kevinandrew wrote: » The cockpit window mask is entirely optional, I don’t believe it has any operational advantage whereas on the A350 it supposedly does but I’m not sure what exactly. I wouldn’t go by the Airbus image either, if you look closely you’ll see they’ve placed the old shamrock design on the outside of the winglet.
kevinandrew wrote: » Could the IAG order for the 737 MAX trigger a fleet reshuffle within the group? IAG has indicated that Vueling, Level and British Airways Gatwick will be the 737 MAX operators while the remaining carriers, British Airways Heathrow, Aer Lingus and Iberia will remain Airbus narrow body operators. Vueling is currently all Airbus and is actively taking delivery of A320neo frames but the latest suggests they'll transition to all Boeing so there's a large number of young A320neo's and those remaining on order that will need a home within the group and Aer Lingus could be in line for those. IAG has 80 on order and 35 A320neo's in operation so there's plenty of room within the group to move them around now that the MAX has been ordered and should take care of three short haul fleets in the group. I hope Aer Lingus see's some movement on short haul fleet renewal, I don't count the A321LR as while it will feature on short haul occasionally, it's main mission will be transatlantic and it's not fully optimised for the short haul network.
kevinandrew wrote: » Could the IAG order for the 737 MAX trigger a fleet reshuffle within the group? IAG has indicated that Vueling, Level and British Airways Gatwick will be the 737 MAX operators while the remaining carriers, British Airways Heathrow, Aer Lingus and Iberia will remain Airbus narrow body operators. Vueling is currently all Airbus and is actively taking delivery of A320neo frames but the latest suggests they'll transition to all Boeing so there's a large number of young A320neo's and those remaining on order that will need a home within the group and Aer Lingus could be in line for those.
GM228 wrote: » ........ I have read that on other models it is optional to reduce costs for replacement parts, as the entire window surround panel can be removed it is cheaper to supply spare parts in a standard colour rather than paint to each airlines specific shade, hence why some airlines have it on the A321LRs and some don't as already mentioned, it's most likely a costs based decision. Similar to unpainted aluminium window surrounds?
Tenger wrote: » Thats the initial reason I had read about the raccoon/bandit mask on the A350. The feature is also on the A330neo, not sure if that is cosmetic or for the same repair/replacement reason. Im guessing its a cosmetic feature on the A321LR (unless they have changed the cockpit windows without pointing it out)
Why does the Airbus A350 wear a Zorro mask? Next year we welcome our new aircraft the Airbus A350-1000 to our fleet, and everyone here at Virgin Atlantic is incredibly excited. We’ve got teams of people making sure its entry into service is smooth and we have a few surprises up our sleeves to delight you. Although we’re keeping things under wraps for the time being there’s one thing that’s been intriguing us about the aircraft. It’s a question that gets asked again and again. Why Zorro’s mask? Every Airbus A350 comes with the distinct black masking around the pilot’s window. In today’s world when many aircraft look the same, it really makes the A350 stand out. Nobody has ever seen anything like it on any other civil aircraft. That Airbus don’t offer the aircraft without this feature suggested to us there was more to it than just a pair of sunnies for one of the most sophisticated jets in the sky. So we asked Airbus for an explanation:“The A350 XWB is the first ever Airbus aircraft with curved cockpit glasses. These cockpit windows offer more than just the most futuristic, aesthetic and distinctive look. The new windshield enhances the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft,” said Donna Lloyd, Head of Communication Business Partners at Airbus. “The perfectly curved shape of the nose helps the air flow hug the surface, in the least turbulent manner, thereby reducing drag. The emblematic “Ray-Ban” like black windshield eases the window’s maintenance and contributes to harmonising the thermal condition of this temperature-sensitive window area. The slightly concave nose area (seen from the side) offers the pilots an optimal view of the immediate surroundings easing ground operations and making them safer.” So there you have it. Efficiency and safety, two of the most important elements of aviation, and super stylish too. Many thanks to Airbus for the interesting explanation.
Van.Bosch wrote: » I still reckon this is a PR move, for IAG to get a better deal from Airbus and Boring to get some good news re the max. Seems huge to move Vueling to a 737 operation. Saying that, does that mean a single fleet operator can never change, which seems wrong.
Kcormahs wrote: » We may see Agadir again and a new route to Marrakesh with Aer Lingus soon enough, accordingly to a few sources:https://www.infomediaire.net/aerien-aer-lingus-va-bientot-atterrir-au-maroc/http://northafricapost.com/31935-for-ireland-morocco-is-gateway-to-african-markets.html
kevinandrew wrote: » This would be a welcome return to North Africa, I'll believe it when I see but I was definitely disappointed when Aer Lingus axed Agadir after operating it for the best part of a decade. Agadir was first announced as part of the 2007 winter schedule, it was accompanied by Helsinki, Bucharest, Copenhagen and Funchal along with Vilnius which became year round and Cork to Munich. None of these routes are still in operation today.
Van.Bosch wrote: » still reckon this is a PR move, for IAG to get a better deal from Airbus and Boring to get some good news re the max. Seems huge to move Vueling to a 737 operation. Saying that, does that mean a single fleet operator can never change, which seems wrong.
Sexual Chocolate wrote: » Does anyone believe that EI will eventually look at flying long haul other than the US or Canada in the next number of years? Is it fair to say that they missed an opportunity with Hong Kong giving how popular it's became for Cathay ?
Jack1985 wrote: » kevinandrew wrote: » This would be a welcome return to North Africa, I'll believe it when I see but I was definitely disappointed when Aer Lingus axed Agadir after operating it for the best part of a decade. Agadir was first announced as part of the 2007 winter schedule, it was accompanied by Helsinki, Bucharest, Copenhagen and Funchal along with Vilnius which became year round and Cork to Munich. None of these routes are still in operation today. Just to point out ORK-MUC is winter ski seasonal. Aer Lingus didn't have the cost base to operate the above routes, they faced competition in HEL by DY (Much more established in Finland and known for Finnish travellers), Bucharest (Blueair and Ryanair sowed that up), Copenhagen (Competition from DY/SAS and FR). Agadir previously tied up an airframe from late afternoon to midnight and the company wanted to send that frame elsewhere for increased sectors, Funchal wasn't as busy as most expected when it launched, it would probably be wise to start that at 1 weekly and go from there instead of the 4 weekly it launched at. The companies goals are clear a thriving long-haul operation supported by a profitable short-haul business, nothing will compromise that however fancy the destination may sound.
sandbelter wrote: » Interesting Aer Lingus twitter reply on June 19th. Q: You still looking into the A330neo aircraft? To which EI replied:We are indeed! We should be announcing more news about them soon! Maybe I'm missing something, But I didn't think EI was that close to a decision.https://twitter.com/FullBatteryStu/status/1141251294302298112
cson wrote: » A 330neo announcement would probably tie in with off loading the A350 order to Iberia/BA. Likely get unplaced A330neos off one of the lessors, Avolon/CIT/ALC who've 60 odd ordered between them. Definitely a more appropriate aircraft for the direction the airline is heading.
alancostello wrote: » I’m not sure how up to date someone who is likely a marketing intern or low-level social media rep would be on fleet development and major decisions, I wouldn’t read too much in to it.
