Good evening everyone and welcome to our fifth thread of 2023; the year is flying - pardon the pun (or not!)

Some very interesting developments in May:
- New terminal extension plans for T1 at DUB
- FR numbers rising; 101st and 102nd Max 8200s delivered by end April
- New anti-drone system in effect
- President Biden's visit; large number of US military visitors, including C-17s and helicopters
- EI-DHH landing incident
- EI moves to T7 at JFK
- Fleet woes for EI on transatlantic; with 'FNG stuck in Canada and Wamos lease in for several days
- Eastern ends DUB-SOU route from 29 May
- Significant increase in Loganair service to LHR, also with intro of LDY-LHR service
- EI transatlantic fleet planning update; EI bidding for part of IAG order
- AA goes year round on DUB-DFW; extends CLT season
- Wideroe launches DUB-BGO service
- EK bemoans lack of 777-suitable stands at DUB
- TK looking at second Irish route

So, a very interesting month and we're not yet in the peak of the season, so let's hope Summer 2023 is a lot less stressful than last year.

Safe flying, everyone!

Here's a link to the last thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1482889

Seems some disruptions to be expected tomorrow by the looks of things.

France flight cancellations: All you need to know as Ryanair and Aer Lingus routes impacted

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023 ... d-to-know/

--

May will see the charter flight season kick off with the likes of TUI . Lets hope for a better season compared to last year .

planemanofnz wrote:

Looking at EI's 'partnerships' page:

- All of the non-IAG partners are in North America. Why does EI not have any partnerships going eastwards - particularly the likes of QR?

- Any thoughts on when the UA partnership will end?

It's baffling to me why Aer Lingus don't codeshare on the flights to Australia and sell them through their own website. It's always been a total mystery as to why they don't do that, considering how many people book flights from Ireland to Australia.

However, something is in the works... I can see that SYD, MEL and PER are selectable from Dublin on the Aer Lingus website, but no flights come up. Other cities do not come up, so I am guessing that maybe they are going to add codeshares to these three cities sometime soon. Anyone have any insider knowledge? As you say, you'd think they would be partnering with QR or someone for flights down that way.

I'd say UA and possibly B6 will end as soon as EI start selling the transatlantic partnership flights through their website. It seems like it won't be long... people keep saying something has happened with AerSpace fares from 1 October, so maybe something will start around there.

Eirules wrote:

Landed into DUB at lunchtime and there were 4 BA aircraft on the ground, 3 parked over the far side of the D gates. Any ideas why?

That's interesting... were they all Airbus A320s or was there an Embraer or what were they? Sounds like too many on the ground at once to be their usual services.

Some thoughts come to mind over the whole issue of EI and its fleet and in particular, their t/a fleet. EI has now been in IAG for eight years and I have always supported this. I think it has been beneficial for EI, but of late, I am disappointed in EI and I think the issue is that EI has the components to be a top class airline, but never really the commitment. The inconsistency is becoming glaring; if you book an EI flight to the US today, you have an equal chance of having a really good flight or a bloody awful one. And that can be down to something as simple as the aircraft you are flying on. That is not acceptable. EI has, as we've mentioned many times, two aircraft which really should not be in its fleet. And they recently reintroduced their -200s with several seats that do not have functioning IFE. It has long since been known that these aircraft would be returning to EI (back in February/March, at least), so they had ample time to repaint in new colours and make sure that they were fit for purpose. They didn't do this; that's today's EI in a nutshell.

So, before we talk about EI getting new aircraft, that needs to be a priority and I think it is down to leadership; I think it's down to a misunderstanding of customer expectations. The CEO of Aer Lingus has not run a passenger airline before; I think that may be a factor, but there is plenty of top people in EI with, cumulatively, decades of experience; how is that being brought to bear? And why isn't IAG taking a closer interest in this? It can't be in IAG's interest for one of its component airlines to be perceived as the laggard when it comes to service quality; I always thought that would be Iberia, which never had a great reputation for a pleasant quality of service; EI always had (and has) that; it's really the hard product that lets EI down. So, before EI invests in new aircraft, I think it needs to sit down and decide what kind of airline it wants to be and whether it is willing to back that up with investment and support. We all understand that during the peak season, with the fleet being run at high utilisation, things can go wrong and that aircraft may have to divert or go tech, but that's just part of the day to day operation. However, I think the issues with EI are more serious than that. I remember, many years ago, there was a reference in a book about EI to a perception that there was an "ah, sure it'll do" and "if we're nice, they'll forgive us". I think that mindset is still there.

