Bit of a blow to Irish tourism as France wins the hosting of 2023.

OA260 wrote:

Bit of a blow to Irish tourism as France wins the hosting of 2023.

I don't think anyone seriously believed Ireland would get it. We all wanted it, sure, but more than half of the stadiums were under 30k capacity and in places like Castlebar, Kilkenny, and Killarney. France's smallest start stadiums start at 32k and are all in large cities that have their own airports(as well as significant high speed rail links across the country), it was a no brainer.

A real shame to hear the OneWorld news. Hopefully EI can at least begin to work more with IB, which belongs to the same holding company. At the moment BA can sell tickets on EI but IB, strangely enough, is left out. There's a lot of potential behind such a partnership, should they collaborate.

Ticketyboo wrote:

So, sitting in the EI Lounge this morning enjoying my vacuum packed cheese, looking up at the model of the A359 swaying in a draft... Is this the closest that we’ll get to her in ☘️ green?

Good to see the quality food offering in the Aer Lingus lounge hasn't suffered under IAG.

There would be riots in the streets if there wasn't that impressively high end vacuum packed cheese available.

BestWestern wrote:

Aer Lingus not to join Oneworld.

We have no plans to join Oneworld. We still have to do the business case for joining Oneworld," Mr Kavanagh told the European Aviation Conference at Dublin City University yesterday.

https://m.independent.ie/business/irish ... 20589.html

It does say "We still have to do the business case for joining oneworld" which leads me to believe they just haven't got around to it yet. The two sentences are a little contradictory but it does point to the fact they may...

OW entry will come its just they have taken the pressure off themselves amid speculation and continued same old questions of when its happening. A lot of work needs to be done but I would not be surprised if this was quietly done in the background and then an announcement made out of the blue. ( Well as far as the general public are concerned ).

OA260 wrote:

OW entry will come its just they have taken the pressure off themselves amid speculation and continued same old questions of when its happening. A lot of work needs to be done but I would not be surprised if this was quietly done in the background and then an announcement made out of the blue. ( Well as far as the general public are concerned ).

I pretty much agree with you on this.

Seattle now official, starting on 18 May 4 weekly.

That will be the Microsoft Missle. If ever a plane needed wifi that will be it. The most stressful part of that trip will be getting from Sandyford to the Airport.

The official announcement is tomorrow?

So one Qatar A330 confirmed? Allowing for the announcement I assume.

I would think there's more demand from tech company's for a route to San Jose than Seattle.

Seattle will get more transfer traffic though.

JAmie2k9 wrote:

Seattle now official, starting on 18 May 4 weekly.

Do you have a source to confirm it is official?

atcsundevil wrote:

JAmie2k9 wrote:

Seattle now official, starting on 18 May 4 weekly.

Do you have a source to confirm it is official?

It will be announced tomorrow, they have leased it partly on website.

EI321 wrote:

I would think there's more demand from tech company's for a route to San Jose than Seattle.

Seattle will get more transfer traffic though.

Why would you think SJ would have more tech traffic demand? Microsoft, Amazon HQs located in the Puget Sound area. Tons of mid-size tech firms like Tableau and F5. Google, Facebook have significant campuses there also. There's already a SFO flight to DUB, so no need to saturate the bay area.

Shamrock145 wrote:

So one Qatar A330 confirmed? Allowing for the announcement I assume.

Will this also be announced tmw? Not at all surprised; taking ex-QR A330s make perfect sense - right engines, relatively new, already fitted for IFE etc and of course, QR probably happy to find a home for them as they add more 350s and 787s.

Don't think it'll just be one ...

JAmie2k9 wrote:

atcsundevil wrote:

JAmie2k9 wrote:

Seattle now official, starting on 18 May 4 weekly.

Do you have a source to confirm it is official?

It will be announced tomorrow, they have leased it partly on website.

Well until there's a source with some sort of official announcement, it's not yet official.

