Was the image tried loading !

https://mobile.twitter.com/Sgt_Barone/s ... 0158299138

OA260 wrote:

aerdingus wrote:

OA260 wrote:

How many checked bags do you need? Most tickets are giving 2 pieces.

Just the two! I eventually found that I have 2 pcs when I clicked on my ticket no in my email. So happy days

Yes ET are very generous when it comes to baggage. I know a few Spanish students who have booked DUB-MAD for when they go back in Summer purely due to the cheap fares and baggage allowance.

There I was thinking I was the only one haha.
It's a no brainer!

Robert1010 wrote:

EI representatives have twice been to CLE , once a few months ago ( the day of the announced 320 NEO delay ) and then a few weeks ago ! Been a few articles in local news and billboards around Cleveland ! Fingers crossed !
IMG_2757.PNG

Wishing CLE all the best along with DTW hoping we can split it 3 weekly DTW-DUB and 4 weekly CLE-DUB

Is aer lingus going to park aircraft for the night in European cities such as AMS CDG etc from 2020 due to limited park slots in Dublin? Just read this on a different forum. I know they already do it in LHR but in Europe, it would be something new since 2005

aerdingus wrote:

OA260 wrote:

aerdingus wrote:

Just the two! I eventually found that I have 2 pcs when I clicked on my ticket no in my email. So happy days

Yes ET are very generous when it comes to baggage. I know a few Spanish students who have booked DUB-MAD for when they go back in Summer purely due to the cheap fares and baggage allowance.

There I was thinking I was the only one haha.
It's a no brainer!

Yes they have been advertising quite a bit in the Spanish market with ads around Madrid. Obviously due to the timings they are better suited to those coming to Dublin for breaks rather than Irish heading to Madrid.

Not overly surprised at the further delay to the A321LR introduction, Hamburg are really struggling at the moment. The first sighting of EI-LRA was only in mid-April and it was engineless, other airlines have had some of their aircraft much further along the assembly line and still months away from delivery so expecting to Aer Lingus to get theirs from an engineless shell to full commercial service in the space of four months was ambitious at the least.

I’d be surprised if we see them in full transatlantic service before the winter schedule. Aer Lingus must surely need some crew training flights and service delivery processes planned for the A321LR before it heads across the Atlantic.

It still seems a bit of a mystery how they’re going to manage a full service with the cabin option they’ve supposedly gone for. I hope (but doubt) crews are getting enough training for the new layout.

On a more positive note, flew with EI-DVN into Cork this week, new livery looked great in the flesh and the mood lighting definitely gave the cabin a fresher look. I felt like I was on a new aircraft actually. Good flight with the usual friendly banter from the Cork based cabin crew, the captain stood at the door upon arrival and said goodbye to everyone which was a nice touch. I don’t recommend the macaroni and cheese pie...

shamrock350 wrote:

I’d be surprised if we see them in full transatlantic service before the winter schedule. Aer Lingus must surely need some crew training flights and service delivery processes planned for the A321LR before it heads across the Atlantic.

It still seems a bit of a mystery how they’re going to manage a full service with the cabin option they’ve supposedly gone for. I hope (but doubt) crews are getting enough training for the new layout.

On a more positive note, flew with EI-DVN into Cork this week, new livery looked great in the flesh and the mood lighting definitely gave the cabin a fresher look. I felt like I was on a new aircraft actually. Good flight with the usual friendly banter from the Cork based cabin crew, the captain stood at the door upon arrival and said goodbye to everyone which was a nice touch. I don’t recommend the macaroni and cheese pie...

I doubt the flight crews need much training, however as you will remember they were supposed to enter service in June for familiarisation, then from July for actual transatlantic flights. It's a shame they're delayed.

I'm flying EI on Wednesday and I was going to try that macaroni and cheese pie, because it either looks like it's going to be an abomination or something surprisingly nice. I guess it's going to be pretty bad from your verdict...

shamrock350 wrote:

the captain stood at the door upon arrival and said goodbye to everyone which was a nice touch. I don’t recommend the macaroni and cheese pie...

Rarely happens on EI these days . Shame as the Captains used to do it a lot in the 90s. Macaroni cheese rarely travels well I dont know why they even thought it would. I wish Aer Lingus would think outside of the box with regards their BOB product as its a bit boring and bland. It needs a total re think for those of us that are regulars on the Euro routes.

OA260 wrote:

shamrock350 wrote:

the captain stood at the door upon arrival and said goodbye to everyone which was a nice touch. I don’t recommend the macaroni and cheese pie...

