Aer Lingus Fleet/Routes Discussion

A319er

Yes serious medical supply airlift from Peking into Dublin , nice work and fair play to EI could be 50 flights ,upto 7 a day.

kub

A319er wrote: »

Yes serious medical supply airlift from Peking into Dublin , nice work and fair play to EI could be 50 flights ,upto 7 a day.

So that is the A330 pilots flat out for the foreseeable future, I like to think that this will encourage their A320 pilots to train up to A330 type for any future outbreaks like this.

Nijmegen

kub wrote: »

So that is the A330 pilots flat out for the foreseeable future, I like to think that this will encourage their A320 pilots to train up to A330 type for any future outbreaks like this.

Well presumably a glut would just create rostering difficulties as they all need to keep their hours up.

6 or 7 trips per day is still lower than the regular summer US schedule?

L1011

Nijmegen wrote: »

Well presumably a glut would just create rostering difficulties as they all need to keep their hours up.

6 or 7 trips per day is still lower than the regular summer US schedule?

Longer flight times than much of the TATL schedule

Jack1985

L1011 wrote: »

Longer flight times than much of the TATL schedule

That maybe true but the TA schedule has been severly reduced for May too. Together with the severity of reductions all operating crew will see reduced hours versus 2019. Temporarily hours over the next 2-3 weeks may increase.

kub wrote: »

So that is the A330 pilots flat out for the foreseeable future, I like to think that this will encourage their A320 pilots to train up to A330 type for any future outbreaks like this.

It would make no sense to do that (timescale invovled, location of training in Europe and unpredictibility of outbreaks). They can't hold dual ratings and they would be required on the 320 fleet once the schedule would return to normal operation.

Lapmo_Dancer

Nijmegen wrote: »

Well presumably a glut would just create rostering difficulties as they all need to keep their hours up.

6 or 7 trips per day is still lower than the regular summer US schedule?

I think they’re planning 5 TAs (JFK, BOS, ORD, SFO and YYZ) and 2 LHRs a day on 330 in April, plus up to 5 PEKs a day.

Cookiemunster

Lufthansa A330 returning from Shanghai with medical supplies in seats and overhead bins. Have to assume that EI will be doing the same.

https://twitter.com/lufthansaNews/status/1242801130385690625

MugMugs

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Lufthansa A330 returning from Shanghai with medical supplies in seats and overhead bins. Have to assume that EI will be doing the same.

https://twitter.com/lufthansaNews/status/1242801130385690625

Confirmed that they will be. Rotating out an extra pilot and engineers and prohibited from leaving the aircraft when there starting Saturday.

Tenger

Active cases of Covid-19 are under currently 5000 in China. (This is expected to rise once lockdown is relaxed) They are in a great position to help the rest of the a World deal with their own outbreak.
I doubt Trumps USA will highlight any aid received from China

ohigg84

What a real shame AerCap retired EWR,

Surely, AerCap could have sold the aircraft to EI at a very reasonable price!

In hindsight, it would be practical to have it (EWR) for cargo flights to China, well in it's range.

Tenger

I don’t think EI will have many worries over availability of airframes over the next 2-3 months.

Lapmo_Dancer

stephenjmcd wrote: »

The a330 should be able to do the flight direct no bother heading out. I'd assume they might need a stop on the way back maybe depending on the load being carried but that could depend on winds etc too

It’s 1nm closer than LAX on a great circle track. The cargo is bulky but light apparently. There won’t be any issues with performance.

California Dreamer

kub wrote: »

I like to think that this will encourage their A320 pilots to train up to A330 type for any future outbreaks like this.

Not really the pilots decision to want to train on the 330!

California Dreamer

2 Cpt
2 FO
1 Relief Cpt
1 Load master
2 Engineers

Per Flight

NH2013

California Dreamer wrote: »

2 Cpt
2 FO
1 Relief Cpt
1 Load master
2 Engineers

Per Flight

And a ten hour flight out, 4-6 hours waiting around on the ground to load the cargo then the same crew take the plane home on an 11-12 hour flight, 28 hour shift straight for the staff, all volunteers.

Stovepipe

Load masters? When did we get them?

d51984

Are you sure the staff on these flights are volunteers?

Coil Kilcrea

MugMugs wrote: »

Confirmed that they will be. Rotating out an extra pilot and engineers and prohibited from leaving the aircraft when there starting Saturday.

Are they prohibited from leaving the aircraft for visa reasons or Covid19? I'm just imagining that after that length of flight a stretch of the legs and some fresh air would be welcome.

kona

Coil Kilcrea wrote: »

Are they prohibited from leaving the aircraft for visa reasons or Covid19? I'm just imagining that after that length of flight a stretch of the legs and some fresh air would be welcome.

Of course they will be allowed leave the aircraft.

goingnowhere

5 pilots so plenty of cover and rest

Load masters are hard to come by, probably looking at some experienced ground handlers/dispatchers to ensure everything is secure and the load and balance is correct.