Aer Lingus website seeming to indicate the rumours are true this morning.
As per website:
EI99 DUB-SEA Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun 1550-1735
EI98 SEA-DUB Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun 1920-1235

Here's the SEA promotional video from EI:

https://youtu.be/T90dzigB83c

Yep. Seattle confirmed by Aer Lingus on Twitter just before 8am, no hanging about there! Guess they knew the cat was out of the bag anyway. Seems a press conference is scheduled this morning so we might get more details on aircraft, potential frequency increases etc.

Great news either way!

I can only say I’m terribly excited at this news. Picking my handle 10 plus years ago finally paid off!

Seamless to Seattle – Announcing our newest direct route to North America

Our new route to Seattle brings our total number of transatlantic routes to 15.

Today we’re delighted to announce a brand new route from Dublin to Seattle – Ireland’s first ever direct service to the Emerald City. The Airbus A330 service will offer both business and economy classes, and will operate four times weekly from May 18th, 2018 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Seattle has strong business links to Ireland, boasting a vibrant technology sector. It’s home to technology giants Microsoft and Amazon, both of which have significant operations in Ireland. The Irish-based aircraft leasing sector will now be connected directly to the home of Boeing. And let’s not forget Starbucks, which started life as a small Seattle coffeehouse in 1971.

Seattle sits between Puget Sound and Lake Washington on the Pacific Northwest. Some of its must-sees are the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the Museum of Pop Culture. And let’s not forget the city’s powerful musical legacy which includes Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, and Nirvana. For more on what to see and do, check out our Seven Reasons to Visit Seattle in 2018.

Since joining IAG in 2015, we have launched six new direct transatlantic services: Los Angeles, Newark, Hartford, Miami, Philadelphia and now Seattle. These past few years have seen our largest ever period of transatlantic expansion in our long history. Our Seattle service adds 50,000 additional seats to our transatlantic programme for summer 2018. Our total 2018 transatlantic capacity now reaches more than 2.75 million seats.

Strengthening our Dublin Airport base as a major European transatlantic gateway is a primary focus for us. This strategy delivers increased connectivity for Ireland, which supports international trade and economic development, as well as growth in tourism. It also highlights the gateway connections available at Dublin from North America, UK and Europe, with the convenience of US Customs and Border Protection preclearance services at Dublin Airport.

For guests travelling from Seattle, we will offer 24 seamless connections, via the Dublin Gateway, to UK and European cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Brussels, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. British travellers will enjoy connections via Dublin to Seattle from cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Source: Aer Lingus Blog

SEA is a fabulous addition to the network, I think. Hopefully, like Hartford, it will be a slight risk that will really pay off. I guess this confirms an extra A330 has been secured - so frequency increases elsewhere might be announced later, depending on bookings, I suppose.

IAG has a lot of network information, which I’m sure contributed to choosing SEA as the 15th route. It’s hard to imagine, even 5 years ago that EI would fly so many routes, at such frequency.

BrianDromey wrote:

SEA is a fabulous addition to the network, I think. Hopefully, like Hartford, it will be a slight risk that will really pay off. I guess this confirms an extra A330 has been secured - so frequency increases elsewhere might be announced later, depending on bookings, I suppose.

IAG has a lot of network information, which I’m sure contributed to choosing SEA as the 15th route. It’s hard to imagine, even 5 years ago that EI would fly so many routes, at such frequency.

Has Hartford paid off? I’m surprised not to see more 757 routes next summer.

BestWestern wrote:

BrianDromey wrote:

SEA is a fabulous addition to the network, I think. Hopefully, like Hartford, it will be a slight risk that will really pay off. I guess this confirms an extra A330 has been secured - so frequency increases elsewhere might be announced later, depending on bookings, I suppose.

IAG has a lot of network information, which I’m sure contributed to choosing SEA as the 15th route. It’s hard to imagine, even 5 years ago that EI would fly so many routes, at such frequency.

Has Hartford paid off? I’m surprised not to see more 757 routes next summer.

