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

Hotblack Desiato

Greece is a long flight from Ireland, maybe aircraft utilisation is being factored in? More sectors per day = more profits

Van.Bosch

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120712487#Comment_120712487

Same as the canaries pretty much though?

EchoIndia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120712428#Comment_120712428

That's interesting. Rhodes, Corfu, Heraklion and Athens were served by summer charter flights from DUB in the pre-LCC days but it seems that Spain and Portugal have become really dominant in more recent decades.

sherology

How come EI don't operate overnight flights to cater for these longer sectors to holiday destinations? I'm sure nobody 'wants to' arrive (or work) in the wee hours but better than no service... Wouldn't it increase utilisation and increase the network? Give an unsociable hours bonus to the crews perhaps? I flew to Athens overnight on EI 30yrs ago when they did charters for USIT etc. Beef with peas and carrots 😋.

A lot of the SH fleet arrive into Dublin on their last sector around 8-10... Could they (a few of them - to allow for repairs etc ) do a late flight and arrive back in around the time the US fleet start to come in - just for the summer?

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120712729#Comment_120712729

DUB - ACE 2784km

DUB - HER 3168km = 14% more

These assume great circle routings though. Going to Greece crosses over heavily congested airspace, I'm not sure how much deviation in track that's likely to cause but it makes the potential for delays in the busy summer period larger, and when an aircraft is sitting on the ground waiting for a slot it's not making any money.

EchoIndia

The intra-European market is largely for daytime flights these days and Aer Lingus have higher utilisation of the A320 family fleet than in former times. I can't see a return of those red-eye services. As it is, the latest arrivals into Dublin at this time of year are close to 0200, which can't be a very enjoyable experience for passengers and crew.

Locker10a

I’d be interested in the details of previous overnight holiday flights which were common for EI 20/25 years ago.

Would anyone have the schedules/details of those services, I’m guessing if it was viable/profitable they’d still be doing it

EchoIndia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120714513#Comment_120714513

There weren't published schedules, as the flights were for inclusive-tour operators. Four-digit flight numbers were used, with "6" as the first digit. From memory or my own flight records, some services were EI6492 to Faro (B732), EI6374 to Palma (Boeing 707), EI6884 to Corfu (B734). Lourdes, Menorca, Malaga, Ibiza, Rome and Rimini, Athens, Rhodes and Heraklion are other destinations that I can recall. On summer weekends (Saturdays in particular) flights would depart Dublin from around 2000 up to 2300 or so and arrive back during the night/early morning. Aer Lingus's first batch of 737-200s were mostly non-advanced variants fitted with JT-8D-9 engines, which limited their range compared to the Advanced versions of which a number were acquired later. As a result, 707s were used on some longer IT flights until the mid-1980s. The 747s were also deployed on some charters as well, this being a period when the fleet of three was not fully tasked on TA services.

Jack1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120714513#Comment_120714513

Can grab some later and share. I remember many years ago, holding over Cork for the airport to open coming back from Malaga on a 737 after 6am.

I wouldn't ever rule out an odd return of a red-eye, EZY resort to it on a minimal basis at LGW.

See G-EZOP on 10 JUN;

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/g-ezop

Astral Nav

The EI though the night flights were crewed by volunteer pilots and cabin crew who bid for them for each summer. It actually needed quite a bit of seniority as it was a very desirable package (just weekends only). Hardly enough hours left in the day for them now and the loco/independent travel of today has overtaken it.

MICKEYG

From flightradar24 it looks like all Aer Lingus short haul departures were significantly delayed this morning. Anyone know why?

The first wave of inbounds from NA all seemed to arrive on time (bar Windsor Locks) but I can't see them delaying all flights for one set of connecting passengers.

Noxegon

Someone on Facebook was saying it was an IT issue. No idea of the veracity of that though.

Jack1985

Netline (Loadsheets) by Lufthansa failed this morning affecting the early wave and the rest of the days schedules as a result.

Tenger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120716490#Comment_120716490

If not enough volunteers signed up, then those flights were rostered normally.

Flights were all charters with different onboard product than scheduled Aer Lingus.

Back in the early 2000s the fleet had a lot more downtime overnight. Last arrival was around 10pm and first departure was maybe 6,30/7am.

These days the EI schedule is busy 20 hours of the day.

Gary walsh 32

Looks like delays yesterday are affecting today flights also

sherology

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120726728#Comment_120726728

Possibly it's thunderstorms/weather there and elsewhere, as well as the Kings birthday flyovers around London. Here in the west it's thunderstorms and heavy rain since noon.

bikeman1

I see Privilege Style is down for the late PMI next week on a few days.

Whats the plan for it? Presume it will be the usual B772 EC-MUA?

john boye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730244#Comment_120730244

FIL got a message yesterday saying his flight to AGP next Sunday morning will operated by Privilege Style too and they seem to operating it today too. Have they a few AOG?

EchoIndia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730244#Comment_120730244

EC-HDS B757 has been operating for Aer Lingus.

Captain_Crash

It was on this evenings PMI also, LRC also out of action now for a couple of days. Stuck in JFK with a cracked windshield.

Gary walsh 32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120731211#Comment_120731211

Also ei dvk operated flight ei 994 to Madrid not scheduled to come back as yet

Captain_Crash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120731352#Comment_120731352

Lovely eh haha

dublin12367

Are we expecting any new routes to be launched for the winter season?

goingnowhere

EI-DVK coming back tonight, looks like it was a maintenance job in MAD

Str8outtaWuhan

Just experienced the EI-EIK in all its glory on the 121 route. I know it's going in for a refurb but all I can describe it as is indy and short round in that plane across China . The buzz word for the day was "please could you reset my IFE". It's been 10 yrs since I flew aerlingus and the quality has sure gone down. The penny pinching would put MoL to shame.

Paul2019

PS Years ago Delta had a slogan: "We never forget you have a choice".

It was heard on every flight and suggested that the airline was customer focussed.

With the Aer Lingus penny pinching combined with the antics of their "Customer Service" dept, an appropriately updated version of that slogan might be:

"We never forget you have a choice - and if you're not happy you know what you can do".

mrmanor

I’ve just flown back Brussels and it was awful. Fifthly aircraft, my seat had chocolate stuck to it… and the cabin crew were awful. Two Spanish ladies who didn’t try to help and quite literally shut me up when I tried to state my seat needed a clean. I’m incredibly upset at how much EI has gone down hill. It’s sad that Ryanair is the better option nowadays.

Paul2019

Yeah, it's not the kind of thing they put in their delusional TV ads.

Feels like their marketing dept is stuck in some kind of time warp from about 40 years ago.

Dodge

all marketing is delusional. AL aren’t unique about that

Paul2019

The reality gap steadily widens and I don't think Aer Lingus will benefit from people making excuses for them.

I used to be very proud of them but from what I read, from what I hear from other people and most damningly, from my last experiences with them in US West Coast J, Euro short haul and at the hands of Customer Service, they seem to have turned into an difficult outfit to deal with.

Someone needs to reverse these trends urgently. It would be a shame to see the demise of what was once an iconic national brand.

On the other hand, if those in charge of the company couldn't care less then why should anyone else?