So, bottom line: if EI is to invest in a new fleet, be it A330 Neos, A350s or whatever, it needs to sit down and decide: are we going to do this right? Can we really look customers/"guests" in the eye and say, come fly with us and you'll have a really good experience and you won't regret it. I don't think they can really answer that question in the affirmative now, but more seriously, I don't think they are that bothered about it. One of the problems with IAG, as good as it has been for EI, the expectations of EI have been very much numbers orientated - ROIC, etc and it's probably the same with all major companies, but it's very difficult to quantify customer satisfaction, even though (you would think), it's central to the organisation's raison d'etre, yet what can't be quantified or values, empirically, is always going to play second fiddle (at best) what can be and so, the customer experience drops way down the priority list and unfortunately, there is a danger that is can slip so far down, that it begins to hit the bottom line; customers will begin to say, well I have €x to spend on a long haul trip, but I'm damned if I'll risk it on EI; I'm far more likely to get a decent product on DL or VS. And the cost of repairing that perception will be high.

Aer Lingus has a great future; as I said at the outset, it has the components and it has the potential to be the premier operator of services from NW Europe to the US and it has a lot going for it, but it needs more than that to be a top class airline. I want SO MUCH to see them succeed, but they need to want it too.

I said in the previous thread I think they should pull EIK & EIL off the NAT and use them within Europe and the Canaries. Even if they're too tight/greedy to pull both, they should at least extend the lease on GEY & get it back in service in place of at least 1 of the ex QR -300s, at least then they're reducing the damage to the long haul brand by 50%.

ClassicLover wrote:

planemanofnz wrote:

Looking at EI's 'partnerships' page:

- All of the non-IAG partners are in North America. Why does EI not have any partnerships going eastwards - particularly the likes of QR?

- Any thoughts on when the UA partnership will end?

It's baffling to me why Aer Lingus don't codeshare on the flights to Australia and sell them through their own website. It's always been a total mystery as to why they don't do that, considering how many people book flights from Ireland to Australia.

However, something is in the works... I can see that SYD, MEL and PER are selectable from Dublin on the Aer Lingus website, but no flights come up. Other cities do not come up, so I am guessing that maybe they are going to add codeshares to these three cities sometime soon. Anyone have any insider knowledge? As you say, you'd think they would be partnering with QR or someone for flights down that way.

I'd say UA and possibly B6 will end as soon as EI start selling the transatlantic partnership flights through their website. It seems like it won't be long... people keep saying something has happened with AerSpace fares from 1 October, so maybe something will start around there.

Eirules wrote:

Landed into DUB at lunchtime and there were 4 BA aircraft on the ground, 3 parked over the far side of the D gates. Any ideas why?

That's interesting... were they all Airbus A320s or was there an Embraer or what were they? Sounds like too many on the ground at once to be their usual services.

There were 4 BA aircraft around 12.30-1.30.
3xAirbus 320 family including one ex BMI G-MEDK and 1x Embraer.

2x 320s were on normal London duties and at the 200s pier/satellite. 1x Embraer was on a remote stand and would later be going to LCY as early Sunday LCY is closed so the Embraers often slack in the morning. It seems based on FL24 there are 2x 319s on the ground at DUB since 13 & 22 days respectively G-EUPS and EUPP. So that'll be part of it. I'm guessing painting or maintenance.

Tonight the are 4 on the ground Embraer X1 G-LCYM ,those mentioned 319s and nightstopping G-EUYT.

HTCone wrote:

I said in the previous thread I think they should pull EIK & EIL off the NAT and use them within Europe and the Canaries. Even if they're too tight/greedy to pull both, they should at least extend the lease on GEY & get it back in service in place of at least 1 of the ex QR -300s, at least then they're reducing the damage to the long haul brand by 50%.