Rarely happens on EI these days . Shame as the Captains used to do it a lot in the 90s. Macaroni cheese rarely travels well I dont know why they even thought it would. I wish Aer Lingus would think outside of the box with regards their BOB product as its a bit boring and bland. It needs a total re think for those of us that are regulars on the Euro routes.

I am super intrigued by this macaroni pie...I'll have to get a flight in some time!

OA260 wrote:

Macaroni cheese rarely travels well I dont know why they even thought it would. I wish Aer Lingus would think outside of the box with regards their BOB product as its a bit boring and bland. It needs a total re think for those of us that are regulars on the Euro routes.

I was checking out the Bia menu in preparation for my trip and thought the range was pretty decent. It has a nice mix of healthy and unhealthy options to cover most people travelling. The only thing missing, from my point of view, is piccolos of Champagne. I rarely try Cava because in my experience it's usually crap. That being said, if you fly all the time and eat on board, the same options will always get a bit tired.

Does the Irish breakfast still come in its pale blue Bia box?

aerdingus wrote:

I am super intrigued by this macaroni pie...I'll have to get a flight in some time!

I feel the same way! I'm planning on trying both the macaroni and cheese pie and the beef and Guinness slice for dinner. I'm sure I'll explode from the calories, but definitely want to give them both a whirl.

ClassicLover wrote:

OA260 wrote:

Macaroni cheese rarely travels well I dont know why they even thought it would. I wish Aer Lingus would think outside of the box with regards their BOB product as its a bit boring and bland. It needs a total re think for those of us that are regulars on the Euro routes.

I was checking out the Bia menu in preparation for my trip and thought the range was pretty decent. It has a nice mix of healthy and unhealthy options to cover most people travelling. The only thing missing, from my point of view, is piccolos of Champagne. I rarely try Cava because in my experience it's usually crap. That being said, if you fly all the time and eat on board, the same options will always get a bit tired.

Does the Irish breakfast still come in its pale blue Bia box?

The Bia menu should offer more in the way of interesting sandwich options and hot meals. In the days of pre order they had some really nice salad box items also. It does indeed get tiring when you are flying EI all the time and have worked your way through the menu 10 x over. Recently I have been opting to eat before the flight at the Terminal. If you get a good Cava it often beats a lot of Champagnes to be honest. I doubt you will find these in the air and most champagnes offered in BOB are crap too. You only get them in some J and F Class products these days in my experience.

If you want a good LCC BOB product then one only needs to look at Jet2 which I have experienced myself.

www.jet2.com/travel-essentials/meals

I disagree, I don’t think the Bia menu needs a total rethink at all. It may become boring for regulars but you’ll rarely find a business that wants to change a winning formula just to keep things interesting.

The route and passenger profiles between Jet2 and Aer Lingus are going to be slightly different. Jet2 is essentially a holiday airline, the passengers are likely to spend more inflight, it’s the classic “why not, we’re on holiday” excuse whereas at Aer Lingus you’re not likely to see anyone wanting to tuck into a chicken tikka masala halfway to Hamburg. Don’t get me wrong about the pie, it was delicious but very heavy, it left me feeling a bit sick.

I do agree that pre-orders need to make a comeback, airBaltic have something I’d consider more comparable to what might work at Aer Lingus. The meal choices are simple but appealing to a wide range of passenger profiles, both holidaymakers, solo flyers and business regulars.

The menu still sells remarkably well, I get that it can be bland if you’re flying weekly with them but that’s the nature of it. Could be worse, they could be trying to flog a afternoon tea aka a scone for a fiver.

shamrock350 wrote:

I do agree that pre-orders need to make a comeback, .

Aer Lingus actually had it right back in 2013 with the salad boxes. Seared beef and another often for Sesame Chicken both which were great and ''relatively'' healthy. They were certainly filling and not in a way that you feel horrible afterwards such as some of the options as you rightfully mention. Of course the roll out of that product was made a balls of by someone we all know who headed catering at that time. Currently the sausage and bacon bagette is dry and taseless Ive tried it 3 times just in case the first time was a bad batch but sadly its not the case.