Back in Dublin I imagine anything which is not bolted to the aircraft is coming out, all the magazines, all the catering trolleys, ovens (yes they pop out) get the weight down

Hope someone has had a chat with the Russians to ensure there is no issue with overflights (Aer Lingus was a key partner with Aeroflot in the 1980's so assume someone remembers...)

Cheat sheet with the m to FL conversion table someone should be laminating them and adding to the cockpit

Crews from other airlines have been photographed on the apron so thats cool, walk around etc. Just don't leave the parking bay.

blackwhite

goingnowhere wrote: »

5 pilots so plenty of cover and rest

Load masters are hard to come by, probably looking at some experienced ground handlers/dispatchers to ensure everything is secure and the load and balance is correct.

Back in Dublin I imagine anything which is not bolted to the aircraft is coming out, all the magazines, all the catering trolleys, ovens (yes they pop out) get the weight down

Hope someone has had a chat with the Russians to ensure there is no issue with overflights (Aer Lingus was a key partner with Aeroflot in the 1980's so assume someone remembers...)

Cheat sheet with the m to FL conversion table someone should be laminating them and adding to the cockpit

Crews from other airlines have been photographed on the apron so thats cool, walk around etc. Just don't leave the parking bay.

I'm guessing they'll need to keep one oven in the business class galley to feed themselves, given it's a 28hr shift expected!

alarmcode

California Dreamer wrote: »

2 Cpt
2 FO
1 Relief Cpt
1 Load master
2 Engineers

Per Flight

plenty of lolly for the engineers. Just like the days of the "barrier" shifts in SRT.

kona

alarmcode wrote: »

plenty of lolly for the engineers. Just like the days of the "barrier" shifts in SRT.

Dont think they will be going to kealys after the 13th hour!

Van.Bosch

For EI pilots who fly to NA every shift, I imagine there is a bit of a clamour to crew these flights?

omega man

Van.Bosch wrote: »

For EI pilots who fly to NA every shift, I imagine there is a bit of a clamour to crew these flights?

Not particularly but with the ever reducing TA schedule it’s well covered.

California Dreamer

I hear that the 321 NEO's will be on the TA routes a lot more during this time.

MugMugs

kona wrote: »

Of course they will be allowed leave the aircraft.

Being reported that if they wish to leave the aircraft, they'll be quarantined?

Jack1985

California Dreamer wrote: »

I hear that the 321 NEO's will be on the TA routes a lot more during this time.

They won't be operating TA services due to limited belly weight.

basill

California Dreamer wrote: »

I hear that the 321 NEO's will be on the TA routes a lot more during this time.

Not confirmed as yet but logic would dictate that the NEOs would fill the East coast gap given the reduced pax numbers.

Tenger

MugMugs wrote: »

Being reported that if they wish to leave the aircraft, they'll be quarantined?

China currently has an enforced quarantine on ALL arrivals. So stopping over IS NOT an option.

But if they are airside I doubt they will be stopped going outside the aircraft for a bit of fresh air. After all they still gave to conduct refuelling and Pre departure walkaround.

Lets not put too much heed in a badly written article in the Irish Mirror.


Regarding the A321LRs, we have already seen a few East Coast being operating by the smaller aircraft. I highly doubt EI will have much "set in stone" over the next 6-8 weeks.
They will mix and match A333/332/321LR dependant on daily operational requirements.

California Dreamer

Jack1985 wrote: »

They won't be operating TA services due to limited belly weight.

We'll agree to disagree!

Jack1985

California Dreamer wrote: »

We'll agree to disagree!

Unless plans have changed it was ruled out on that basis. At the peak of the PEK operation there will be up to 5 services per day, including planned 330 ops to LHR and existing planned East Coast service EI have suffient 330's for this.

A lot of people would presume the NEO would remain in operation in terms of cost (crewing etc). But it was a non runner as of last week.

Tenger wrote: »

Regarding the A321LRs, we have already seen a few East Coast being operating by the smaller aircraft. I highly doubt EI will have much onset in stone" over the next 6-8 weeks.
They will mix and match A333/332/321LR dependant on daily operational requirements.

They finished TA service as of last Sunday.

California Dreamer

Jack1985 wrote: »

Unless plans have changed it was ruled out on that basis.

We live in challenging times and things change.

Jack1985

California Dreamer wrote: »

We live in challenging times and things change.

You don't need to remind me of that, a lot of people will be very happy if this is the case. Unfortunately as with aviation lots of rumours get peddled, so until its concretely crewed (lots of crew with planned part time patterns now and limited NEO crew available) I'll hold my breath.

lintdrummer

Jack1985 wrote: »

Unless plans have changed it was ruled out on that basis. At the peak of the PEK operation there will be up to 5 services per day, including planned 330 ops to LHR and existing planned East Coast service EI have suffient 330's for this.

A lot of people would presume the NEO would remain in operation in terms of cost (crewing etc). But it was a non runner as of last week.