Hartford is going daily, so clearly working for them, and Philadelphia is a new 757 route, there's no additional 757 capacity so no additional routes can be done(there are rumours that this additional A330 will bring IAD to A330 daily freeing up a 757 x3 weekly)

Anyone know what's up with the flight number of the new SEA service? It's down as EI99 and EI98, usually all Aer Lingus flights have a three digit number.

BestWestern wrote:

Has Hartford paid off? I’m surprised not to see more 757 routes next summer.

While no indication of yield, the BDL route has seen healthy loads for much of the year since it's launch last September. Apart from typically low loads in January and February, the route appears to have maintained a mid 80s to low 90s load factor which is pretty good for something considered out of the box and risky at the time.

PHL is a 757 route and with only 4 in the fleet it's hard to juggle them around. We'll see more BDL style routes with the A321LR I'm sure.

Two things have helped Hartford, the revenue guarantee ($5 million, I think) and lack of competition.
EI are probably getting some pretty good revenue from the US side, as the only direct choice to Europe. The small business class cabin seems to be about the right size too.
The A321LR is certainly going to open up great opportunities to the Eastern Seaboard, 10 years ago FR started opening all sorts of routes in Europe people said would never work. I think the LR could offer the same oppertinity. IAG must think so too, 12 is beyond what most on here would have wildly dreamed about.

Great (if not entirely unexpected) news! I wish them all the best. Interesting to see they're using a two digit flight number!

Hopefully more to come.

The ALFC is alive and well. FR could announce 30 more 738s in DUB - obviously I jest - and no one would bat an eyelid.

No real surprise as expected SEA had been rumoured for months now and was the most likely choice and certainly is a great addition to the network. EI already made the business case for this route quite a while ago.

Not sure but were the flight numbers not once used for BFS flights? Could be wrong and its just off the top of my head. Just seems similar.

BrianDromey wrote:

Two things have helped Hartford, the revenue guarantee ($5 million, I think) and lack of competition.
EI are probably getting some pretty good revenue from the US side, as the only direct choice to Europe. The small business class cabin seems to be about the right size too.
The A321LR is certainly going to open up great opportunities to the Eastern Seaboard, 10 years ago FR started opening all sorts of routes in Europe people said would never work. I think the LR could offer the same oppertinity. IAG must think so too, 12 is beyond what most on here would have wildly dreamed about.

Norwegian fly BDL EDI on the 738

They are also looking to feed Alaska which is positive. So an extra 3 frequencies to be distributed for next summer left. CEO was asked about the A350's and wouldn't give a straight answer. If he was as honest about this as OW he wouldn't be repeatedly asked about them. Saying the A330 is a good aircraft and low fuel makes the A350 as competitive with A330 is not an answer.

JAmie2k9 wrote:

They are also looking to feed Alaska which is positive. So an extra 3 frequencies to be distributed for next summer left. CEO was asked about the A350's and wouldn't give a straight answer. If he was as honest about this as OW he wouldn't be repeatedly asked about them. Saying the A330 is a good aircraft and low fuel makes the A350 as competitive with A330 is not an answer.

Any idea on where the extra three frequencies could end up? In terms of new 330 routes I’m think along the lines of SAN, DEN, LAS, DFW, & TPA.

FLYKTPA wrote:

JAmie2k9 wrote:

They are also looking to feed Alaska which is positive. So an extra 3 frequencies to be distributed for next summer left. CEO was asked about the A350's and wouldn't give a straight answer. If he was as honest about this as OW he wouldn't be repeatedly asked about them. Saying the A330 is a good aircraft and low fuel makes the A350 as competitive with A330 is not an answer.

Any idea on where the extra three frequencies could end up? In terms of new 330 routes I’m think along the lines of SAN, DEN, LAS, DFW, & TPA.

No more new routes in 2018, (probally 2-3 in 2019 with 4 aircraft arriving.

Some speculation PHL may go daily with B752 by freeing up the aircraft by replacing IAD with the 3 A330 slots which is currently (4 A330/3B752).

