Aer Lingus Fleet/Routes Discussion

Stephen Strange

LiamaDelta wrote: »

And a considerable amount of people being repatriated from abroad via LHR, like the group from Peru yesterday.

All LHR arrivals over the last few days have had less than 120 pax, including Peru arrivals yesterday

Tenger

Using the A330 On DUB-LHR could be to keep the aircraft themselves running (long term storage has its own costs and procedures) or even to keep the A330 flight crew current.
Social distancing could also be a plausible idea, even with 120 passengers there will be plenty of space between everyone.

Similar with the A321LRs, prob easier to give each one a couple of sectors every 2nd day than park them up for 2 months.

Kev11491

Taken from insta.

California Dreamer

Kev11491 wrote: »

Taken from insta.

Where is that?

easypazz

sherology wrote: »

One would hope the HSE (and staff) will learn from this and insist on such PPE being used as standard post-crisis. We have very high levels of hospital transmission of superbugs etc. This is a highly visible extension of how to keep a barrier between patient and carer.

There is an issue with that because nobody knows who is behind the mask and we all engage in a mixture of lip reading as well as hearing, so they find it hard to communicate.

Its also uncomfortable to wear.

They will also consume a huge amount of single use plastic which in itself is supposed to be phased out.

goingnowhere

California Dreamer wrote: »

Where is that?

T2 LHR

A319er

Seems all 5 flights tomorrow cancelled due lack of overfly permissions,
Let's hope it's only a temporary glitch

omega man

A319er wrote: »

Seems all 5 flights tomorrow cancelled due lack of overfly permissions,
Let's hope it's only a temporary glitch

Should be back up and running Thursday

Inquitus

A319er wrote: »

Seems all 5 flights tomorrow cancelled due lack of overfly permissions,
Let's hope it's only a temporary glitch

Seems to be one en route EIN9020

https://www.flightradar24.com/EIN9020/244cedcc

goingnowhere

Guessing its the Russians? They rigorously control overflight permissions.

joeysoap

Inquitus wrote: »

Seems to be one en route EIN9020

https://www.flightradar24.com/EIN9020/244cedcc

I make 5 live at the moment, between returning and going

Inquitus

Only 8 Aer Lingus craft in the air, 5 going to China or coming back, and 3 TATL flights to the East Coast.

neris

How easy or difficult from a beauracy & red tape point of view is it for AL to have arranged those flights or will they have been in planning for a while? Also do the crew need to do anything as it's not a regular route from them

Clon63

How do Aer Lingus get around the entry bans for Irish and other citizens entering USA and Canada for the teansatlantic flights?

Normally the crews would overnight there but now do the return crew travel as pax on theoutbound and the outbound crew just pax home on the return?

Stephen Strange

Clon63 wrote: »

How do Aer Lingus get around the entry bans for Irish and other citizens entering USA and Canada for the teansatlantic flights?

Normally the crews would overnight there but now do the return crew travel as pax on theoutbound and the outbound crew just pax home on the return?

Crew are exempt as far as I know

goingnowhere

neris wrote: »

How easy or difficult from a beauracy & red tape point of view is it for AL to have arranged those flights or will they have been in planning for a while? Also do the crew need to do anything as it's not a regular route from them

Russia and China didn't sign the Chicago accord so overflights require agreement, its bureaucratic and political. Thankfully Ireland is well placed to negotiate (Aeroflot has access to Dublin and Aer Lingus & Aer Rianta actually partnered with Aeroflot for a time in 80's) so you would expect a degree of understanding, but normally these things take months, years to sort out.

Russia and China have a non standard quasi metic RSVM level system, not the same in Russia and China so you need to carry a cheat sheet to translate the numbers. So if someone barks an altitude in meters in less than great english, you have to do the conversion, crosscheck and turn and pull the altitude selector.

You need to work out diversion airports (not many options across Russia) need someone to handle you at Beijing, fuel etc. EI sent out 2 engineers and a load master to manage a lot of the ground ops.

Need visas etc, the Chinese waived the fees and issued same day to approx 90 EI staff. Joe Soap doesn't get that. The Ambassador really helped in pulling strings to get the visa's get the overflight permission, landing slots etc.

And no-one will know what Shamrock means so its EIN with ATC

I imagine the A330 sim is running a of approaches to PEK this week..

Noxegon

goingnowhere wrote: »

the Chinese waived the fees and issued same day to approx 90 EI staff.

I've been thinking about this - are visas actually necessary for the crew given that they are not crossing the border in Beijing?

billy few mates

Noxegon wrote: »

I've been thinking about this - are visas actually necessary for the crew given that they are not crossing the border in Beijing?

Maybe it's a requirement in case the aircraft goes tech there and they have to then enter the country..?

goingnowhere

Better safe then sorry with the visa's

Back on for Thursday 5 flights showing this morning as planned

smurfjed

are visas actually necessary for the crew given that they are not crossing the border in Beijing?

For China, Russia and USA, the answer is YES.

but normally these things take months, years to sort out.

I think that you are talking about bi-lateral air agreements rather than overflight permits, standard overflight permits can be set up rather rapidly, hours rather than days.

The encounter FLIGHT LEVELS are in METERS, the approaches are in FEET.

goingnowhere

If the Russians don't want to play ball you won't get far, https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2018/05/19/icelandic-carriers-seek-russian-overflying-rights/

Tenger

Clon63 wrote: »

How do Aer Lingus get around the entry bans for Irish and other citizens entering USA and Canada for the teansatlantic flights?
...........