I believe that the plan for this summer at least is to indeed get GEY back into service and have it on one of the ORD rotations to allow one of EIK and/or EIL to be stuck on the bucket and spade circuit. I think Aer Lingus have let this issue with the gruesome twosome carry on for far too long and have possibly done themselves lasting reputational damage, being that these two seemed almost always to end up on the ORD rotations. In terms of a longer-term view, I think EI do need to consider a refresh of the A330 economy cabin as there seems to be three different types of seat in use across the fleet with little thought given to continuity and serviceability (to say nothing of the poor continuity of business between EIK/EIL and the others). In essence, the cabins on the older A330's should be updated to harmonise with those on FNG, FNH, GAJ, GCF, EIM and EIN, or otherwise EI may do well to consider the replacement plan for the legacy A330 fleet and be as swift as can be in making the necessary changes.

kaitak wrote:

Some thoughts come to mind over the whole issue of EI and its fleet and in particular, their t/a fleet. ......

Aer Lingus has a great future; as I said at the outset, it has the components and it has the potential to be the premier operator of services from NW Europe to the US and it has a lot going for it, but it needs more than that to be a top class airline. I want SO MUCH to see them succeed, but they need to want it too.

I had a drink with 2 mates (who are current EI staff) about 3 weeks. Both joined Aer Lingus in the 1997, so have seen massive change in that time.
One of them made a telling comment, "I dont mind them treating us like shit and not giving us the information we need, we volunteered to be here. We can leave if we really want to.
But now they are treating the customers like shit, and treating them as disposable. That's the worry I have"

I sometimes think it suits EI to be half arsed about things or those in head office at least. I can't specifically put my finger on it as to why, not that most people probably can either, but from an outside perspective you could at times really wonder to yourself is their internal motto "ah sure it will be grand" or "ah sure it'll do" as mentioned above.

I didn't realise until I read the other day that after over 4 years only 2 A330s have being repainted from the old livery to the new. Didn't BA have 4 747s repainted into retro liverys in a matter of weeks ? It doesn't look good in terms of the rebrand tbh but I believe it also shows how utilised the widebody fleet is. Which can be equally as bad as it is good like we seen about 2 weeks ago.

Regarding EIK & EIL I've never flown them and thankfully won't be as my next EI flight is to the west coast but I'd love to fly on either one of them on a short haul leg to really see if they're as bad as people say they are. But from what's been said all around they don't seem to be doing EI any favours from a PR point of view. Only question is how long are they will to let it go on ?

EI also need to be very careful about their Manchester ops. The market in the UK is far too big for them to be disappointing customers. People over there will be less forgiving than here when flights are canceled or getting left stranded in another country. I wouldn't think the recent issues with ELA and EDY have done them any favors. They really could do with having a spare frame between DUB and MAN for when things go wrong.

In terms of routes I'd like to see EI expand beyond Canada or the States some day. I'm shocked at how they don't operate in and out of Nigeria and Brazil. Did the failure of Dubai years ago really scar them and turn them off ?
Likewise with Australia with a stop off in south east asia for example. BA and QF seem to make it work with bigger aircraft. Surely there'd be some nice profit in cargo alone. A lot of Irish do travel back and forward and with the right aircraft and fares of course id love to think they could make it work. Wishful thinking and that of course.

A60Stock wrote:

HTCone wrote:

I said in the previous thread I think they should pull EIK & EIL off the NAT and use them within Europe and the Canaries. Even if they're too tight/greedy to pull both, they should at least extend the lease on GEY & get it back in service in place of at least 1 of the ex QR -300s, at least then they're reducing the damage to the long haul brand by 50%.

I believe that the plan for this summer at least is to indeed get GEY back into service and have it on one of the ORD rotations to allow one of EIK and/or EIL to be stuck on the bucket and spade circuit. I think Aer Lingus have let this issue with the gruesome twosome carry on for far too long and have possibly done themselves lasting reputational damage, being that these two seemed almost always to end up on the ORD rotations. In terms of a longer-term view, I think EI do need to consider a refresh of the A330 economy cabin as there seems to be three different types of seat in use across the fleet with little thought given to continuity and serviceability (to say nothing of the poor continuity of business between EIK/EIL and the others). In essence, the cabins on the older A330's should be updated to harmonise with those on FNG, FNH, GAJ, GCF, EIM and EIN, or otherwise EI may do well to consider the replacement plan for the legacy A330 fleet and be as swift as can be in making the necessary changes.

If you compare the older A330s to other airlines there actually not that old. BA intends on running their 772s till they're 30 years old and some of the 767s in the states are well past 25 years and some even 30.