Rather than launching an additional route or increasing frequencies, would it not be prudent to leave a little slack in the long haul fleet? We’ve seen numerous cancellations over the past 2 summers due to tech issues leading to both bad press and costly sub ins. As the long haul fleet and number of routes increase, it’s only natural there will be more tech problems

Eirules wrote:

Rather than launching an additional route or increasing frequencies, would it not be prudent to leave a little slack in the long haul fleet? We’ve seen numerous cancellations over the past 2 summers due to tech issues leading to both bad press and costly sub ins. As the long haul fleet and number of routes increase, it’s only natural there will be more tech problems

Today they have 6 A330 slots, they will leave a minimum of 3 three free. By in large apart from the few big issues recently reliability is good and 3 slots generally ensure there is little disruption.

shamrock350 wrote:

Anyone know what's up with the flight number of the new SEA service? It's down as EI99 and EI98, usually all Aer Lingus flights have a three .

We've been there before in the days of Saab 340s and Fk50s, but they always used the 0 as a prefix.

PRESS: German Trade Union Tells Ryanair Pilots Strike Likely

LONDON (Alliance News) - A trade union of German pilots has told its members that industrial action against Ryanair Holdings PLC is likely to be needed to force the Irish low-cost airlines management to overhaul the way its negotiates with its staff, Reuters reported on Friday.

The Vereinigung Cockpit union - which claims over half of Ryanair's pilots working from Germany are members - said in a memo sent to pilots and seen by Reuters that it hoped it would not be necessary to take strike action. However, the note argued, "realistically it probably will be, first to begin negotiations and later if the negotiation stalls."

http://www.iii.co.uk/alliance-news/1510 ... ike-likely

LH982 wrote:

shamrock350 wrote:

Anyone know what's up with the flight number of the new SEA service? It's down as EI99 and EI98, usually all Aer Lingus flights have a three .

We've been there before in the days of Saab 340s and Fk50s, but they always used the 0 as a prefix.

Think it used to be the old numbers on the following domestic routes:-
EI016/EI017 NOC-DUB
EI02X KIR-DUB
EI03X ORK-DUB
EI05X GWY-DUB
EI06X SXL-DUB
EI08X/09X SNN-DUB

Good add for EI, SEA and Ireland.

I’m wondering what the chances are of EI going south to the Caribbean, or east to the likes of China and so on? I’m guessing other airlines and countries do these better than we do, but still!

CityJet in talks to extend Air France deal as it adds Brussels Airlines jet

CityJet is in talks with Air France to extend an existing agreement to operate flights out of Paris on behalf of the larger carrier, according to CityJet executive chairman Pat Byrne.


Dublin-based CityJet serves Dublin, Dusseldorf, Newcastle, Stuttgart, Turin and Hanover from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, where it has four aircraft. "I'd hope there will be another extension," said Mr Byrne, who added that CityJet had previously secured an extension to the deal up to the end of March next year.

He said that the certification process for the Sukhoi SuperJet for use at London City Airport continues.

The aircraft's winglets have already been redesigned in order to help slow it on approach, allowing it to land with a greater weight on board, he explained.
Mr Byrne said he expects that certification will be secured for use at London City towards the end of 2019, allowing CityJet to use the jet there that year or by 2020.

https://m.independent.ie/business/cityj ... 23731.html

mast2407 wrote:

Good add for EI, SEA and Ireland.

I’m wondering what the chances are of EI going south to the Caribbean, or east to the likes of China and so on? I’m guessing other airlines and countries do these better than we do, but still!

There is definitely room so seasonal routes

OA260 wrote:

Dublin-based CityJet serves Dublin, Dusseldorf, Newcastle, Stuttgart, Turin and Hanover from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, where it has four aircraft. "I'd hope there will be another extension," said Mr Byrne, who added that CityJet had previously secured an extension to the deal up to the end of March next year.