I certainly take your point about Jet2 but then again 50% of my flights are 4 hour bracket and EI could offer a menu for pre order on routes such as BOJ CFU ACE TFS LPA etc.. I know Skytrax 4* and all that guff is a nice branding tool but a real 4* airline will strive to always improve and its a weak point in the overall product which I think is generally good these days with the website/App and branding refresh. So if they can get better catering in their lounges and bring in a decent BOB product then I guess they would really be a 4* product. Jet 2 consistantly get awards and high scores for a reason. By the way there is still a serious issue with BOB running out on both outward and inbound on the 4 hour flights. I see it all the time. Allowing to pre order on these routes would not only free up that stock for others to purchase past row 7-8 but please people who really want a pre order hot or salad meal.


Bring back these :



.

As per booking system looks like TK are cancelling the following flights :


01 JUN 2019 TK1977-1978
06 JUN 2019 TK1975-1976
08 JUN 2019 TK1977-1978
09 JUN 2019 TK1975-1976
15 JUN 2019 TK1977-1978
16 JUN 2019 TK1975-1976
20 JUN 2019 TK1975-1976
22 JUN 2019 TK1977-1978
29 JUN 2019 TK1977-1978
30 JUN 2019 TK1975-1976

shamrock350 wrote:

Don’t get me wrong about the pie, it was delicious but very heavy, it left me feeling a bit sick.

Oh, if it's heavy but delicious then no problem... I thought you were saying it wasn't great. I would expect heavy, considering what it is

OA260 wrote:

Aer Lingus actually had it right back in 2013 with the salad boxes. Seared beef and another often for Sesame Chicken both which were great and ''relatively'' healthy. They were certainly filling and not in a way that you feel horrible afterwards such as some of the options as you rightfully mention. Of course the roll out of that product was made a balls of by someone we all know who headed catering at that time. Currently the sausage and bacon bagette is dry and taseless Ive tried it 3 times just in case the first time was a bad batch but sadly its not the case.

I loved those salad boxes! I wrote a flight review on here, where I chose the Seared Beef Salad one way and the Chicken Noodle Salad the other way. Third choice for pre-order was the Irish Breakfast.

On several flights I had the various pre-order options. I remember the crew finding it inexplicably difficult though and they never seemed to have a really good handle on delivering it, from the perspective that they always seemed to be mildly surprised at pre-orders, even after it had been in for some time. I think at least once I didn't get my pre-order.

OA260 wrote:

So if they can get better catering in their lounges and bring in a decent BOB product then I guess they would really be a 4* product. Jet 2 consistantly get awards and high scores for a reason. By the way there is still a serious issue with BOB running out on both outward and inbound on the 4 hour flights. I see it all the time. Allowing to pre order on these routes would not only free up that stock for others to purchase past row 7-8 but please people who really want a pre order hot or salad meal.

They're certainly missing a trick not allowing pre-order of the meal during their booking process. SAS do it very well on the flights to Stockholm, I've found. Plus their box of goodness is really well presented and tasty. It's also not as enormous as those old Aer Lingus salad boxes which really should have been smaller to reduce the packaging.

Running out of food consistently on long sectors is basically throwing away money. You'd think they would know by now the kind of demand on various routes and cater the buy on board catering accordingly.

Running out of BOB is silly and shows a lack of professionalism. By now EI should know route requirements and stock accordingly. It is not a case of a lack of space! They probably pack all trolleys with the same stock no matter the route!
And Aer Space is going to add to the problem

According to Airlineroute, Aer Lingus is to operate the A321LR from SNN-BOS from the end of October! https://twitter.com/airlineroute/status ... 59200?s=21

klm617 wrote:

Robert1010 wrote:

EI representatives have twice been to CLE , once a few months ago ( the day of the announced 320 NEO delay ) and then a few weeks ago ! Been a few articles in local news and billboards around Cleveland ! Fingers crossed !
IMG_2757.PNG

Wishing CLE all the best along with DTW hoping we can split it 3 weekly DTW-DUB and 4 weekly CLE-DUB

I don’t believe DTW is been actively considered for 2020 but CLE on the other hand...

The billboards in CLE are nothing to do with Aer Lingus. Anyone know who is responsible?

ClassicLover wrote:

I remember the crew finding it inexplicably difficult though and they never seemed to have a really good handle on delivering it, from the perspective that they always seemed to be mildly surprised at pre-orders, even after it had been in for some time. I think at least once I didn't get my pre-order.

.

Well could not really blame the crew from what I heard at the time from a few CCM's it was thrust upon them with very little notice or proceedure and that is always a bad sign. Indeed as you say on quite a few times my order was not loaded and then you had to fight for a refund. It was a clear example of how not to do pre orders. Rather than fix it they axed it.

