Aer Lingus Fleet/Routes Discussion

Locker10a

jucylucy wrote: »

Hearing several different sources the EI have asked ASL to supply 3xB737-400 pax aircraft for next summer....freeing up A320s for Dublin.

Do they even have 3x 734? Wonder where they’ll be based? Hope if it’s true they get some form of a shamrock livery

marno21

You'd imagine it would be similar to the 757 operation. ASL source and operate the aircraft

California Dreamer

jucylucy wrote: »

Hearing several different sources the EI have asked ASL to supply 3xB737-400 pax aircraft for next summer....freeing up A320s for Dublin.

The last Boeing 737-400, what was known as the last Classic series of the Boeing 737, OK-FGS, MSN 28478, L/N 3132) was delivered to CSA Czech Airlines on February 25, 2000. (Wikipedia)

So if they manage to source any -400's they are going to be 20+ year vintage. Although -STA is 21 years old and there didn't seem to be any issues out of BHD this summer.

Locker10a

marno21 wrote: »

You'd imagine it would be similar to the 757 operation. ASL source and operate the aircraft

I just don’t see the benefit of this here!? I mean I understand them using ASL to source and operate the 757s as it’s a new aircraft type, different engines to all other EI aircraft. It’s saves EI the cost of introducing a new type into the fleet for what’s a relatively short time.
But to just boost the summer fleet, why don’t they just lease some extra 320s ? As they have previously done?!
They could then keep everything in house, am I missing something here? Is it that 320s very difficult to source at the moment? And 737s are easier? Hence they’re asking ASL to do this for them ?

Jamie2k9

The benefit is 4-6 months work and aircraft will not cost EI over a full year and ASL look after all work associated with them.

kub

If this is true, does it suggest another delay with the delivery of the A321 Neo's?

JCX BXC

kub wrote: »

If this is true, does it suggest another delay with the delivery of the A321 Neo's?

Why would it? It's not like the 737-400's or even regular A320's will be flying transatlantic?

kub

Sorry I should have expanded that, what I meant was for the short hops that the 321 Neo's are suggested to operate, during the day between T/A ops.

EICVD

kub wrote: »

Sorry I should have expanded that, what I meant was for the short hops that the 321 Neo's are suggested to operate, during the day between T/A ops.

The ASL 734s will probably be flown out of BHD/ORK/SNN

JCX BXC

NH2013 wrote: »

From what I've heard an A320 will be withdrawn from ORK and SNN each to be brought up to Dublin and replaced with a hired in 737.

So a 737 doing the SNN-LHR route?

I wouldn't be particularly surprised if they based a 737 at Shannon as an extra aircraft, to do the routes like AGP and FAO

NH2013

JCX BXC wrote: »

So a 737 doing the SNN-LHR route?

I wouldn't be particularly surprised if they based a 737 at Shannon as an extra aircraft, to do the routes like AGP and FAO

No it'll be doing the sun routes, A320 will remain on the LHR routes out of both ORK and SNN by all accounts.

JCX BXC

NH2013 wrote: »

No it'll be doing the sun routes, A320 will remain on the LHR routes out of both ORK and SNN by all accounts.

But that's the only SH aircraft at SNN.

orionm_73

JCX BXC wrote: »

Uh-oh....really hope this isn't a eurowhite livery.

Me too. Hopefully a tweak and refresh rather than the euro white.

Cravens

Maybe they will go with a KLM style rebrand. That was, in my mind, the very best example of rebranding without becoming mind-numblingly dull in recent aviation history.

Comhrá

Hopefully they don't deviate too much from the current livery.

It's pretty unique with it's green top and tail. A modern refresh preserving the overall green theme would be nice.

That blue bit down the fuselage below the window line is effective too, hope there's a dash of that shade somewhere, maybe not ending as abruptly as it does presently.

kevinandrew

Aer Lingus rebrands have always been pretty big news in the past, the last rebrand was in 1996 and was quite the event! There were plenty of critics back then but fast forward a few years and it's one of the most popular liveries and brand images in the business. The livery is dated but not overly so, the current Shamrock design is timeless in my opinion and the typeface has gone from looking dated in the mid-2000s to unique and stand out in 2010s so they'll have a tough job modernising everything without stripping it completely of character. 

So many airlines make a mess of their rebrand, particularly the livery; The last IAG airline that rebranded was Iberia and we all know how that ended up! Level doesn't look much better so I really hope IAG are keeping out of this one. Other airlines have got it so wrong, Lufthansa, American, Air Canada, Austrian and PIA for example. 

Some have done a better job, KLM for example but the best I can think of is Vietnam. The original was very similar to Aer Lingus, deep green with a straight cheatline, this was replaced with a lower cheatline that curved up from the belly, new typeface and larger logo on the tail. It was a minor refresh rather than a total rebrand but it worked well. 

My only hope is that they keep the majority green livery, the shamrock stays bold the focus of the image and white is kept at a minimum.

ozzy jr

kevinandrew wrote: »

My only hope is that they keep the majority green livery, the shamrock stays bold the focus of the image and white is kept at a minimum.

