Aer Lingus Fleet/Routes Discussion

Karl8415

LXFlyer wrote: »

You do realise that the long haul schedule is massively cut back during January and February until just before St Patrick’s Day.

This time of year has lots of slack built into it.

Four aircraft undergoing maintenance is nothing unusual.

Thanks for that i did know that the schedule was curtailed January February March but I didn't realise it was back that much to afford 4 been sent out for maintenance, good to know

LXFlyer

Karl8415 wrote: »

Thanks for that i did know that the schedule was curtailed January February March but I didn't realise it was back that much to afford 4 been sent out for maintenance, good to know

Go and look at the timetable on the Aer Lingus website - you can see that the three routes (JFK, Boston and Chicago) that traditionally have a double daily service get pared back to one daily and one several days a week, while most of the other routes are pared back to three or four times a week with some using the B757/A321LR in place of the A330.

Shannon-JFK is also suspended until mid-February.

This allows the major exams to take place across the fleet.

Jack1985

Tenger wrote: »

Any idea if it got the cabin refitted? It will save another year of threads about the “wrong” interior

Yes, finally. Of course was planned last year but scrapped last moment.

Lapmo_Dancer

LXFlyer wrote: »

Go and look at the timetable on the Aer Lingus website - you can see that the three routes (JFK, Boston and Chicago) that traditionally have a double daily service get pared back to one daily and one several days a week, while most of the other routes are pared back to three or four times a week with some using the B757/A321LR in place of the A330.

Shannon-JFK is also suspended until mid-February.

This allows the major exams to take place across the fleet.

Don’t think DUB-JFK is being curtailed this year. Staying at 2 330s daily.

LXFlyer

Lapmo_Dancer wrote: »

Don’t think DUB-JFK is being curtailed this year. Staying at 2 330s daily.

There’s some jiggery pokerey with the second JFK flight in February, but yes you’re right.

The substantive point remains though that as a whole frequency drops substantially.

sherology

New uniforms being unveiled Wednesday... And new this season ladies... Trousers

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/fashion/trousers-on-offer-for-first-time-for-female-aer-lingus-crew-as-airline-to-launch-new-uniforms-1.4120473

EI321

Exactly how many Avros are flying for Aer Lingus currently? In addition to the two in EI livery, there is at least one in cityjet livery flying DUB to LCY.

Looks like there are either 4 or 5 still active with cityjet, with EI-RJD, EI-RJF and EI-RJI flying for Aer Lingus and EI-RJU flying for Brussels airlines. Not sure of the status of EI-RJO.

The remaining few are stored.

alancostello

EI321 wrote: »

Exactly how many Avros are flying for Aer Lingus currently? In addition to the two in EI livery, there is at least one in cityjet livery flying DUB to LCY.

Looks like there are either 4 or 5 still active with cityjet, with EI-RJD, EI-RJF and EI-RJI flying for Aer Lingus and EI-RJU flying for Brussels airlines. Not sure of the status of EI-RJO.

The remaining few are stored.

Four currently in operation (the first four you mentioned) and all for Aer Lingus. EI-RJU is no longer flying for Brussels Airlines and that operation is now all CRJ900s.

Locker10a

EI321 wrote: »

Exactly how many Avros are flying for Aer Lingus currently? In addition to the two in EI livery, there is at least one in cityjet livery flying DUB to LCY.

Looks like there are either 4 or 5 still active with cityjet, with EI-RJD, EI-RJF and EI-RJI flying for Aer Lingus and EI-RJU flying for Brussels airlines. Not sure of the status of EI-RJO.

The remaining few are stored.

I think the schedule requires 2 for the EI LCY stuff

Van.Bosch

Locker10a wrote: »

I think the schedule requires 2 for the EI LCY stuff

RJD & RJI are the two in EI livery.

Noxegon

EI321 wrote: »

Looks like there are either 4 or 5 still active with cityjet, with EI-RJD, EI-RJF and EI-RJI flying for Aer Lingus and EI-RJU flying for Brussels airlines. Not sure of the status of EI-RJO.

The remaining few are stored.

Most but not all. EI-RJK crashed in Colombia in 2016.

BonnieSituation

Noxegon wrote: »

Most but not all. EI-RJK crashed in Colombia in 2016.

That was the Chapecoense flight eh. Can't believe that was 3 years ago now.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057676281

California Dreamer

Saw on the Dublin spotters fb page that they reckoned -EWR was leaving the fleet or possibly -LAX, although if Alpha XRay is owned outright, why get rid of it.

Shamrockj

California Dreamer wrote: »

Saw on the Dublin spotters fb page that they reckoned -EWR was leaving the fleet or possibly -LAX, although if Alpha XRay is owned outright, why get rid of it.