---


Ryanair profit plunges almost 30pc on the back of lower fares, higher fuel costs

Ryanair has reported a 29pc fall in its full year profit to 31 March 2019 on the back of declining fares, and higher fuel and staff costs.

Profit after tax for the period was €1.02bn, down from €1.45bn in the prior year, according to annual results from the airline.

Meanwhile, revenue over the 12 months was up 6pc to €7.56bn, from €7.15bn a year earlier.

During the year Ryanair carried 139 million passengers, up from 130 million people the prior year.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“As previously guided, Ryanair (excluding Lauda) reports a full year after tax profit of €1.02bn.”

www.independent.ie/business/irish/ryana ... 28042.html

---

I had a back-to-back comparison of FR and EI over the weekend. FR from LGW to DUB and EI from DUB to LHR. It's been quite a few years since I've travelled on an EI mainline service and I wasn't that impressed.

I don't think EI offer very much to justify choosing them over FR. Both airlines did a good job of Priority Boarding/General Boarding. EI have a problem with on-board stowage of bags, the cabin crew were very proactive in finding space and asking the gate staff to gate-check bags, but there just isn't enough space for everything. FR's new policy is draconian, but makes boarding much easier for everyone. I see that EI's Plus fares now include Priority Boarding, something we will look at for future journeys. The experience on EI feels like it did 15 years ago. Any changes are in reaction to FR. Overall Aer Lingus offer an acceptable product, but they missed an opportunity to reimagine their uniforms, cabins and on-board products with the new livery launch. There is no reason, for example, that Aer Space passengers count be offered those salad boxes from the pre-order days and 'proper' cutlery and service wear, other than a lack of ambition and a 'twill do' attitude.

BrianDromey wrote:

I had a back-to-back comparison of FR and EI over the weekend. FR from LGW to DUB and EI from DUB to LHR. It's been quite a few years since I've travelled on an EI mainline service and I wasn't that impressed.

I don't think EI offer very much to justify choosing them over FR. Both airlines did a good job of Priority Boarding/General Boarding. EI have a problem with on-board stowage of bags, the cabin crew were very proactive in finding space and asking the gate staff to gate-check bags, but there just isn't enough space for everything. FR's new policy is draconian, but makes boarding much easier for everyone. I see that EI's Plus fares now include Priority Boarding, something we will look at for future journeys. The experience on EI feels like it did 15 years ago. Any changes are in reaction to FR. Overall Aer Lingus offer an acceptable product, but they missed an opportunity to reimagine their uniforms, cabins and on-board products with the new livery launch. There is no reason, for example, that Aer Space passengers count be offered those salad boxes from the pre-order days and 'proper' cutlery and service wear, other than a lack of ambition and a 'twill do' attitude.

Isn't the cabin crew uniform in the process of being redesigned for launch this summer? I can't wait. I think the current uniform is awful and outdated. Both mens and ladies jackets look like a sack of spuds material!!

wexfordflyer wrote:

Isn't the cabin crew uniform in the process of being redesigned for launch this summer? I can't wait. I think the current uniform is awful and outdated. Both mens and ladies jackets look like a sack of spuds material!!

A new cabin crew uniform is due this year.

If we can't wait as passengers, I can only imagine the excitement among the crew. The current uniform is godawful and has been for at least 10 years.

It looked promising from the small glimpse we got at the livery reveal.

There are previews and trials for crew throughout the summer. Some of the early responses have been very positive.

wexfordflyer wrote:

Isn't the cabin crew uniform in the process of being redesigned for launch this summer? I can't wait. I think the current uniform is awful and outdated. Both mens and ladies jackets look like a sack of spuds material!!

Certainly will be a nice change. Sadly the current one dated and was made worse when they went for the cheaper materials. If you are anyway carrying a few extra kgs they look awful. They dont look too bad if you are tall and thin but they certainly need a uniform that suits all and looks good on all.

JAmie2k9 wrote:

klm617 wrote:

Robert1010 wrote:

EI representatives have twice been to CLE , once a few months ago ( the day of the announced 320 NEO delay ) and then a few weeks ago ! Been a few articles in local news and billboards around Cleveland ! Fingers crossed !
IMG_2757.PNG

Wishing CLE all the best along with DTW hoping we can split it 3 weekly DTW-DUB and 4 weekly CLE-DUB

I don’t believe DTW is been actively considered for 2020 but CLE on the other hand...

The billboards in CLE are nothing to do with Aer Lingus. Anyone know who is responsible?