Absolutely this. Yesterday I flew from BKK to CDG with Air France. As we were coming into the land the plane waiting to take off was an Aer Lingus. It really is a stand out livery. I'd hate to see EI end up with a predominantly white livery with a token bit of green.

revelman

ozzy jr wrote: »

Absolutely this. Yesterday I flew from BKK to CDG with Air France. As we were coming into the land the plane waiting to take off was an Aer Lingus. It really is a stand out livery. I'd hate to see EI end up with a predominantly white livery with a token bit of green.

The livery is even a feature on prime time US tv, as recently seen on Saturday Night Live!

Kcormahs

revelman wrote: »

The livery is even a feature on prime time US tv, as recently seen on Saturday Night Live!

Any news on the short haul / business class or premium?

Kev11491

aren't wine and beers already complimentary?

https://www.newstalk.com/Aer-Lingus-announces-plans-for-rebrand-in-2019

L1011

Kev11491 wrote: »

aren't wine and beers already complimentary?

https://www.newstalk.com/Aer-Lingus-announces-plans-for-rebrand-in-2019

Only up front.

Kev11491

L1011 wrote: »

Only up front.

Not even with the meal service? I havent flown with the long haul in a while but I remember free booze with the meal service

kevinandrew

New livery will coincide with the A321LR arrivals, the green and the shamrock will stay but it’s clear that the perception of the new refreshed brand will put the airline in a better place to grow according the CEO in his keynote speech at APEXExpo in Boston this morning.


Sounds like they’ve done some market tests already to see how an updated brand would be perceived.

Kev11491 wrote: »

L1011 wrote: »

Only up front.

Not even with the meal service? I havent flown with the long haul in a while but I remember free booze with the meal service

It’s been well over 10 years, if not longer since booze was complimentary in economy. Quite a few airlines followed Aer Lingus down this route as well, SAS for one.

ozzy jr

It's gonna look like this isn't it

Jamie2k9

Aer Lingus mess up a lot but I think they will do a good job on the brand refresh.

sherology

Flew back from Toronto last night on GCF and a KLM 787 taxied past before we left. It is indeed a model to be inspired by in an EI refresh.

The EI font is dreadful, and needs modernization, but more swooping and softness of the green area would work too. A 'refresh' in s all that is necessary.

Was very impressed with the service, food, delivery, crew, IFE etc. also... The little 'handmade in Ireland' food boxes are a nice and clever touch. A little free WiFi and a beer would make EI superior to most carriers... Not least'value' carriers.

Donegal Storm

Would echo the wish for something similar to Vietnam Airlines, nicest livery out there imo, looks great in the flesh with the metallic sheen off the paint.

ozzy jr

Don't forget the last paint job on an Aer Lingus plane was that horrific rugby effort.

Van.Bosch

What would the A320 do in Dublin? New routes or extra rotations?

kevinandrew

The KLM comparisons are interesting as Aer Lingus and indeed Ireland as a whole saw numerous Dutch design influence during the 50s and 60s, Willem van Velzen actually designed the 1960s livery we see on todays 'Retrojet' EI-DVM and he did most of the poster work that is still hanging in the head office and can be seen online. It puts modern advertising to shame.

Tenger

sherology wrote: »

..........
The EI font is dreadful, and needs modernization, but more swooping and softness of the green area would work too. A 'refresh' in s all that is necessary.
..........

I’ve a mate who is a web designer, he is obsessed with fonts and ‘flat design’, among others. I don’t have any design or marketing background but I see marketing design as similar to fashion. Every year we see new styles of adverts with the latest ‘must have’ font, with or without capitals (reminder the ‘bmi’ rebrand for British Midland)
I don’t think there is anything wrong with the EI font, should it be Times New Roman, should it be all caps or slanted? The font doesn’t and has never ‘spoken to’ me in the way that marketing spiel would indicate a design is planned to. Keep in mind I’ve been familiar with this font as a student, a young single professional, a dating couple, a holiday maker, a home buyer, as parents......all those ABC1 tick boxes.

kevinandrew

I think the font is quite nice, I was given a brand guidelines booklet for Aer Lingus from a friend and it details the logo and how it should be used. It was a custom made design and while it went through a phase about 10 years ago of looking dated, it appears to have come back into its own and now stands out from all the bland examples that other airlines and companies have come up with.

Locker10a

Don’t forget they went through a phase a few years of “aerlingus.com” branding it was on their website and lanyards and sometimes still pops up in outstations on check in desk screens etc

California Dreamer

Was there a thing recently on this thread or somewhere else that you were or were not allowed take pictures of the cabin crew intentional or not?

kevinandrew

Locker10a wrote: »

Don’t forget they went through a phase a few years of “aerlingus.com”  branding it was on their website and lanyards and sometimes still pops up in outstations on check in desk screens etc

Very rare these days though, happened an awful lot until around 2012 when Aer Lingus published new brand guidelines internally and everything became much more uniformed, even at outstations. 