I dont see any 330 leaving the fleet in 2020. The 2 new ones coming allow 14 more round trip flights a week and this summer there is 10 extra frequencies per week

EI321

Shamrockj wrote: »

I dont see any 330 leaving the fleet in 2020. The 2 new ones coming allow 14 more round trip flights a week and this summer there is 10 extra frequencies per week

I also thought one was to be kept as a spare? Rule of thumb in most large airlines seems to be one spare long haul aircraft for every 15-16 that are active.

The older ones in the fleet are probably worth around $20m per frame so might be worth keeping for a year or two as spares.

Tenger

Shamrockj wrote: »

I dont see any 330 leaving the fleet in 2020. The 2 new ones coming allow 14 more round trip flights a week and this summer there is 10 extra frequencies per week

100% agree here. Rumours of the -200 being replaced dont hold water.
2 new -300s entering service before Summer.
With MSP upgraded to A330, MCO going 6 weekly, MIA 3 weekly and SEA going daily they need the current 13 airframes and the 2 new ones.

sherology

Tenger wrote: »

100% agree here. Rumours of the -200 being replaced dont hold water.
2 new -300s entering service before Summer.
With MSP upgraded to A330, MCO going 6 weekly, MIA 3 weekly and SEA going daily they need the current 13 airframes and the 2 new ones.

They would likely have harvested the business class seats and added them to GEY if a frame was leaving... They're not cheap!

flange888

I suspect EWR is leaving in due course

NH2013

EI-ELA heading for painting shortly, once EI-GEY returns to service.

cloudhopper19

EI-EWR will indeed leave the fleet this year.

cson

It has a bit of a storied history; EI for the first 9 years of its life, then Air Batavia, then Air Asia X and finally back to EI from 2015. Assume the downturn in 2008/9 was the reason for storage/returning to lessor or sub-leasing?

EchoIndia

flange888 wrote: »

I suspect EWR is leaving in due course

To be replaced in April by an ex-Qatar A333 (A7-AEH) which will become EI-EIK.

A7-AEH A330 Qatar Airways by EI-GJB, on Flickr

Possibly a second leaving with a second ex Qatar 330 rumoured incoming.

Van.Bosch

EchoIndia wrote: »

To be replaced in April by an ex-Qatar A333 (A7-AEH) which will become EI-EIK.

So just when we get EI-GEY upgraded will we now have a new jet with the Qatar business class seats??

Jamie2k9

Van.Bosch wrote: »

So just when we get EI-GEY upgraded will we now have a new jet with the Qatar business class seats??

If it arrives in April and management are doing there jobs then you should be able to withdraw EWR and transfer J seats and add a few and have it in service early May.

kevinandrew

I believe A7-AEH has a pretty decent business cabin. It’s in a 2-2-2 configuration but with a BE Diamond seat and fully flat so while still inferior to the current Aer Lingus product, it’s definitely a big step up from what EI-GEY came with.

Here’s a report from 2017;

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1828600-qatar-airways-a330-300-business-class-doha-maldives-youtube-clip.html

If the cabin is still the same, judging from the photos it’s not too bad and Aer Lingus could probably get away with keeping it for a while if they can’t immediately fit it with their own current product.

Jack1985

Keep your eyes peeled across Aer Lingus social media platforms from 10am, new uniform launch will be covered live.

Best uniform to date for both men and women with many options, it looks very sleek.

Van.Bosch

kevinandrew wrote: »

I believe A7-AEH has a pretty decent business cabin. It’s in a 2-2-2 configuration but with a BE Diamond seat and fully flat so while still inferior to the current Aer Lingus product, it’s definitely a big step up from what EI-GEY came with.

Here’s a report from 2017;

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1828600-qatar-airways-a330-300-business-class-doha-maldives-youtube-clip.html

If the cabin is still the same, judging from the photos it’s not too bad and Aer Lingus could probably get away with keeping it for a while if they can’t immediately fit it with their own current product.

I guess though if the layout is different then they have less flexibility on where they can deploy it as they need to load it to a specific route, similar to how GEY mainly did IAD.

BonnieSituation

cson wrote: »

It has a bit of a storied history; EI for the first 9 years of its life, then Air Batavia, then Air Asia X and finally back to EI from 2015. Assume the downturn in 2008/9 was the reason for storage/returning to lessor or sub-leasing?

That's very interesting.

https://m.planespotters.net/airframe/a330-200-ei-ewr-aer-lingus/ropol3

Looking at the above would it always be the case if a frame did a similar back and forth journey that it would be re-registered with the same registration on its return to the former airline or another airline in the same State?

L1011

BonnieSituation wrote: »

That's very interesting.

https://m.planespotters.net/airframe/a330-200-ei-ewr-aer-lingus/ropol3

Looking at the above would it always be the case if a frame did a similar back and forth journey that it would be re-registered with the same registration on its return to the former airline or another airline in the same State?

I imagine a request to change the reg would be allowed, but it happens frequently with planes with long lease histories. The remaining 757, EI-CJX also took back its old reg that it received when first bought by GPA.