Or am I missing something such as older Boeings have a longer lifespan than older Airbus's ?

EIDWDUB wrote:

A60Stock wrote:

HTCone wrote:

I said in the previous thread I think they should pull EIK & EIL off the NAT and use them within Europe and the Canaries. Even if they're too tight/greedy to pull both, they should at least extend the lease on GEY & get it back in service in place of at least 1 of the ex QR -300s, at least then they're reducing the damage to the long haul brand by 50%.

I believe that the plan for this summer at least is to indeed get GEY back into service and have it on one of the ORD rotations to allow one of EIK and/or EIL to be stuck on the bucket and spade circuit. I think Aer Lingus have let this issue with the gruesome twosome carry on for far too long and have possibly done themselves lasting reputational damage, being that these two seemed almost always to end up on the ORD rotations. In terms of a longer-term view, I think EI do need to consider a refresh of the A330 economy cabin as there seems to be three different types of seat in use across the fleet with little thought given to continuity and serviceability (to say nothing of the poor continuity of business between EIK/EIL and the others). In essence, the cabins on the older A330's should be updated to harmonise with those on FNG, FNH, GAJ, GCF, EIM and EIN, or otherwise EI may do well to consider the replacement plan for the legacy A330 fleet and be as swift as can be in making the necessary changes.

If you compare the older A330s to other airlines there actually not that old. BA intends on running their 772s till they're 30 years old and some of the 767s in the states are well past 25 years and some even 30.

Or am I missing something such as older Boeings have a longer lifespan than older Airbus's ?

The frames themselves are not old at all (discounting DAA and GEY perhaps), but boy have EI and QR ragged them. I dare say there’s a good 5-7 years left in the existing -200’s if they get some TLC in the next while, and EIK & EIL! My grumble really centred on updating the older economy cabins as they have definitely seen better days, but on the older frames, it’ll require some more detailed cost/benefit analysis to see if it is worth refurbishing these older birds as against buying new.

Which is probably why LAX and EWR were scrapped I suppose ? Was LAX only refitted with a new cabin not long before it went ?

ClassicLover wrote:

planemanofnz wrote:

Looking at EI's 'partnerships' page:

- All of the non-IAG partners are in North America. Why does EI not have any partnerships going eastwards - particularly the likes of QR?

- Any thoughts on when the UA partnership will end?

It's baffling to me why Aer Lingus don't codeshare on the flights to Australia and sell them through their own website. It's always been a total mystery as to why they don't do that, considering how many people book flights from Ireland to Australia.

However, something is in the works... I can see that SYD, MEL and PER are selectable from Dublin on the Aer Lingus website, but no flights come up. Other cities do not come up, so I am guessing that maybe they are going to add codeshares to these three cities sometime soon. Anyone have any insider knowledge? As you say, you'd think they would be partnering with QR or someone for flights down that way.

I'd say UA and possibly B6 will end as soon as EI start selling the transatlantic partnership flights through their website. It seems like it won't be long... people keep saying something has happened with AerSpace fares from 1 October, so maybe something will start around there..

While nothing has been officially announced, QR has finally updated their partners page for Aer Lingus with a very simple statement:

“As we continually strengthen our European network, we are pleased to announce the first phase of our partnership with Aer Lingus, offering our passengers enhanced connectivity and exclusive rewards.

You will be able to explore more of Ireland, Scotland and United Kingdom with ease and flexibility, flying to Dublin and then further with our partner Aer Lingus.”

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/partner ... ingus.html

I have to assume that the second stage of the relationship will be something like a codeshare and partnership to Asia like BA? After all with QR being an investor, it only makes sense. However, anything with EI seems to be soooo slow…

EIDWDUB wrote:

Regarding EIK & EIL I've never flown them and thankfully won't be as my next EI flight is to the west coast but I'd love to fly on either one of them on a short haul leg to really see if they're as bad as people say they are. But from what's been said all around they don't seem to be doing EI any favours from a PR point of view. Only question is how long are they will to let it go on ?