Yes you are correct they had nothing to do with Aer Lingus , they were put up by a tourism organization (I.e. Destination Cleveland or someone else ) as simply a welcoming

Anyone know why Aer Lingus a320 EI-DEG is currently at BFS?

A350belfast wrote:

Anyone know why Aer Lingus a320 EI-DEG is currently at BFS?

Looks like it was operating the 175 LHR-DUB and had to divert to BFS for refuelling and some others diverting to SNN .Seems to be an issue with runway at DUB.

Ryanair in talks with Boeing on 737 Max compensation

RYANAIR is in talks with Boeing regarding potential compensation after the grounding of 737 Max jets around the world, according to CEO Michael O'Leary.

But he declined to say how much the carrier could seek from the aircraft maker.

Mr O'Leary also warned that any significant further delays with the recertification of the jet by safety authorities which result in the aircraft being unavailable for summer 2020 would mean "a year of historically, by our standards, very low traffic growth". Ryanair has a firm order for 135 Max 8 jets, and an option on 75 more.

"We are in an ongoing dialogue with Boeing," said Mr O'Leary. "I'm sure we will work something out with Boeing, whether that's compensation or something on the price of the aircraft - not sure yet.

www.independent.ie/business/irish/ryana ... 31423.html

—-

EasyJet sees 6% rise in passenger numbers at Belfast International Airport

The airline said it carried 2.1 million passengers between October 2018 and March 2019.

It followed an 8.8% growth at its Belfast International Airport operation in the year to September 2018.

EasyJet flies to 35 destinations from the airport at Aldergrove.

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/busine ... 29607.html

Donald Trump visit 'to happen on June 5 - 7'

While official confirmation from the White House is awaited, it has been confirmed to the Irish Examiner that the controversial President is to fly into Shannon Airport, which is now a likely venue for a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

A considerable amount of planning has already been undertaken by both US and Irish officials and the airport is now seen as the preferred location for a private meeting between the two leaders.

It has been suggested that Shannon's VIP Presidential Suite will be used to facilitate the meeting.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.irishe ... 25866.html

Does anyone happen to remember a flight from Dublin to a destination in South Africa? Can't find anything online but have been told it used to exist.

alancostello wrote:

Does anyone happen to remember a flight from Dublin to a destination in South Africa? Can't find anything online but have been told it used to exist.

In 2006/2007, LTU flew a weekly charter from Dublin to
Cape Town on a Friday morning. It was an A330 which positioned in from Düsseldorf and arrived back in Dublin on Saturday evenings.

alancostello wrote:

Does anyone happen to remember a flight from Dublin to a destination in South Africa? Can't find anything online but have been told it used to exist.

Slatterys Travel chartered LTU to run the flights. It was a good service to have back when DUB Longhaul was very much limited to the USA. IIRC the owner also had business interests and property in SA.
I seem to remember the fares were around EUR799-899 going up to around EUR1199 over peak times. Friends of mine used it a few times as they own a house down there.

---


New Aer Lingus package helps travelers discover their Irish roots in Ireland

Irish airline launches a new ‘Discover Your Roots’ package
Aer Lingus is now offering the ‘Discover Your Roots’ vacation package which includes a consultation with a genealogist in Ireland.
As part of the recent ‘DNA Tourism’ trend which sees people travel to foreign countries to trace their ancestry, Aer Lingus is giving "family vacation" a whole new meaning by helping travelers uncover their Irish roots.

www.irishcentral.com/news/aer-lingus-va ... over-roots

---

Man takes disgusting photo at Dublin Airport after finding two insects on breakfast roll and posts the snap on Twitter

Comedian Martin 'Beanz' Warde was not laughing when he opened up a roll he purchased in Dublin Airport recently.

The Galway comedian flew into the capital on May 19 and wanted to grab some food quickly before getting the Citylink to the west.

He said he was rushing to get the 9:15am bus to Galway and bought the roll with a couple of minutes to spare.


'Beanz' made the bus but was absolutely horrified to find two insects embedded in his food.

In a tweet he said: "Just bought this breakfast roll in the shop at Terminal 1 at Dublin Airport.

www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/dubl ... d-16308390

---

Profits up by a third at Kerry Airport
Passenger numbers ahead by 9%

Profits grew by a third at Kerry Airport last year as passenger numbers climbed by 9 per cent, the airport’s annual report and accounts show.

Operating profit after taxation for 2018 of €966,056 was up 33 per cent on the €728,626 recorded in 2017. The facility is heavily reliant on State funding, both to subsidise the Dublin to Kerry route and to contribute towards operational and capital expenditure. As with other regional airports, it wouldn’t be profitable if either operational or capital funding was removed.

