Aer Lingus Fleet/Routes Discussion

sdanseo

Tenger wrote: »

2 articles in Irish papers yesterday about the IAG order for the MAX. It appears Airbus want a chance to counter offer. Looks like WW achieved his aim (or at least one of them)

Indeed. Signing a (meaningless) LOI with Boeing suprised me. Mostly airbus in the group and perhaps Toulouse simply weren't playing ball on price.

The MAX is scarred and will take months or years after re-entry to service to fully recover its reputation. Walsh was a 737 captain, he knows better than the rest of us do that the aircraft's design was fundamentally a shortcut. That said,
some of his comments have been very favourable to Boeing in the last week. Maybe more so than if he intended to play them against Airbus.

Time will tell.

Sexual Chocolate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcr0expHnqo

john boye

Part of me thinks Airbus will struggle to beat or even match the deal that IAG supposedly got from Boeing.

Jack1985

As well as the two confirmed A330ceo's on the way in 19/20 for EI, two more second hand (newer models) frames have come on the market, these are being evaluated to facilitate two earlier than planned fleet exits.

Tenger

Jack1985 wrote: »

As well as the two confirmed A330ceo's on the way in 19/20 for EI, two more second hand (newer models) frames have come on the market, these are being evaluated to facilitate two earlier than planned fleet exits.

Are these the rumoured ex-Jet airways A330s?

1123heavy

Tenger wrote: »

Are these the rumoured ex-Jet airways A330s?

I thought Aer Lingus had new 330 ceos coming from Airbus themselves

Tenger

1123heavy wrote: »

I thought Aer Lingus had new 330 ceos coming from Airbus themselves

They do. Mentioned at the livery unveil. Delivery is either side of the New Year If I recall.

In addition there was a rumor of possible 2nd hand ex-Jet Airways A330s. Hence my query above.

kevinandrew

Are they -200 or -300 variants? Either way, this could kick the A330neo down the road a bit longer.

goingnowhere

-300 HGW models

Tenger

kevinandrew wrote: »

Are they -200 or -300 variants? Either way, this could kick the A330neo down the road a bit longer.

Maybe not. IAG/EI have sketched out their future fleet but over the last 3-4 years we have seen unexpected additions (GEY) when the opportunity arose.
Going on past statements, EI had planned 1 new route per year, IAG doubled that expansion rate.
The new build A330s are (presumably) already planned for use in 2020. Any additional A330s could accelerate another route launch or increase existing frequency.

And as I speculated previously there is a 2021 sized gap in the currently planned delivery schedule. (At leafy based on official statements by IAG/EI)
Could suit an initial A330neo delivery for replacement of a -200?
When do EWR and GEY finish their lease?

IAG certainly have the purchasing power to get favorable delivery slots from Airbus. EI alone were always going to be far down the pecking order, regardless of loyalty.


All just speculation of course.

goingnowhere

One -200 is going in 2020, so we can assume the new -300 HGW come with the crew rest option fitted

Question is which -200 is going

EWR lease is up (?) and is not crew rest fitted
GEY is the oddball in the fleet but suggested to be refitted late 2019
LAX is the oldest and it is suggest a need for some major work, too many jet-bridge and other ground damage, but EI own her outright so no saving to be had and likely would be a scrap job

tanya1987

Is YUL (Montreal) meant to start or it’s like OPO where Aer Lingus cancelled the route completely before starting?
If its meant to start, any specific date?

kevinandrew

Aer Lingus to operate the A321LR on SNN-JFK from 12 March 2020

Wonder if they'll squeeze in a LHR rotation here as well.

California Dreamer

The only advantage to my TLS-DUB delay is the view of the Airbus factory and there among the built, painted, primer, defunct airlines is the EI A321. Plane spotters dream here. 2 WOW A330s sitting there with no engines and a 32 year old A320 in company colours.

Nijmegen

IAG are pretty consistent in saying that expansion is based on getting the right frames at the right price. Indeed that’s the line from most profitable growing airlines around the world. So you could see some opportunistic moves.

Shamrockj

Going by the schedule next may MSP is operated on the A330-200 Tue Thur Sat and SEA will be daily. Amazing to see a route only launched last year doing so well already. Being so far away things could change but looking like a busy schedule with LAX on the A330-300 and IAD also

kevinandrew

California Dreamer wrote: »

The only advantage to my TLS-DUB delay is the view of the Airbus factory and there among the built, painted, primer, defunct airlines is the EI A321. Plane spotters dream here. 2 WOW A330s sitting there with no engines and a 32 year old A320 in company colours.

The new A321LR? Those are being built in Hamburg Finkenwerder (XFW) so you may have seen another aircraft or maybe even one of the new A330s in the crowd, although it’s probably too early for them to be appearing.

TLS is an interesting airport, one half a busy passenger airport and the other a factory churning out dozens of aircraft a month. I think the two Wow aircraft may have been A330neo’s, the airline collapsed before they could be delivered and I don’t think they’ve found a home yet. Maybe they’ll find their way to Dublin...