I flew EIK on JFK - DUB a few weeks ago and it wasn’t nearly as bad I thought it was going to be after what I’d been reading on here, in fact it was quite the opposite. We received an email a few days before advising us that there would be no Wi-Fi on board and suggested all devices should be fully charged and that we had ample reading material for the duration of the flight. I understand the lack of Wi-Fi is an issue for some traveler’s, particularly those flying in business class but in the economy cabin most people were asleep anyway. The cabin itself was perfectly fine - clean, well maintained, comfortable seats and the seat back entertainment for me worked perfectly although it was an older version than on the one we flew out on. The cabin crew did announce they were aware that it wasn’t working on some seats and needed to be reset. The crew themed were absolutely lovely, nothing was too much trouble and for reasons I still don’t understand I wasn’t charged for the wine. I appreciate everyone was different standards and expectations and more regular flyers will run the risk of a more negative experience but mine was perfectly fine so just thought I’d point it out for balance.

EIDWDUB wrote:

In terms of routes I'd like to see EI expand beyond Canada or the States some day. I'm shocked at how they don't operate in and out of Nigeria and Brazil. Did the failure of Dubai years ago really scar them and turn them off ?

I very much doubt the demand exists for Nigeria and
despite a large ex pat and second generation community in Ireland its still not enough to fill a regular A330. Aer Lingus do well on routes that are supported by many of its domestic audience and connections.

If Aer Lingus do expand beyond USA/Canada it will most likely be a Caribbean destination.

As for Dubai most people who were around at that
time have long retired or moved on from Shamrock
House so I dont think that has an influence these
days .

OA260 wrote:

EIDWDUB wrote:

In terms of routes I'd like to see EI expand beyond Canada or the States some day. I'm shocked at how they don't operate in and out of Nigeria and Brazil. Did the failure of Dubai years ago really scar them and turn them off ?

I very much doubt the demand exists for Nigeria and
despite a large ex pat and second generation community in Ireland its still not enough to fill a regular A330. Aer Lingus do well on routes that are supported by many of its domestic audience and connections.

If Aer Lingus do expand beyond USA/Canada it will most likely be a Caribbean destination.

As for Dubai most people who were around at that
time have long retired or moved on from Shamrock
House so I dont think that has an influence these
days .

With IAG and QR partnership might see EI fly essentially for QR to DOH as AY, BA etc do, would at least allow EI to sell one stop flights to AUS/NZ which is a huge market.

EIDWDUB wrote:

In terms of routes I'd like to see EI expand beyond Canada or the States some day. I'm shocked at how they don't operate in and out of Nigeria and Brazil. Did the failure of Dubai years ago really scar them and turn them off ?
Likewise with Australia with a stop off in south east asia for example. BA and QF seem to make it work with bigger aircraft. Surely there'd be some nice profit in cargo alone. A lot of Irish do travel back and forward and with the right aircraft and fares of course id love to think they could make it work. Wishful thinking and that of course.

They can expand IN Canada first, they've only got the one route. YUL and YVR are the obvious ones to come next but will likely be 2025 when the XLRs come, YVR would probably have to be an A332 route though. Also a SNN/MAN to YYZ/YUL could definitely be an A321 possibility, even seasonally.

nickya340 wrote:

They can expand IN Canada first, they've only got the one route. YUL and YVR are the obvious ones to come next but will likely be 2025 when the XLRs come, YVR would probably have to be an A332 route though. Also a SNN/MAN to YYZ/YUL could definitely be an A321 possibility, even seasonally.

Really?

Canada/YYZ doesn't seem to perform strongly for EI.

YYZ "has by far the lowest estimated average fare. While only a proxy, the UK CAA shows that UK-Toronto is strongly driven by leisure/VFR, with 85% travelling for these reasons – way above most North American cities. The relatively lower amount of premium demand is bound to be a key reason for its fare underperformance" ...

https://www.anna.aero/2019/10/09/luck-o ... are-local/

YYZ is also "more reliant on connecting traffic over Dublin, with such traffic ordinarily lower-yielding" ...

https://www.anna.aero/2020/08/18/aer-li ... orm-shows/

Does the IAG TATL JV include Canada? If so, I wonder what the future will be for EI's partnership with AC.

planemanofnz wrote:

nickya340 wrote:

They can expand IN Canada first, they've only got the one route. YUL and YVR are the obvious ones to come next but will likely be 2025 when the XLRs come, YVR would probably have to be an A332 route though. Also a SNN/MAN to YYZ/YUL could definitely be an A321 possibility, even seasonally.

Really?

Canada/YYZ doesn't seem to perform strongly for EI.