Total passenger numbers grew to 365,339, up from 335,480.

www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-a ... -1.3899470

---

Knock airport vital for region, study reveals

New research has highlighted the critically important role Ireland West Airport plays in delivering visitors to Sligo.

According to the study, 1 in 3 overseas visitors using Knock airport come to Sligo during their stay.

It also discovered 43% of overseas visitors who come to Sligo are holidaymakers.

The research also found that overseas visitors spend an average of 6 nights in Sligo when visiting the region.

www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochamp ... 82788.html

OA260 wrote:

alancostello wrote:

Does anyone happen to remember a flight from Dublin to a destination in South Africa? Can't find anything online but have been told it used to exist.

Slatterys Travel chartered LTU to run the flights. It was a good service to have back when DUB Longhaul was very much limited to the USA. IIRC the owner also had business interests and property in SA.
I seem to remember the fares were around EUR799-899 going up to around EUR1199 over peak times. Friends of mine used it a few times as they own a house down there.

South Africa has always been very popular with Irish holidaymakers, I was there a few weeks ago myself and couldn't help wondering if a direct flight from Ireland would work. Incidentally I flew with KL (Y) and they exceeded all expectations - really impressive service from the crew, the legroom was among the most generous I've experienced in long haul economy and the food (while maybe not so healthy) was great. On the outbound daytime service from AMS to CPT they served meatballs, mash and gravy for lunch; another sandwich, cookie and ice cream halfway through as a snack and pizza and salad before landing with multiple drinks runs. A similar experience on the way back, I'd rate them very highly.

From tomorrow 23rd May, United Airlines will operate its B787-10 Dreamliner on flights from Dublin to Newark

AmricanShamrok wrote:

OA260 wrote:

alancostello wrote:

Does anyone happen to remember a flight from Dublin to a destination in South Africa? Can't find anything online but have been told it used to exist.

Slatterys Travel chartered LTU to run the flights. It was a good service to have back when DUB Longhaul was very much limited to the USA. IIRC the owner also had business interests and property in SA.
I seem to remember the fares were around EUR799-899 going up to around EUR1199 over peak times. Friends of mine used it a few times as they own a house down there.

South Africa has always been very popular with Irish holidaymakers, I was there a few weeks ago myself and couldn't help wondering if a direct flight from Ireland would work. Incidentally I flew with KL (Y) and they exceeded all expectations - really impressive service from the crew, the legroom was among the most generous I've experienced in long haul economy and the food (while maybe not so healthy) was great. On the outbound daytime service from AMS to CPT they served meatballs, mash and gravy for lunch; another sandwich, cookie and ice cream halfway through as a snack and pizza and salad before landing with multiple drinks runs. A similar experience on the way back, I'd rate them very highly.

At one stage, EI was looking at a seasonal CPT service, but I think the project foundered on crew numbers; I think EI wanted to do it with two crew, while IALPA insisted on 3. Would have been interesting. It was many years ago, I think even before Dermot Mannion was CEO.

kaitak wrote:

AmricanShamrok wrote:

OA260 wrote:

Slatterys Travel chartered LTU to run the flights. It was a good service to have back when DUB Longhaul was very much limited to the USA. IIRC the owner also had business interests and property in SA.
I seem to remember the fares were around EUR799-899 going up to around EUR1199 over peak times. Friends of mine used it a few times as they own a house down there.

South Africa has always been very popular with Irish holidaymakers, I was there a few weeks ago myself and couldn't help wondering if a direct flight from Ireland would work. Incidentally I flew with KL (Y) and they exceeded all expectations - really impressive service from the crew, the legroom was among the most generous I've experienced in long haul economy and the food (while maybe not so healthy) was great. On the outbound daytime service from AMS to CPT they served meatballs, mash and gravy for lunch; another sandwich, cookie and ice cream halfway through as a snack and pizza and salad before landing with multiple drinks runs. A similar experience on the way back, I'd rate them very highly.

At one stage, EI was looking at a seasonal CPT service, but I think the project foundered on crew numbers; I think EI wanted to do it with two crew, while IALPA insisted on 3. Would have been interesting. It was many years ago, I think even before Dermot Mannion was CEO.

