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

Hi All,

I hear EI plan to retrofit the ex-Qatar A330s to the standard EI business class config. Does anyone know when this is planned?

Having recently flown to FAO on EI-EIK, I found the seat terrible with the seating controls not working and the footwell being very small. I would like to avoid the ex-Qatar aircraft for a MCO run in Summer 2024 but at the moment the seating plan suggests that I will be disappointed.

-LRD still on the ground in IAD following a tail strike on 30/08.

Hi all,

We are due to fly out to Mallorca with Aer Lingus in a week's time. Just got an email saying that some outfit called Privilege Style will be operating the flight instead.

This bit is kind of troubling:

"

We are confident the service you receive from Privilege Style pilots and cabin crew will be to the same high standards our customers expect from us. Privilege Style meets all Aer Lingus Safety Standards.

"

We're pretty nervous flyers. Can anyone provide a backstory and reassure us regarding this change?

Thanks!

Privilege Style have been operating uneventfully for Aer Lingus for several weeks now and have been hired in in the past as well. We need to move past the notion that Irish airlines are safer than others and that those from Mediterranean countries or Eastern Europe are a bit questionable. Air travel is so safe nowadays that Eurostat reports that there were a total of 41 fatalities in commercial air transport in the whole of the EU from 2017 to 2021 inclusive - that’s about eight a year. Now think about the road accident statistics for Ireland alone.

Actually flew them home today after a short break and they’re absolutely fine! A bit tight with seat comfort but it’s an Aer Lingus service (P Style crew) and if the aircraft was painted in EI livery you’d prob never notice a difference! You’ll be fine. Enjoy the 757, it’s a beast of a machine that many don’t ever get the chance to fly on!

That may be true, strictly speaking, but I don't think it's at all unreasonable for the average punter to assume that buying a ticket from a specific airline will result in that specific airline operating their flight with the aircraft/product advertised on that specific airline's website.

We've talked before about the brand damage being done by EI-EIL/EI-EIK in Qatar config. Leases to Wamos/Privilege Style are the same IMHO.

Just my €0.02 of course.

It's a fair point, some Irish passengers are still very brand loyal to AL, especially the older generation but sometimes there is just no alternative. See a few posts back, A321LR had an apparent tail strike and will be out of service for an extended period during peak season, do you expect AL to simply cancel all planned flights for the a/c? Granted some seems to be a tactical way to have Summer capacity without paying year round costs for crew and aircraft. Very little in aviation is perfect.

Aer Lingus is not the only carrier relying on hire-ins, with SAS, BA and Eurowings being amongst those regularly using other carriers' equipment on some routes. Air Baltic have operated into Dublin on both SAS and Eurowings services and seem to have spare capacity. It seems to be a fact of life at the moment as carriers find themselves in need of additional capacity, whether for seasonal or other reasons. Privilege Style are one of the small number of true charter companies still around in Europe so Aer Lingus must be happy enough to have secured them for a couple of months.

EI-DAA flew BOS-DUB in service following day so is not on the ground

I see another Privilege Style is due into Dublin today. This time their A330 EC-NZJ.

What's that going on and how long is the 757 staying for?

Is the Wamos 330 finishing up? I think it may be.

Massive increase in demand on DUB-IAD as a result of the American Football game in the Aviva I believe was the original reason.

The 119 Wamos hire in was a result of crewing capability and not demand (pilots aren't working days off) - The biggest employee groups Pilots + Cabin Crew aren't yet reaching agreement with EI over proposed salary increases which is applying a lot of pressure to EI themselves in addition to M&E issues.

Demand spikes for the Football Classic was targeted with EI A330's being deployed ad-hoc. The Wamos charter is flying with existing Neo loads.

Damage to -LRD is in the millions, I don't see her airborne for at least a few months.