YYZ "has by far the lowest estimated average fare. While only a proxy, the UK CAA shows that UK-Toronto is strongly driven by leisure/VFR, with 85% travelling for these reasons – way above most North American cities. The relatively lower amount of premium demand is bound to be a key reason for its fare underperformance" ...

https://www.anna.aero/2019/10/09/luck-o ... are-local/

YYZ is also "more reliant on connecting traffic over Dublin, with such traffic ordinarily lower-yielding" ...

https://www.anna.aero/2020/08/18/aer-li ... orm-shows/

Does the IAG TATL JV include Canada? If so, I wonder what the future will be for EI's partnership with AC.

Well it was upgraded to an A332 after a couple seasons so demand is there, It’s definitely more of a seasonal VFR route but it still does well. YUL was announced but never went ahead due to A321LR delays then covid in S20 but it will likely come back in S24/25

This mornings EI 776 was cancelled . Passengers were put on the EI 778 so must have been a light load so maybe thats the reason.

OA260 wrote:

This mornings EI 776 was cancelled . Passengers were put on the EI 778 so must have been a light load so maybe thats the reason.

Wamos Air operating EI778/9.

Yes its currently on the ground at ACE but showing a delay for the return.

Is it possible A320s are out of position or not getting back in time to do their next rotation due the French Strike?

Seems also Sundays return flight on EI - DVH was delayed for an hour at ACE then taxiing to the runway there was an issue in the cargo hold. They eventually took off but then had to divert to ORK to refuel eventually getting to DUB at 1930.

The Wamos 330 is still flying today, just did an EI Tenerife flight

I wouldn't mind that turning up on one of my ACE flights it looks pretty ok .

https://wamosair.com/fleet/a330-300/ec-nhm

A60Stock wrote:

The frames themselves are not old at all (discounting DAA and GEY perhaps), but boy have EI and QR ragged them. I dare say there’s a good 5-7 years left in the existing -200’s if they get some TLC in the next while, and EIK & EIL! My grumble really centred on updating the older economy cabins as they have definitely seen better days, but on the older frames, it’ll require some more detailed cost/benefit analysis to see if it is worth refurbishing these older birds as against buying new.

There aren’t any such complaints about the QR A330s in QR service. Imagine booking QR, thinking you’re getting the Q-Suite and an A330 rolls up to the gate. Now that really is a disappointment. I think the seats in Economy are the same model of Recaro but the IFE is different. The issue is either they dont have engineers to repair them, or they don’t have a robust supply. It could easily be both in the current scenario. While it’s tempting to say “pull the aircraft from service”, the prompt thing to do is to secure an adequate supply of spares or replace to parts.
What would replace these pulled A330s? The likes of Wamos or EuroAtlantic aren’t known for their stellar cabins or IFE.

Pilot union threatens strike ballot at Aer Lingus Regional operator Emerald Airlines over pay talks
Emerald Airlines chief executive Keith Butler criticises 'disappointing and unnecessary' move by IALPA

https://www.independent.ie/business/iri ... 51630.html

Hopefully this can be resolved without action taking place as it would have a major impact .

Regarding EIL/EIK, if they were to install Wi-Fi it would alleviate a lot of the issues. That should not be beyond them and its indicative that they have not managed even that much

However beyond that, the soft product is also slipping at least in economy. Over time I have found DL to be much better for trips to the US (economy). The food is better, the IFE is better, the wi-fi is better, the cabins are in better shape, Regular water runs through the cabin and beer/wine offered at no charge. I would say crew are fairly equal, some good, some bad, but 10yrs ago it was night and day between EI crew versus the competition. Now not so much. Overall I would blame management and the culture they set. With a little effort, EI could be much better

Recent photo of GEY at Nimes. Looks like some movement with getting it ready for service.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/danraistrick/52859865279/

Yeah the Nigerians I know always head home with more than a 23kg bag.

As far as I know from conversation with some of them, KLM and LH are the two main options if not the only for flying home.

When I worked in for SHP the early AMS and FRA flights would always have lots of luggage for onward to LOS. Always the heaviest bags as well.

Regarding the A321s I'd say the could do it but could possibly be weight restricted (?)

Galwayman wrote:

OA260 wrote:

EIDWDUB wrote:

Can Lagos be done on an A321? The profit on excess Luggage must be a gold mine and the feed from the U.K. must be massive.