Are the AF services operated by ARJ's, presumably the ARJs will remain in service as long as AF are keeping them busy? In some ways its like back to old times for WX, their core LCY-DUB service and wet-lease out of CDG for AF (on a much smaller scale these days). Its a much more mixed fleet these days, with the CRJs at SAS and SSJ's at SN.

Shamrock145 wrote:

mast2407 wrote:

Good add for EI, SEA and Ireland.

I’m wondering what the chances are of EI going south to the Caribbean, or east to the likes of China and so on? I’m guessing other airlines and countries do these better than we do, but still!

There is definitely room so seasonal routes

I think so too. I’m thinking of Mexico and Jamaica. I’m also thinking of the very large Brazilian population in Ireland, but I’m guessing the issue there would be aircraft flotation would be well over 24 hours, which would be a mess from a fleet assignment point of view. Although, not necessarily, the runs to JFK and BOS are well under the 24 hour mark, so Id imagine there’s a way of mixing the whole lot to make it work.

Also thinking of the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Seychelles, along with Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. I’m getting ahead of myself, but I think they could certainly sustain one or two flights a week from Ireland directly...

Jan _ March winter sun services to Cancun, Montego Bay , Cape Town , Punta Cana with lots of seats sold to travel agents , with feed from Manchester , Birmingham etc could be an interesting development .

Don't Thomas Cook, TUI and Virgin have all of these markets covered directly from the UK?

Personally, I think they will stick to the "Lower 48" (i.e. the US mainland) and Canada. There are still quite a few markets yet to be developed there, before looking elsewhere: Texas, Arizona ,Montreal, Pittsburgh (which I thought might have been chosen ahead of PHL), DEN, LAS, among others.

kaitak wrote:

Don't Thomas Cook, TUI and Virgin have all of these markets covered directly from the UK?

Personally, I think they will stick to the "Lower 48" (i.e. the US mainland) and Canada. There are still quite a few markets yet to be developed there, before looking elsewhere: Texas, Arizona ,Montreal, Pittsburgh (which I thought might have been chosen ahead of PHL), DEN, LAS, among others.

They do, all the above routes are pretty low yield and no point in EI fighting for them. I expect LAS will happen but nothing more. EI use a good proportion of the fleet between March-December and mostly likely will continue to target routes where they can operate at least 912 months of the year profitably.

kaitak wrote:

Don't Thomas Cook, TUI and Virgin have all of these markets covered directly from the UK?

Personally, I think they will stick to the "Lower 48" (i.e. the US mainland) and Canada. There are still quite a few markets yet to be developed there, before looking elsewhere: Texas, Arizona ,Montreal, Pittsburgh (which I thought might have been chosen ahead of PHL), DEN, LAS, among others.

No way we will see the kind of services that TUI and TCX operate from MAN LGW out of DUB by any operator. These have been tested over the last few decades from BY on behalf of Budget Travel, Sunworld and BWIA to BGI from BFS. They all struggled and the market ex Ireland is not drastically different now compared to then. TUI just about make a limited program work for a few weeks in Summer for Caribbean.We will see QR TATL before the above.

ei2ksea wrote:

I can only say I’m terribly excited at this news. Picking my handle 10 plus years ago finally paid off!

Congratulations EI2KSEA - as the saying goes good things come to those who wait.

Galwayman wrote:

Jan _ March winter sun services to Cancun, Montego Bay , Cape Town , Punta Cana with lots of seats sold to travel agents , with feed from Manchester , Birmingham etc could be an interesting development .

Business travel doesn't stop in the winter months just because it's cold. Dropping routes for the winter schedule is old school thinking that was never really successful for Aer Lingus as they still always made losses in winter even when they stopped routes. It may work for the odd route here and there, but your main business routes need to be kept year round otherwise people won't fly with you.

Clearly by the above I mean transatlantic routes specifically. On the European routes it is another story altogether of course

Bored senseless with tedious USA routes .... just dreaming of something a bit more interesting .....

'We will see QR TATL before the above. ' ??????
QR TATL from Dublin???? what's that about ???