The “entry ban” exempts non-US citizens with certain visas, such as ship and aircraft crew. (Diplomats would also be exempt etc)

Qprmeath

goingnowhere wrote: »

Better safe then sorry with the visa's

Back on for Thursday 5 flights showing this morning as planned

No Dublin bound flights tomorrow afaik.

EchoIndia

Qprmeath wrote: »

No Dublin bound flights tomorrow afaik.

But further flights over the weekend - that's the plan so no alarm needed.

PCros

I was just wondering are Aer Lingus footing the fuel bill for this?

IngazZagni

So is this a case of Russia dragging their feet with regards to overfly rights? Typical Russian bureaucracy if it’s the case. Especially disappointing as these are flights to deliver essential health equipment. I doubt the same issues would happen if the roles were reversed.

Nijmegen

Not like they ask permission for their bears... But deeply disappointing if true that they have not facilitated the flights.

goingnowhere

Only showing 1 outbound tomorrow now.

Shamrockj

Showing 5 a day from Sunday

GTE

goingnowhere wrote: »

Only showing 1 outbound tomorrow now.

Where do you get this info? Sounds like a cool resource to have.

goingnowhere

No secret the Aer Lingus website will tell all

MICKEYG

goingnowhere wrote: »

No secret the Aer Lingus website will tell all

Problem is that Beijing is not on their list of cities so to find the flights you need to type in each flight number individually.

Tenger

Nijmegen wrote: »

.. But deeply disappointing if true that they have not facilitated the flights.

May not be overfly rights, could as simple as a delay in getting the "Irish supplies" to be in place after the first few collections.
I'm sure the production chain in China is overloaded with orders at the moment

neris

One of today's Beijing flights not far from landing

omega man

goingnowhere wrote: »

Only showing 1 outbound tomorrow now.

2 ops tomorrow.

goingnowhere

Yup

EI9018 and EI9020 are showing now

goingnowhere

EI-GEY appears now to be stored at Shannon

Shamrockj

Anyone know what will now happen to EI-EIN and -EIK put into storage?

California Dreamer

PCros wrote: »

I was just wondering are Aer Lingus footing the fuel bill for this?

I would think the the 300k that EI are charging the government for each flight will well cover that!

PCros

California Dreamer wrote: »

I would think the the 300k that EI are charging the government for each flight will well cover that!

Where did you get this information and figure from?

Are you not mixing up the repatriation flight that cost 300k?

easypazz

PCros wrote: »

Where did you get this information and figure from?

Are you not mixing up the repatriation flight that cost 300k?

300+ seats, a round trip average around €1000 return would be more than €300k, and they would have cargo on a regular flight.

So €300k is about right, even if its a guesstimate.

Dardania

easypazz wrote: »

300+ seats, a round trip average around €1000 return would be more than €300k, and they would have cargo on a regular flight.

So €300k is about right, even if its a guesstimate.

No cabin crew costs?

IngazZagni

They will definitely be making a profit on these flights.
Any airline purposly operating flights at a loss in this environment would be out of their minds.

easypazz

Dardania wrote: »

No cabin crew costs?

How much do you think cabin crew would cost?

sherology

Interesting article regarding cargo 'seat bags' for the a320: https://simpleflying.com/airbus-a320-cargo-bags/

Pat Dunne

IngazZagni wrote: »

They will definitely be making a profit on these flights.
Any airline purposly operating flights at a loss in this environment would be out of their minds.

At last someone who sees this for what it is, well said IngazZagni.
I’ve read all the “Well Done, Our Chaps” type posts and other similar jingoistic style gibberish from the EI Fanboys.
EI are not been patriotic in “rescuing” Ireland, they came up with a very clever commercial idea, at a time with they had spare capacity and are making a profit out of it.

PCros

Pat Dunne wrote: »

At last someone who sees this for what it is, well said IngazZagni.
I’ve read all the “Well Done, Our Chaps” type posts and other similar jingoistic style gibberish from the EI Fanboys.
EI are not been patriotic in “rescuing” Ireland, they came up with a very clever commercial idea, at a time with they had spare capacity and are making a profit out of it.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

On twitter everyone is praising EI but the reality of it is that the crew are flying for free and the government are picking up the flight costs...amazing PR if you can get it!

MoeJay

Is the suggestion here that Aer Lingus put all this to the HSE/Government and not the other way around....?

I didn’t see a queue of other airlines banging down the door looking to do all this lift, maybe I missed that?

PCros

MoeJay wrote: »

Is the suggestion here that Aer Lingus put all this to the HSE/Government and not the other way around....?

I didn’t see a queue of other airlines banging down the door looking to do all this lift, maybe I missed that?

I think you are missing the point here...

Also what other Irish airline have aircraft capable of flying to China?

PCros

PCros wrote: »

Where did you get this information and figure from?

Are you not mixing up the repatriation flight that cost 300k?

300k was a figure mentioned by I believe it was Simon Harris when asked or discussing the cost to hire an aircraft to operate one of these flights. It was said either early last week or late the previous week. The poster hasn’t merely plucked it out of their rear.

It relation to Pats comment, no one is doing anything for free. Everyone is still charging for services rendered. If Aer Lingus are making €1 profit they will be happy because the publicity alone is worth more than that. EI won’t be making a large profit they won’t want that to come out in the wash after the event as that would severely damage them. They certainly won’t be doing it at a loss anyway.