The delivery of the brand image had become very messy with three website logos hanging around and no official advice so guidelines were issued and it covered everything from airport signage and lounge furnishings to livery and uniform. The red dot logos should have been retired at this point but were still lingering in some outstations so they were officially removed, a recently introduced website logo with a 3D shamrock was also retired and replaced by the official word mark. 


It cleaned things up nicely until 2015 when the 'Smart flies Aer Lingus' campaign completely refreshed the current look without the costs of a rebrand. New imagery was used, the logo was used in different ways with the white background taking over from the traditional green and Business Class and Aer Club were rebranded. 


The odd inconsistency still lingers but home airports, larger outstations and any new airports introduced to the network in recent years will see all the official branding and nothing left over from the 2002-2009 days.

kona

California Dreamer wrote: »

Was there a thing recently on this thread or somewhere else that you were or were not allowed take pictures of the cabin crew intentional or not?

No thats just standard procedure for people that aint creeps

HTCOne

+1 for me on the KLM rebrand. A similar wraparound of the green on the front of the fuselage could work. The current livery has aged very well IMO, anything more than minor tweaks could ruin it.

kevinandrew

In an interview with Apex, Stephen Kavanagh said the green and the shamrock aren’t going anywhere, there’s subtle changes and it’s very much a refresh but they are happy with the way the (new?) livery looks and how it transfers to their digital platforms like the website and app.


It wasn’t clear whether he was talking about the current livery or new livery when he spoke of the digital platforms. If it was about the new livery I think we can safely say more white is involved but “subtle changes” could mean the eurowhite predictions were premature.

Locker10a

California Dreamer wrote: »

Was there a thing recently on this thread or somewhere else that you were or were not allowed take pictures of the cabin crew intentional or not?

Yeah you’re not permitted to take photos of the crew while they’re at work, at least without their permission. There’s more details on it in their inflight magazine

Tenger

Locker10a wrote: »

Yeah you’re not permitted to take photos of the crew while they’re at work, at least without their permission. There’s more details on it in their inflight magazine

I for one don’t want randomer’s taking pics of me at work (or sitting down pretending to!) I can see why they have a rule in place.
Can I assume this is normal practice for airlines?

Locker10a

Tenger wrote: »

Locker10a wrote: »

Yeah you’re not permitted to take photos of the crew while they’re at work, at least without their permission. There’s more details on it in their inflight magazine

I for one don’t want randomer’s taking pics of me at work (or sitting down pretending to!) I can see why they have a rule in place.
Can I assume this is normal practice for airlines?

Correct, this policy is in place at Ryanair, easyJet, Norwegian, BA etc and I can only assume all airlines really

California Dreamer

Locker10a wrote: »

Correct, this policy is in place at Ryanair, easyJet, Norwegian, BA etc and I can only assume all airlines really

Thanks, I was in a discussion/argument with a friend and was sure that was the case.

billie1b

California Dreamer wrote: »

Thanks, I was in a discussion/argument with a friend and was sure that was the case.

You’re not even allowed to take pictures of any staff in the airport

goingnowhere

Back on track

Website booking tool got a refresh last night, seems to be a a lot cleaner that the old version, heading back towards the old website and its more compact layout

billy few mates

Anybody know why you can't check in for a multi city flight using the app but you can via the website...?

I'm travelling A-B-C-D, A-B and C-D with Aer Lingus but I can't check in via the app for either leg...

I've had to check in online and print the boarding passes..

adam88

I live in kerry and travel often to Birmingham for work and pleasure. It’s as easy for me to fly up to dub and then fly onwards to Birmingham but I always have to book two separate flights. Anyone any idea why this is so. They risk loosing business because of this.

It will allow me book kerry to new York in the site but not European connections

goingnowhere

Call them, the booking tool is setup for TATL connections

They can book your routing, its possible but the website won't allow it

Third_Echelon

kevinandrew wrote: »

<snip>

So many airlines make a mess of their rebrand, particularly the livery; The last IAG airline that rebranded was Iberia and we all know how that ended up! Level doesn't look much better so I really hope IAG are keeping out of this one. Other airlines have got it so wrong, Lufthansa, American, Air Canada, Austrian and PIA for example. 

<snip>

I loved the new American livery! Very modern and striking bold colours. Looks nice!

L1011

Third_Echelon wrote: »

I loved the new American livery! Very modern and striking bold colours. Looks nice!

It can't be kept consistent across different sizes of aircraft - the flag stripes on the tail vary hugely between the regional aircraft and the larger ones for instance. May have been intentional but it's a mess.

The existing EI livery could be painted on a model aircraft in the same scale as a A380 more or less.

Third_Echelon

L1011 wrote: »

It can't be kept consistent across different sizes of aircraft - the flag stripes on the tail vary hugely between the regional aircraft and the larger ones for instance. May have been intentional but it's a mess.

The existing EI livery could be painted on a model aircraft in the same scale as a A380 more or less.

Haven't really noticed that issue...