Aer Lingus Fleet/ Routes Discussion Pt 2 (ALL possible routes included)

Are EI re starting the repaints? EI DEI arrived in SNN earlier. It looks like its gone in for paint.

EchoIndia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118550432#Comment_118550432

It's been minus the rugby player decals since 2019 so perhaps so.

john boye

With the 6 nations back next week it could be getting an updated IRFU livery.

Gary walsh 32

Hope they leave ei dei it irfu it's s fantastic livery be a shame if they didn't

Limerick91

The food/alcohol service is still poor trans-Atlantic.

Flew to Chicago and back through Dulles, no red wine on either flight, beef dinner was gone half way through the cabin on Dulles to Dublin flight, Heineken only beer/cider option

cson

What was the load factor on that flight like?

Also interested to see what the experience on the ACF A321LR is like, just logistically from a pax-ex perspective it looks bad.

Limerick91

Chicago was about 90% full, people going back to US after Christmas

Dulles was about 50% full, a Wednesday evening flight

Shamrockj

Does anyone know the status of -EIK and -EIL I heard they are both being flown from storage to Bordeaux and this is where they do the heavy A330 maintenance. Will we see them joining the fleet soon? Also wondering what will

happen to the remaining A330-200’s -DAA, -DUO and -GEY

Gary walsh 32

Ei dei is back in dublin so wouldn't imagine it was repainted normally takes a week before aircraft freshly painted to arrive back in dublin could be wrong tho

EchoIndia

EI-DEI with player decals restored: https://flic.kr/p/2n1Kjvo

larry1

Anyone know how likely is the Miami direct route for Summer 2022? I've been waiting for the announcement but still nothing, will it happen at this stage?

kevinandrew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594601#Comment_118594601

Almost impossible at this stage I'd say. The transatlantic schedule was announced a while back and I believe there's no room for additional routes with the current number of aircraft available to them.

I'd like to be proven wrong however, I'm sure Aer Lingus is keen to re-establish the remainder of the routes it 'lost' to the pandemic, Miami being the next obvious gap along with Hartford and eventually Montreal.

At best it could return for the winter but I think they'll remain cautious over the winter months for the next couple of years at least.

sailing

It’s the perfect route for the 321 NEO XLR aircraft when they receive them.

cson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118596797#Comment_118596797

That would not be a fun trip in Y.

MICKEYG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118598231#Comment_118598231

Why? Would it not be the same as in an A330?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118598350#Comment_118598350

It is.

cson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118598350#Comment_118598350

8.5hrs in 3-3 single aisle configuration in the A321 where all the lavs are stuffed down the back for Y pax? That's all sorts of grim.

kevinandrew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118600581#Comment_118600581

I mean, the whole point of the XLR is its longer range so spending more time in narrowbody aircraft is inevitable.

It’s always possible they’ll get a slightly different cabin configuration though.

Either way, MIA should not be a narrow body market for Aer Lingus, it’s more than capable of sustaining an A330 on a twice weekly basis whenever they chose to return to it.

sailing

321 LR’s and XLR’s are the future for marginal US routes where frequency can be maintained rather than quantity. The aircraft are very fuel efficient and the lower passenger numbers will no doubt justify maintaining routes rather than pulling off them. MIA is a classic example of it.

cson

I know I'm amongst EI stans in here, however the point I'm making is that genuine 8+hr trips in a narrowbody configured in ACF is going to make for a poor Y PaxEx. The EI Y experience on the A330s is very much middle of the pack when it comes to crossing the pond in my experience.

But helpful to have a direct option I suppose.

bikeman1

For me, the twins on the A330 are what wins me over. A much more pleasant experience to fly with your partner or friend / family in a couple of seats.

I’ve had the 321neos twice on LHR flights and sat in thinking could I do 7 hours in one with another person beside me and feeling more crammed in? The answer was - no.

VG31

The A330s are definitely more appealing on long flights than the A321neo.

If the choice was between a 777/787 (3-3-3 / 3-4-3) and an A321 it wouldn't make much difference.

cson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603466#Comment_118603466

I disagree.

The heavies have more lavs with better spacing and of course 2 aisles to move around. Depending on who you're flying with those two types also have at least some twins.

The A330 in Y is a decent ride, albeit I'd take a DL A330/B767 (and depending on the aircraft type AA/BA/UA) over it.

Noxegon

The lack of overhead bin space on the 321 would be the issue for me.

I'm a tall guy – and having to put my bag at my feet for a long haul flight would be miserable. It's bad enough on short haul.

goingnowhere

Overhead bin on A321 is bigger than the window bins on a A330, the centre bins are huge though. The new A32x interior options do offer a much bigger bins, I'd imagine they will be fitted to the XLR's on order.

The A330 is probably the nicest long haul thanks to the 2-4-2 layout, the 787 by design was fine as it was 2-4-2 but airlines squeezed in 3-3-3 apart from JAL.

Just remember the 757 is the same width as a 737 (and 707/727) which is 7 inches narrower than the A320 so the A321Neo is a step up from what we had before in single isle long haul

A large % of passengers on long haul have checked luggage so cabin bins are rarely a problem

Locker10a

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604022#Comment_118604022

Pro tip from a fellow tall guy, I rarely put anything in the overhead bin, normally keep a small bag by my feet.

For take off and landing I push the bag under the seat in front of me, as required. But for the rest of the flight I keep it behind by legs and can stretch out more for comfort. Normally I’d travel with a laptop size bag and this work perfectly

Hotblack Desiato

Was just going to mention that, @goingnowhere . The LRs/XLRs are really just the modern 757 and are actually a bit wider. Should be quieter too. The XLR's range is only about 1000km more than a 757-200 so the possible routes will be very similar. I don't recall anyone complaining when 757s started going transatlantic, people were happier that thinner routes could be opened up and/or they got more choice of departure dates/times.

Gary walsh 32

Can anyone tell me is aerlingus planing to retire their older a320

Shamrockj

Miami returning the 21st of October announced on EI social media

Locker10a

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609193#Comment_118609193

Being replaced with 320neo in 2025 apparently