Passengers travelling to Nigeria from the UK used to get increased luggage allowance.

EIDWDUB wrote:

Yeah the Nigerians I know always head home with more than a 23kg bag.

As far as I know from conversation with some of them, KLM and LH are the two main options if not the only for flying home.

When I worked in for SHP the early AMS and FRA flights would always have lots of luggage for onward to LOS. Always the heaviest bags as well.

Regarding the A321s I'd say the could do it but could possibly be weight restricted (?)

I'm sure TAP is now getting connections to Lagos too.

EIDWDUB wrote:

Yeah the Nigerians I know always head home with more than a 23kg bag.

As far as I know from conversation with some of them, KLM and LH are the two main options if not the only for flying home.

When I worked in for SHP the early AMS and FRA flights would always have lots of luggage for onward to LOS. Always the heaviest bags as well.

Regarding the A321s I'd say the could do it but could possibly be weight restricted (?)

DUB-LOS is shorter than DUB-IAD, does that go out weight restricted?

Could possibly be a good way to balance a daytime JFK-DUB if that ever returned

al2637 wrote:

EIDWDUB wrote:

Yeah the Nigerians I know always head home with more than a 23kg bag.

As far as I know from conversation with some of them, KLM and LH are the two main options if not the only for flying home.

When I worked in for SHP the early AMS and FRA flights would always have lots of luggage for onward to LOS. Always the heaviest bags as well.

Regarding the A321s I'd say the could do it but could possibly be weight restricted (?)

DUB-LOS is shorter than DUB-IAD, does that go out weight restricted?

Could possibly be a good way to balance a daytime JFK-DUB if that ever returned

Well i really doubt it would be on EI's radar anyway, even if there was a market there.

richcandy wrote:

Galwayman wrote:

OA260 wrote:

Can Lagos be done on an A321? The profit on excess Luggage must be a gold mine and the feed from the U.K. must be massive.

Passengers travelling to Nigeria from the UK used to get increased luggage allowance.

A lot still do for example TK have low fares and still offer 2 PC . TK pick up quite a bit of the LOS traffic ex Ireland.

A great option for DUB-LOS would be Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca if they started; easy one-stop on narrow bodies...

Would a Lagos route need govt approval first?

al2637 wrote:

EIDWDUB wrote:

DUB-LOS is shorter than DUB-IAD, does that go out weight restricted?

Could possibly be a good way to balance a daytime JFK-DUB if that ever returned

It has I times I believe yeah. Was only talk of it recently on here or one of the other forums. It's fine on the new runway however.

EI321 wrote:

Would a Lagos route need govt approval first?

It would and from both sides. Unfortunately Nigeria is a very difficult business environment for any overseas company to launch into. The set up costs would be phenomenal and there is a lot of political red tape to get around (and bribe around too) that it would be simply a no go for EI if they do not intend on launching daily services. A neo on the route would probably put customers off unless priced accordingly which in itself would negate any gains.

All in all, until EI is a much larger player I doubt we will see it happen.

al2637 wrote:

DUB-LOS ... Could possibly be a good way to balance a daytime JFK-DUB if that ever returned

There are several routes eastwards which could feed into the North American routes - the likes of BKK, CPT, DEL, etc.

I was in the East Lounge earlier and was not sure what to expect but I have to say it was very nice and decent hot and cold food options. It was quiet when I arrived but then around midday started to get busier with EK passengers. Still even at that there was plenty of space. Only negative was lack of plug sockets at the majority of seating areas which for
a premium lounge should be standard .

OA260 wrote:

I was in the East Lounge earlier and was not sure what to expect but I have to say it was very nice and decent hot and cold food options. It was quiet when I arrived but then around midday started to get busier with EK passengers. Still even at that there was plenty of space. Only negative was lack of plug sockets at the majority of seating areas which for
a premium lounge should be standard .