One of the reasons it's crew heavy is because huge swathes of Africa are uncontrolled airspace. No Radar, no procedural, nothing. This means flying with all external lights on, regularly broadcasting position and intentions on guard, and crucially; having all pilots on the flight deck looking out for other aircraft. Lufty fly it with 4 crew for this reason.

kaitak wrote:

At one stage, EI was looking at a seasonal CPT service, but I think the project foundered on crew numbers; I think EI wanted to do it with two crew, while IALPA insisted on 3. Would have been interesting. It was many years ago, I think even before Dermot Mannion was CEO.

I imagine given the distance involved IALPA probably wanted it to be operated with 4 crew, don't think it could legally be don't with 3 crew under the current flight duty regulations, it's already 20% further away than their current longest route DUB-LAX which is flown with three pilots as is.

Here's an anniversary we missed - and a pretty significant one too. 25 years of nonstop t/a links from Dublin to North America:

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2019/0322/1 ... rk-direct/

March 27th was the actual date. It was a hard fought battle and rivalries between govt parties and ministers delayed it quite a bit; the PDs, ironically - as the party of private enterprise - was against it, because Des O'Malley was its leader; Seamus Brennan was Minister for Transport and he had a plan to put in place, but then Charles Haughey was pushed out and replaced by Albert Reynolds. He appointed Maire Geoghegan Quinn, whose constituency was in Galway - and she could do nothing, even if she wanted to, without threatening her seat. Finally, it was future Taoiseach Brian Cowen who gave the green light, for services to begin about a year later.

That was only the first part, because there was supposed to be a 50/50 deal for about five years, but it ended up being about 12; changes were held up because the EU didn't want individual countries agreeing their own Open Skies; this was actually welcomed by the govt, because they didnt really want to be seen to do anything dynamic or imaginative unless they were seen to be forced to do it; in the end, it was about 2007/2008 before Open Skies was agreed and EI launched three new routes - Washington, LAX and a third, which I can't recall.

Sadly, of course, the big recession came along shortly after, which required IAD and LAX to be culled for a while. Mannion, then CEO, was replaced by Christoph Mueller and then, he in turn by Stephen Kavanagh. Bit by bit, EI built up its t/a network, to the point where it is now the most important part of the network. New routes, new aircraft and of course, a burgeoning transfer business. In the early 1990s, it was just Delta flying to Dublin and it was operating a "triangular" route, flying ATL-SNN-DUB-ATL and ATL-DUB-SNN-ATL on alternate days. Then, when Open Skies came in, AA and CO arrived and now, we have a situation where Dublin is one of the leading t/a hubs. And that's just the US; don't forget that the Canadian bilateral was in need of much TLC, because the Canadians had a similar situation with regard to Montreal and that required some time to tease out; in the end, it was a bit easier, because both sides recognised that the bilateral did the very opposite to what a bilateral should do: it prevented (commercially) what it existed to permit (legally).

The stopover is now, of course, history and it's hard to appreciate now how difficult it was at the time to change or, nor how powerful the local lobby was, but ultimately, it had to be done. It should have happened a lot sooner, of course, but the result today shows that direct access has been a huge success - and I don't think we're even near the full potential. There are many more city pairs and new transfer opportunities yet to be developed. Hopefully, in time, ORK will regain its direct link and traffic at SNN will continue to grow - but the way it should - based on the considerable potential for developing tourism in its region. Ireland can be what it should have been many decades ago: one of the primary transatlantic hubs.

SCQ-DUB had a 90.3% load-factor in April 2019 compared to 65.3% in April 2018.

http://santiagoaeropuerto.com/el-aeropu ... evo-record

This summer the flight becomes daily. Any chance for SS20 there will be up to double daily some peak days and will finally allow connections to the US? Aer Lingus' Bilbao flight now allows them. Since BA refuses to serve LHR-SCQ, this is an opportunity for IAG to funnel some connecting passengers on those flights.

aerdingus wrote:

There I was thinking I was the only one haha.
It's a no brainer!

I flew LATAM on MAD-FRA a few months ago and I was quite surprised at how many people there were in the check-in counter. It seemed that PAX making SCL-FRA were a minority.

UA B787-10 just landed at DUB






https://twitter.com/DublinAirport/statu ... 2807460864

One or two corrections to your post Kaitak (if I might be so bold):

kaitak wrote:

it was about 2007/2008 before Open Skies was agreed and EI launched three new routes - Washington, LAX and a third, which I can't recall.