They finished TA service as of last Sunday.

2 Neos not going into storage. Will be used for east coast USA ops.

MoeJay

If this whole China thing ends up being what it's being made out to be; priority will be given to it.

The flexibility EI have with the neo is that aircraft and crew are completely available (which was not the case 12 months ago) and given the fact that it's unlikely that 300 people are going to be off to JFK any day soon, it doesn't take long to see what can happen. It has an added bonus of protecting crew availability for the 330 ops.

It appears that airlines are making decisions pretty quickly right now; what wasn't envisaged just a few days ago can now be a reality. I'm sure EI are the same....

Shamrockj

At the moment the NEOs are only scheduled to do 4 flights a day to LHR but that could obviously change

Aviation2k19

The seat map for DUB-BOS next week is showing as a 321 NEO.

Peregrine

Is SFO suspended now too? I can't book between 30/03 and 26/04 now.

Jack1985

Peregrine wrote: »

Is SFO suspended now too? I can't book between 30/03 and 26/04 now.

Seems it's been suspended now too.

goingnowhere

TATL freight is also a concern and the NEO is useless in that case.

The situation is highly dynamic but it would appear EI has enough A330's and crew to manage the China deal and basic US service. If thats the case the A330 fleet stays flying and would appear has a chance to be able to pay its operating and lease costs.

Thats massive cash flow

When the upswing comes the NEO will be handy to get routes back running again or running the second flight of the day to JFK/BOS

Jack1985

goingnowhere wrote: »

TATL freight is also a concern and the NEO is useless in that case.

The situation is highly dynamic but it would appear EI has enough A330's and crew to manage the China deal and basic US service. If thats the case the A330 fleet stays flying and would appear has a chance to be able to pay its operating and lease costs.

Thats massive cash flow

When the upswing comes the NEO will be handy to get routes back running again or running the second flight of the day to JFK/BOS

Exactly, well conveyed.

basill

Jack1985 wrote: »

You don't need to remind me of that, a lot of people will be very happy if this is the case. Unfortunately as with aviation lots of rumours get peddled, so until its concretely crewed (lots of crew with planned part time patterns now and limited NEO crew available) I'll hold my breath.

I think the pilots have demonstrated a great deal of flexibility in order to keep the show on the road and ensure the long term viability of the airline. If and/or when the company decides to deploy the NEO back on the Atlantic then I am sure where there is a will there will be a way in order to ensure they are crewed. There are plenty of crews trained up to cover what would potentially be only a handful of flights each week given that SNN ops are suspended. As stated earlier the benefit of utilising the NEO is that it frees up A330 crews to focus on the far east route and any other cargo contracts that will come up over the coming period. Time will tell.

Pete2k

RTE now reporting that there could be up to 300 China flights between sunday and end of May.

pclive

Pete2k wrote: »

RTE now reporting that there could be up to 300 China flights between sunday and end of May.

I heard the first 60-70 flights is the first batch out of a possible 5 batches.
I suppose the other batches will be used depending on how the virus spreads.

pclive

pclive wrote: »

I heard the first 60-70 flights is the first batch out of a possible 5 batches.
I suppose the other batches will be used depending on how the virus spreads.

When you say “you heard”, what you mean is you read it here on boards about 5-6 pages back;). Credit to the OP who posted that information.

pclive

Deleted User wrote: »

When you say “you heard”, what you mean is you read it here on boards about 5-6 pages back;). Credit to the OP who posted that information.

I heard it from a mate who is a FO on the 330

SAM SO NITE

basill wrote: »

I think the pilots have demonstrated a great deal of flexibility in order to keep the show on the road and ensure the long term viability of the airline. If and/or when the company decides to deploy the NEO back on the Atlantic then I am sure where there is a will there will be a way in order to ensure they are crewed. There are plenty of crews trained up to cover what would potentially be only a handful of flights each week given that SNN ops are suspended. As stated earlier the benefit of utilising the NEO is that it frees up A330 crews to focus on the far east route and any other cargo contracts that will come up over the coming period. Time will tell.

I'm under the impression that everyone from cabin crew to pilots will experience a downturn in pay and standards. Engineering conny rate will go down and airlines will use this event to cull dead wood , older staff and unqualified staff.

I fear the situation will be taken advantage of, akin to when oil prices drop the price at the pump takes an age to come down. The same with T"s and C"s in Aviation. Its going to be milked by the management in all companies.

Stovepipe

alarmcode wrote: »

plenty of lolly for the engineers. Just like the days of the "barrier" shifts in SRT.

Is that what you think? Engineers are last in the food chain in EI,so think again.

Tenger

basill wrote: »

I think the pilots have demonstrated a great deal of flexibility in order to keep the show on the road and ensure the long term viability of the airline........

Well the 50% cut in salary and hours is across the board, so I would say that all the staff have demonstrated a great deal of flexibility to keep the show on the road.