T1 lounge has definitely improved its offerings in the last week too now it’s run by a different catering company (same company also operates the East Lounge & other eateries in DUB). Rumours of a hot breakfast starting soon too. Still struggling for staff & there’s no extra space so come high season it’ll still be very uncomfortable.

kaitak wrote:

Some thoughts come to mind over the whole issue of EI and its fleet and in particular, their t/a fleet. EI has now been in IAG for eight years and I have always supported this. I think it has been beneficial for EI, but of late, I am disappointed in EI and I think the issue is that EI has the components to be a top class airline, but never really the commitment. The inconsistency is becoming glaring; if you book an EI flight to the US today, you have an equal chance of having a really good flight or a bloody awful one. And that can be down to something as simple as the aircraft you are flying on. That is not acceptable. EI has, as we've mentioned many times, two aircraft which really should not be in its fleet. And they recently reintroduced their -200s with several seats that do not have functioning IFE. It has long since been known that these aircraft would be returning to EI (back in February/March, at least), so they had ample time to repaint in new colours and make sure that they were fit for purpose. They didn't do this; that's today's EI in a nutshell.....

Agree on a lot of the points. When it comes to the repaint, usually I've seen airlines leave aircraft in the current livery and not complete a repaint or rebrand until it would have normally been due on the regular maintenance and paint cycle. To pull an aircraft into the paint shop ahead of schedule is an extra cost which they need to weigh against the value of branding. UA had some aircraft still in the battleship gray even after the merger with CO. That livery had been phased out 6 years prior.

eicvd wrote:

OA260 wrote:

I was in the East Lounge earlier and was not sure what to expect but I have to say it was very nice and decent hot and cold food options. It was quiet when I arrived but then around midday started to get busier with EK passengers. Still even at that there was plenty of space. Only negative was lack of plug sockets at the majority of seating areas which for
a premium lounge should be standard .

T1 lounge has definitely improved its offerings in the last week too now it’s run by a different catering company (same company also operates the East Lounge & other eateries in DUB). Rumours of a hot breakfast starting soon too. Still struggling for staff & there’s no extra space so come high season it’ll still be very uncomfortable.

Thanks for the photos, OA260 - that looks like a good offering.

It would be great if Star Alliance built their own lounge at DUB, akin to their lounges at AMS, EZE, LAX, CDG, GIG and FCO. But, would there be space? If not, could space be created - e.g. building up? The number of Star carriers at DUB keeps growing - we're now at 10, with A3, AC, OU, MS, LH, SK, LX, TP, TK, and UA, plus others affiliated to Star FFPs, like LG. It seems that there would be more than enough demand to justify this.

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-n ... ore-target

Sounds like EIK/L again. You’d have to wonder how long more this can continue…

DAA seems to be off service for the past week.

Must be fierce demand on Malaga, Both EAV and GCF were on it this morning.

EI710 wrote:

Must be fierce demand on Malaga, Both EAV and GCF were on it this morning.

Add in the A330 down to Faro as well and it's some uplift for one mornings work. Are they short 320s or a gap with the classic 321's no longer around. The short haul fleet must be down in numbers compared to pre-covid?

OA260 wrote:

I was in the East Lounge earlier and was not sure what to expect but I have to say it was very nice and decent hot and cold food options. It was quiet when I arrived but then around midday started to get busier with EK passengers. Still even at that there was plenty of space. Only negative was lack of plug sockets at the majority of seating areas which for
a premium lounge should be standard .

It's the one lounge I have yet to visit, but I recently received an e-mail from Dublin Airport promoting it as a pay in lounge. It left me somewhat confused as I thought it was only for the DXB/DOH/AUH flights and not for standard services.

Do you know whether it restricted or if you can just pay and go? I know you can't use it flying most of the airlines in DUB as part of their contract.

Either way, I'm flying DUB-DOH in J in February, so I'll be using it then, all going well. Great pics!

ClassicLover wrote:

OA260 wrote:

I was in the East Lounge earlier and was not sure what to expect but I have to say it was very nice and decent hot and cold food options. It was quiet when I arrived but then around midday started to get busier with EK passengers. Still even at that there was plenty of space. Only negative was lack of plug sockets at the majority of seating areas which for
a premium lounge should be standard .

It's the one lounge I have yet to visit, but I recently received an e-mail from Dublin Airport promoting it as a pay in lounge. It left me somewhat confused as I thought it was only for the DXB/DOH/AUH flights and not for standard services.

Do you know whether it restricted or if you can just pay and go? I know you can't use it flying most of the airlines in DUB as part of their contract.

Either way, I'm flying DUB-DOH in J in February, so I'll be using it then, all going well. Great pics!

As far as I know its open to all airlines now if you pay.