend resulting in a diversion to Shannon. Is anyone questioning BA's standards of maintainance or safety. Why of course not, they're British!

SNNEI,

No one is questioning the standards of technical maintenance or safety of EI. In fact, no one has connected this false alert with the degree of cabin ware of the EI 330s. It was a parallel comment... nothing to be so touchy about !

However, I would suggest that if you really knew what you were talking about, you wouldn't make these sorts of comments : everyone knows that a new aircraft can look like a "dinosaur" (as you put it) in 18 months if the operator decides not to properly refresh/upgrade the cabin on an on-going basis.

I would suggest that these 330s look nine years old inside (!) which is not worthy of a European flag carrier. BTW, like you, I'm not British but I can tell you that BA take much better care of their cabins than EI. Maybe they just respect their customers more...

Talking about frequent flyer, let's keep things in perspective : I do 12-15 transatlantic round trips with EI per year...

;)

I know what you say is true re airlines keeping the cabin in shape, and maintenence, and I assure you I do know what i'm talking about ;-)

I have seriously not noticed the deterioration some people allude to. I've found the cabins fine on any journey i've been on. I'm not going to get into a childish argument on how many sectors I fly each year (i'll just say it's a lot). I only mentioned that I was a frequent flyer to show that I wasnt basing my opinion on a single flight. I wasnt trying to sound egotistical ;-)

My response may have seemed touchy, but I just get a bit annoyed at the constant bad press EI get these days from some quarters. When someone uses the safety card as was done on this thread, ( and not by you, Loewy) I have to speak up: simple. To cry safety over one false incident is just downright irresponsible.

Sorry if it seems I tarnished you with the same brush, loewy. I just saw red when safety was mentioned.

Given the age of their predecessors, the 747s - which left the fleet aged around 22-23 years old, I find it hard to think of the 330s as old. That said, EI's cost cutting policy, combined with the fact that the 333s can't be updated with personal TVs and other comforts due to weight restrictions, means that they are lagging behind other airlines. Most UK originating carriers, BA, BD, VS and the US carriers, now offer superior inflight entertainment and it does make a difference.

My expectation is that once EI knows the future as far as US access is concerned, which should be later this month, when an Open Skies deal between the EU/US is expected to be signed, it will be in a better position to press ahead with its fleet plan. Don't rule out the possibility of Boeing getting a shot at this. Either way, it's much cheaper to get new aircraft with PTVs fitted - manufacturers will do this as part of the acquisition deal - than refitting existing aircraft.

snn...off the high morale ground and accept that the aer lingus cabins in the 330 are looking wrecked. look at the 737s also, bits of the cabin are missing and one 737 aircraft has high speed tape holding a mirror securely in a fwd toilet.

to be fair to EI they are running 6 or 7 330's back and forwards to the States around the clock, and I don't hear of many real problems ....... certainly not diversions or turn-backs

I do remember the early EI 737's in the year or two before they were replaced by new models ...... the old ones were desperate inside !!!! ........ real Coal Mines
:ugh: :ugh: :ugh:

You Aer Lingus guys shouldn't rise to the taunts,you have nothing to defend. The aircraft was landed safely by the crew, a job well done. The detractors should consider the possibilty that the fire alert might have been caused by a factor completely removed from Aer Lingus maintenance...such as a passenger smoking in the toilet.

Wait for the facts before you start bull****ting.

maxalt, don't get irritated, it's bad for your migraine. Maybe you should switch to Relpax(R)... you'll do better.;)

There are two debates going on in this thread and they are not really connected. I am sorry if I was the one starting this parallel discussion...

If I didn't feel safe in EI, I wouldn't fly them ! It's a perfect airline from that perpective and I agree with your statement about getting the bird on the ground swift and effectively...

Just a shame for Shamrock that their management aren't more focus on quality of service and customer-focus. Nothing to do with safety.

Head feeling better ?

Bearcat,

I'm not on any moral high ground, and i'm not going to accept something I have not seen, am I??

I dont work for Aer Lingus by the way.

Getting back to the subject in hand Gents that being the EI 330 returning and not the state of the EI cabins..

At the time I was on stand 6 (A19) awaiting one of my flights of that dayand surrounded by the lovely people of Aer Rianta VIP with their champagne and an offical Aer Rianta camera man who saw the action and went across the apron as far as he could to get a good shot of the 330 on RWY 28/10 and came back with what looked like the 330 verging towards the grass verge. Funnily enough OPS 2 came by soon after and his picture disappeared from his digital camera !? (hrmm) Also the Airport Authorities were shooting flares on the threshold of 28/10 all that morning up to the time of the EI 330 incident..
That is all speculation however but RWY 28/10 was closed and RWY 34 was opened at 11:38 local... Around 30 minutes after the incident.... Funnily enough the Ryans cashed in on this issue and cancelled three flights... Good old OLeary :mad:

DUBHX, you are an idiot. Sorry.

Moderators of this so-called serious aviation forum, you are idiots too for moving this thread to the spotters forum.

People serious about commercial aviation should just move away from this site.... I am in any case.

Bye.

L

Loevvy, Why am I an idiot ?!
You are the idiot, I made simple speculation of what happened and talking to a friend of mine who's husband is a 330 Skipper the EI 330 returned to DUB due to Engine Failure. So Please do move on from this site because we could do without the likes of you.... Can I not post a comment without being condemmed?

And by the way

it's DUBXH :o)

Perhaps the following deserves a thread of it's own.

The A330 incident caused delays and cancellations, but there was what I consider a far more dangerous situation being created at departure gates A18 & A19 where two (Ryanair) flights were rescheduled for the same departure time.

The terminal at that point is a dead end, about 50 feet wide with rows of seats running across it, leaving two "aisles" of about 10 feet each .... down which the would be pax for two 800 series 737's with no allocated seats were 'mingling' with the deboarding pax from these two aircraft... as a ball park there would have been 600 people all in a hurry to swap ends of the airport.

THAT was frightening.

Good observation, The lower A gates especially around A18 / A19 are NOT suitable to cope with any real delays and even more so are not suitable for the large charter A/C being turned around there... This varying from the OHY/MON A300's to the FCA 757 (BB) which seem to be allocated these stands on peak days (Sundays) mixed in with an FR 800 it is a recepie for disaster....