California Dreamer

kevinandrew wrote: »

The new A321LR? Those are being built in Hamburg Finkenwerder (XFW) so you may have seen another aircraft or maybe even one of the new A330s in the crowd, although it’s probably too early for them to be appearing.

TLS is an interesting airport, one half a busy passenger airport and the other a factory churning out dozens of aircraft a month. I think the two Wow aircraft may have been A330neo’s, the airline collapsed before they could be delivered and I don’t think they’ve found a home yet. Maybe they’ll find their way to Dublin...

You could be right, I think it was a new level A330. Just came back from a test flight.

Jack1985

Tenger wrote: »

Are these the rumoured ex-Jet airways A330s?

I don’t actually know but being told they are pursuing two further A330 acquisitions in addition to the two on the way, also not sure are they 200 or 300 models, as pointed out the two confirmed on the way are 300HGW.

Jamie2k9

Update from mid May 2020:
A321LR:
DUB-PHl (B752)
DUB-BDL (B752)
SNN-BOS (B752)
SNN-JFK (B752)
*4 more due in 2020 unallocated.

DUB-MSP going daily A330-200 (B752)
SEA daily A330-200 (x5)
LAX daily A330-300 (-200)
IAD daily A330-300 (-200, prev showing A321)

*MSP shows A332 start x3 but by mid May up to 6/7 weekly.

Only suprise to me is IAD, not sure it will be 300.

——

Current schedules show 4 A332 required (SEA, YYZ, MSP and MIA/MCO (x4). If MSP was only x3 weekly A330 then it would indicate only 3 required based on current schedules.

cson

IAD is probably taking some of the old WOW traffic ex BWI as EI are very competitive price wise on the unpacked Y fare.

banchang

Is the 2+2+2 configuration in business called EI-GEY ?

Travelling to Miami next Sunday & when I look at the Aer Lingus seat maps online

https://www.aerlingus.com/media/pdfs/aerlingus_seat_maps.pdf

I cant see a config which has 2+2+2 starting with Row 1 which I am supposedly in ?

Van.Bosch

banchang wrote: »

Is the 2+2+2 configuration in business called EI-GEY ?

Travelling to Miami next Sunday & when I look at the Aer Lingus seat maps online

https://www.aerlingus.com/media/pdfs/aerlingus_seat_maps.pdf

I cant see a config which has 2+2+2 starting with Row 1 which I am supposedly in ?

It’s not shown on that page but doing a dummy booking for Miami on Sunday shows 2/2/2 which is EI-GEY

Tenger

California Dreamer wrote: »

The only advantage to my TLS-DUB delay is the view of the Airbus factory and there among the built, painted, primer, defunct airlines is the EI A321. Plane spotters dream here. 2 WOW A330s sitting there with no engines and a 32 year old A320 in company colours.

Its certainly a location on my bucket list. When I was crew I loved operating into TLS. Got a pic one day of all the Guppys up. (Cant remember is they are 5 or 6 of them)

California Dreamer

Tenger wrote: »

Its certainly a location on my bucket list. When I was crew I loved operating into TLS. Got a pic one day of all the Guppys up. (Cant remember is they are 5 or 6 of them)

I saw 3/4 come and go over a few hours.

Karl8415

With the immediate arrival of additional A330-300’s would that give insight into EI’s future plans for wide bodied frames in relation to capacity because if it is then does that mean that the 200 model been fazed out over time now that they have access to bigger frames capable of covering US west coast

Karl8415

Karl8415 wrote: »

With the immediate arrival of additional A330-300’s would that give insight into EI’s future plans for wide bodied frames in relation to capacity because if it is then does that mean that the 200 model been fazed out over time now that they have access to bigger frames capable of covering US west coast

Yes Aer Lingus has previously said publicly their intention was to faze out the -200 for the -300 for the extra capacity.

1123heavy

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes Aer Lingus has previously said publicly their intention was to faze out the -200 for the -300 for the extra capacity.

Aren't they struggling for capacity on numerous TA routes? Used the LA route a few times and it was mostly empty, SFO does seem to perform better but travelled a few times with 180+ seats free ... good for the standby staff travel though

I can certainly see why a few years back they stripped everything but Chicago, NY and Boston, these seem to be consistently full whatever the weather

kevinandrew

Average load factors have remained steady or even increased slightly during the past five years of growth across the Atlantic so any witnessed low loads obviously aren’t a regular enough occurrence to impact the overall numbers.


The A333 is also cheaper to operate these days, I think it even has a cost advantage over the A332 on similar route profiles and loads. Also with the A333 now able to reach the west coast in its HGW variant the need for the A332 is diminishing at Aer Lingus and indeed other airlines as we’ve seen with the order book.

Shamrockj

1123heavy wrote: »

Aren't they struggling for capacity on numerous TA routes? Used the LA route a few times and it was mostly empty, SFO does seem to perform better but travelled a few times with 180+ seats free ... good for the standby staff travel though

I can certainly see why a few years back they stripped everything but Chicago, NY and Boston, these seem to be consistently full whatever the weather

Not really LA and SFO are both over booked today like most days. San Fran is daily year round on the A330-300 and always full