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

I did say previous that EI management as a whole at a very slow pace but I must also agree that the 'end is nigh' for some. There has been some serious blunders over the past 24 months that may have been quickly forgotten by the travelling public but still very bitter for the parties concerned.

Who remembers the pilot pay dispute and that XLR cancellation in the newspapers like the travelling public really cared about what aircraft was flying their route? Wasn't there a senior manager that was feeding stories to his journalist mate to make the company look great and the pilots unreasonable?

Pilots had not received a pay increase since 2019 and were seeking significant salary adjustments to recover inflation losses. Management and the pilots' union became entrenched, leading to industrial action during the peak summer travel season. 

Many observers argued the dispute should have been resolved months earlier given that negotiations had been running for almost two years. 

The pilot dispute exposed a wider issue.

The union argued pilots had not received pay rises while inflation surged and that some pandemic-era concessions had never been fully restored. Whether management agreed or not, the dispute suggested a breakdown in trust between leadership and frontline staff. 

When a profitable airline ends up cancelling nearly 400 flights because of an internal pay dispute, shareholders and customers naturally question leadership. 

Do we need to go on and question who decided to close MAN, an operation that was making money!?

When did Menziens operate in Dublin and what happened? I know I heard someone inside Swissport tell me they were avoiding new contracts because they were at maximum capacity. Still not sure who will be taking on China Eastern.

From memory while i was still working on the ramp it was around the early to mid nougthies that Menzies came in. I left the airline shortly after that so not aware what contracts they had apart from.the paper flights. And Sky handling didn't exist it was EI looking after the SQ 747F and Servisair doing all the other freighters and pax flights at the time.

C-suite out of their depth and have been for some time. Surprising IAG didn’t give CEO her marching orders after the pilot dispute in 2024. Seems like they have finally tuned in to the incompetence at the very top. I expect a new CEO in position by summer 2027, hopefully then a proper top down reset of the business occurs. It is badly wanting at this stage.

2018-COVID, handling IAG minus EI.

EI now handle those airlines, but they must have gone back to Swissport or Sky or someone in the interim. I thought I'd heard something about them taking on AA also - but AA are still listed as having their own handling rights by the IAA so maybe not.

IAG policy is to keep work inside the group where possible to Iberia, BA, Vueling are EI handling in Dublin

Though curiously at LHR EI is handled by Menzies with a core group of ex EI staff. There would be an uprising on this forum if that changed as the Menzies operation at LHR T2 for EI is outstanding for the most part

CEO of IAG cargo which might explain a lot.

And at one time over the T1 cargo terminal have it as IAG cargo rather than Aerlingus cargo, As for the pilot salary lads in my old place snr capt $550k a year. And some 3 crew due to the FAA rules on hours flying.

The big difference between the other groups earning 250k is that they aren't unionised and are considered management. (with the exception of surgeons)

Aer Lingus isn't competing with Ryanair for customers alone. It's competing with airlines across Europe and beyond for experienced captains. A senior Aer Lingus captain with 20-25 years of command experience is not a commodity that can be easily replaced, and there isn't a large pool of unemployed, highly experienced captains sitting around Europe waiting for a vacancy.

The fact that Ryanair, easyJet or other low-cost carriers may pay less doesn't automatically mean Aer Lingus should. By the same logic, you could argue that every solicitor should earn the same salary regardless of whether they work for a local practice or a major commercial law firm. Markets don't work that way.

Finally, I am not wanting to start an argument over pilot salaries but I know of at least a handful of senior Ryanair skippers that have left the 6 sector days, 25 min turnarounds, and general atmosphere to go back to the right seat in Aer Lingus and other legacy carriers.

But I apologise, we are going far OT on this one.

When flying to ORD last month me& the missis had to check in for our AA flight as the app wouldn't allow us to do it, The two girls at the desk in EI uniforms were ex AA staff and weren't impressed in being TUPE over is the impression i got. Anyway asked if any upgrades going and we got premium economy €153 each compared to $1867 that was on the app.

I think that title would go to LH. The majority of their A320 family are around 25 years old.

Look at the European fleets of AF, KLM, LH and BA and you will see that all have a mix of recently delivered and older aircraft, the latter dating back to the early 2000s or even late 1990s. Many European operators nowadays keep aircraft to the end of their economic life, and calendar age is not that relevant. Also, famously, Delta Air Lines extract the maximum life out of their equipment, their 757 and 767 fleets being of particular note.