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

I believe that there’s a further two to be delivered next year but am open to correction.

There’s only two on the order books assigned to Aer Lingus, they were ordered in November with deliveries due this summer so that’s NSE and NSF, the pair currently on the flight line in Toulouse.

As these orders come from the IAG pool, the delivery slots aren’t much of an issue so there’s plenty of time for a top up order with deliveries by next summer.

sample size of 1, but pre pandemic I did enough London day trips to maintain platinum on aerclub. (And I used other airlines as well).

Since pandemic, I can’t even maintain silver.

Instead of travelling for most customer meetings, I travel for 1 in 10 now.

I wouldn’t bet against it! Maybe not the 73’ but I can see 78’s alright! Boeing were in Shamrock House more than once last year and to quote someone I was speaking to regarding it, they made a “compelling case”

I agree on the 787's being the right aircraft to replace the A330's but not so sure on the 737. Unless they are for a separate EI division such like BA Euroflyer, Lufthansa City, IB Express, SAS connect, KLM Cityhopper. But any attempt to set something like this up would cause even bigger internal conflict. Probably a Maltese AOC which seems to be the popular flag of convenience these days.

IALPA need to be well prepared on how to counter this before it happens, because if you look at the wider industry it's where things are going in the future.

My reasons behind the belief for the 73M is the MofU that IAG signed with Boeing a few years back and didn't they put in an actual order for 50.

Plus going on the current EI way of doing things 320FO to 330FO to 320CPT to 330CPT, its a lot easier to get an FO to move from the 73 to the 78.

I am also willing to accept its a bit of a far fetched idea but these days nothing surprises me!

Anyone know why the 105 didn't operate today?

330Neo engine is an issue. Dare say I thought they would have moved to or expressed a long term interest in the 330neo by now if that was a possibility. Also, in case I didn't say it, I would have thought a Boeing move could happen within a 5 year window.

The cap was only 100k or so paxs short last winter. It was due to surpass that this year, which is why the winter cap has been put in place. Its a father Ted like scenario where a local planning authority have such influence over such national infrastructure. It is going to have serious implications next year.

I also agree with above. The XLR is nothing to do with pilot pay. Its suits the current EI agenda to state as such. The reality is they can't expand while the cap in its current form is in place.

don’t disagree but why wouldn’t EI want to say to the public - “we can’t grow due to the cap”.

Elsewhere EI-NSF had it's first flight in Toulouse today. It's only a week or two behind EI-NSE which must be due for delivery within the next 14 days or so.

Comparing different employee groups and expecting each of them to accept the same T&Cs that everyone else got is fundamentally flawed and is exactly the sort of corporate fallacy that executives cream themselves about. If other employee groups are happy to accept X, that’s their prerogative. Prior agreements reached with one group cannot be allowed to place an arbitrary limit on subsequent negotiations with another group.

EI’s pilot group were notable in that they willingly volunteered to go to 50% pay during Covid - without ever being asked. We thought they were mental but I think the idea was to establish a constructive relationship with the company to weather that whole ****-show. They were the last group to see pay restoration begin and are still the only group on a pay-cut. I think the pilots have now decided it’s time for that sacrifice to be significantly recognised. That’s pretty much verbatim what’s been explained to me over pints and it’s hard to disagree.

And the Labour Court has said that that any issues on which the parties still don't agree by end-August should be referred back to the Court for final determination. That could be interesting.

BDL DUB is cancelled tonight and DUB-BDL-DUB is cancelled tomorrow.

Does anyone know whats operating instead? EI LRB is currently in Hartford.

If the Labour Court Chairman is so experienced and fair, why didn't he issue an actual recommendation instead of kicking the can back to the WRC? The EI pilots have been in negotiations with the company since the end of 2022 including a trip to the WRC. That's more than what I would call an extended process. Mediation has not worked and there is nothing to suggest it will work now. You would be naïve to think that Aer Lingus wouldn't use the opportunity the interim recommendation presents to draw the process out until after the Summer season, when the industrial leverage the pilots have is gone. There is no doubt in my mind that there would be absolutely no improvement in the offer from the company.

The Labour Court should have issued a full recommendation and let the parties vote on it. What they did is a cop out.

Your post suggests that the Aer Lingus pilots consider themselves "special". I'd love to know your reasoning behind that. As has been pointed out they were the first group to suggest and take a 50% pay cut at the start of Covid. During Covid they had their T's and C's slashed, including their pay scale and the emergence of a lower scale for new joiners which remains in place. They were the last group in the company to get their pay restored post Covid.

For reference, BA pilots have had pay rises totaling 27% since 2019. The average hourly wage in Ireland has increased by 24% in the same time period. What the EI pilots are looking for is by no means unreasonable, but they've gotten nothing for so long that the figure looks big.