When the Open Skies deal was finalised, EI launched IAD, SFO and MCO in 2007. LAX was already a longstanding part of the network, having been launched in 1999 (https://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0528/1879-aerlingus/). LAX was of course discontinued for a few years during the recession before being relaunched in 2016.

kaitak wrote:

In the early 1990s, it was just Delta flying to Dublin and it was operating a "triangular" route, flying ATL-SNN-DUB-ATL and ATL-DUB-SNN-ATL on alternate days. Then, when Open Skies came in, AA and CO arrived

CO actually started its EWR/DUB/SNN/EWR triangle route in 1998 so they were long established here well before Open Skies, even operating nonstop DUB-EWR and SNN-EWR in parallel before its implementation. AA also arrived before it, starting BOS-SNN and ORD-DUB in 2005.

The SNN stopover, while controversial (and still an emotive issue in the region) did bring huge economic advantages to a largely peripheral region and arguably contributed to more spatially balanced US foreign direct investment here. I think it's fair to say SNN would not have any transatlantic services today without this legacy and it still punches well above its weight in this regard in comparison to airports serving similar populations.

SCQ83 wrote:

SCQ-DUB had a 90.3% load-factor in April 2019 compared to 65.3% in April 2018.

http://santiagoaeropuerto.com/el-aeropu ... evo-record

This summer the flight becomes daily. Any chance for SS20 there will be up to double daily some peak days and will finally allow connections to the US? Aer Lingus' Bilbao flight now allows them. Since BA refuses to serve LHR-SCQ, this is an opportunity for IAG to funnel some connecting passengers on those flights.

aerdingus wrote:

There I was thinking I was the only one haha.
It's a no brainer!

I flew LATAM on MAD-FRA a few months ago and I was quite surprised at how many people there were in the check-in counter. It seemed that PAX making SCL-FRA were a minority.

Wow! When I did that it was empty. Nice flight.

DC-3 N8336C currently over Lough Neagh inbound Weston. It's one of several DC-3s arriving in the UK from the USA this week for the "Dakotas over Normandy" event.

http://clareherald.com/2019/05/us-precl ... non-85959/

U.S. Pre-clearance opening hours extended at SNN from the 01st of June for GA and bizjet traffic. Great bit of news for the airport.

Ethiopian ET500 from ADD-DUB-IAD has turned back over the Atlantic and is now circling over Knock Airport.... strange...

Ryanair secures compensation deal from Boeing

RYANAIR has struck an agreement with Boeing worth hundreds of millions of euro to the Irish company in compensation for the worldwide grounding of the US aircraft-maker's 737 Max jet, the Irish Independent has learned.

The agreement involves money already owed by Ryanair to Boeing, it's understood.

Ryanair is one of Boeing's biggest customers and the main operator in the world of its 737-800 aircraft.

The airline has 135 firm orders placed for Boeing Max jets, and an option on 75 more. The core Ryanair fleet consists of 455 Boeing 737 aircraft.

The agreement reached is likely to put pressure on the aircraft-maker to seal deals with other airlines such as Norwegian, which have also said they want compensation following the Max groundings.

www.independent.ie/business/irish/ryana ... 42844.html

---


Take-off for new Derry to Manchester service

Derry’s long anticipated new service to Manchester is due for take off today, marking the re-establishment of a route that last operated eight years ago.

Loganair announced earlier this year that it was introducing the daily commercial service between Manchester and City of Derry Airports.

www.derryjournal.com/business/take-off- ... -1-8939273

Was 28 operating with a displaced threshold last night? I was on the apron at about 7.30-8 and noticed a number of aircraft, including the EK 777, landing quite long. Any idea of why this might have been?

Also, I see an AC 788 on the ground - which flight is this operating?

kaitak wrote:

Was 28 operating with a displaced threshold last night? I was on the apron at about 7.30-8 and noticed a number of aircraft, including the EK 777, landing quite long. Any idea of why this might have been?

Also, I see an AC 788 on the ground - which flight is this operating?

Its operating for the AC YYZ route. The A330 had a hydraulic leak so a 788 was sent. Long delays and crew went out of hours also.

OA260 wrote:

kaitak wrote:

Was 28 operating with a displaced threshold last night? I was on the apron at about 7.30-8 and noticed a number of aircraft, including the EK 777, landing quite long. Any idea of why this might have been?

Also, I see an AC 788 on the ground - which flight is this operating?

Its operating for the AC YYZ route. The A330 had a hydraulic leak so a 788 was sent. Long delays and crew went out of hours also.

Those AC 333s are awful for going tech, said it last year we may as well just have Rouge on all the Canada flights.

First A321LR for Aer Lingus now in full colours.

https://www.planespotters.net/photo/955 ... a321-253nx

St. Ruadán