Aer Lingus facts for kids
 |
|
| Founded | 15 April 1936 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 28 May 1936 |
| Hubs | Dublin Airport |
| Focus cities | Cork Airport |
| Frequent-flyer program |
|
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Fleet size | 74 (Including all the Subsidiaries) |
| Destinations | 93 |
| Parent company | International Airlines Group |
| Headquarters | Cloghran, County Dublin, Ireland |
| Key people | Lynne Embleton (CEO) |
| Revenue |  €467 million (2020) |
| Operating income |  €305 million (2018) |
| Net income | €205.5 million (2016) |
| Employees | 4,500 approx (2020) |
Aer Lingus is the main airline of Ireland. Its name comes from the Irish words "aerloingeas," which means "air fleet."
The Irish Government started Aer Lingus in 1936. Later, between 2006 and 2015, it became a private company. Now, it is fully owned by International Airlines Group (IAG). The airline's main office is near Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin.
Aer Lingus used to be part of the Oneworld airline group, but it left in 2007. Even though it's now owned by IAG (which also owns Oneworld members like British Airways), Aer Lingus has no plans to rejoin. The airline works with other airlines through codeshares and agreements. This means you can book flights with Aer Lingus that are actually flown by other airlines.
Aer Lingus uses a mix of different business ideas. For flights within Europe, it offers a mix of low-cost and regular services. For longer flights across the Atlantic Ocean, it provides full service with two different seating classes.
Before IAG bought Aer Lingus in 2015, another airline called Ryanair owned a big part of it. The Irish government also owned a share. The government had owned most of the airline until 2006, when it decided to sell shares on the stock market.
In 2015, after many talks, the Irish government agreed to sell its share to IAG. Ryanair also sold its shares to IAG. By September 2015, IAG officially took control of Aer Lingus.
Contents
History
How it Started
Aer Lingus began on April 15, 1936, with money from the government. Its first chairman was Seán Ó hUadhaigh. The name Aer Lingus was suggested by Richard F O'Connor.
Just five days after it was officially registered, Aer Lingus started its first flight. On May 27, 1936, a small six-seater plane called Iolar (Eagle) flew from Baldonnel Airfield in Dublin to Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport in the UK.
Later that year, the airline got a bigger plane called "Éire." It could carry 14 passengers. This plane made the first flight between Dublin and London. At the same time, the Iolar plane started flights between Dublin and Liverpool.
In 1937, the Irish government created a company called Aer Rianta (now Dublin Airport Authority). This company took care of the airline's money and all of Ireland's airports. Aer Lingus became fully owned by the Irish government through Aer Rianta.
In 1938, a new plane, the de Havilland Dragon Rapide, replaced Iolar. Aer Lingus also bought its first all-metal planes, two Lockheed 14s, in 1939.
In January 1940, Aer Lingus moved its operations to a new airport in Dublin called Collinstown. It bought a new DC-3 plane and started new flights to Liverpool and to Shannon within Ireland. During World War II, the airline had to limit its flights, mostly flying only to Liverpool or Manchester.
Growing After the War
On November 9, 1945, regular flights started again with a flight to London. From then on, Aer Lingus planes, mostly Douglas DC-3s, were painted silver and green. The airline also hired its first flight attendants.
In 1946, Aer Lingus got special rights to fly from Ireland to the UK. In return, British airlines owned 40% of Aer Lingus. Because Aer Lingus was growing, it bought seven new Vickers Viking planes in 1947. However, these planes were too expensive to run and were soon sold.
In 1947, another airline called Aerlínte Éireann was created to fly across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. This airline ordered five new Lockheed L-749 Constellations. But a change in government and money problems stopped these flights from starting.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Aer Lingus started flights to Brussels, Amsterdam, and Rome. As it added more routes, the airline bought some of the first Vickers Viscount 700 planes in 1951. These started flying in April 1954. In 1952, the airline also expanded its cargo services and got a small group of Bristol 170 Freighter planes.
In 1956, Aer Lingus introduced a new look for its planes. They had a green top, a white lightning stripe, and the Irish flag on the tail.
First Flights Across the Atlantic
On April 28, 1958, Aerlínte Éireann made its first flight across the Atlantic from Shannon to New York. In 1960, Aerlínte Éireann changed its name to Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus bought seven Fokker F27 Friendship planes between 1958 and 1959. These planes were used for shorter flights to the UK. The airline entered the jet age on December 14, 1960. It received three Boeing 720 jets for flights to New York and its newest destination, Boston.
In 1963, Aer Lingus added Aviation Traders Carvair planes to its fleet. These planes could carry five cars inside them. However, they were not very profitable for the airline.
The Boeing 720s were very successful for transatlantic flights. To add to these, Aer Lingus got its first larger Boeing 707 in 1964. This type of plane served the airline until 1986.
Jet Aircraft Era
In 1965, Aer Lingus started using jet planes for its European flights, beginning with the BAC One-Eleven. The airline also changed its look again that year, adding a large green shamrock to the tail of its planes.
In 1966, the company added flights to Montréal and Chicago. In 1968, flights from Belfast to New York City started, but they were soon stopped. Aer Lingus introduced Boeing 737s to its fleet in 1969 to handle the high demand for flights between Dublin and London. These 737s were later used for all European routes.
In 1967, the General Manager, Dr J.F. Dempsey, signed the contract for the airline's first two Boeing 747 planes before he retired.
1970s to 1990s
On March 6, 1971, Aer Lingus received its first of two Boeing 747s for transatlantic flights. The company later bought a third 747 but quickly leased it out because it wasn't profitable to fly so many large planes across the Atlantic at first. In 1974, Aer Lingus showed off a new look for its planes. It used two shades of blue and one green, with a white shamrock on the tail.
In 1977, Aer Lingus hired its first female pilot, Gráinne Cronin. It was only the second airline in Europe to have female pilots.
In September 1979, Pope John Paul II flew on a specially changed Boeing 747 (EI-ASI or St. Patrick) from Rome to Dublin. He later flew from Shannon to Boston. In the early 1980s, the 707 planes were taken out of service.
,_Dublin,_February_1993.jpg)
In 1984, the airline created a new company called Aer Lingus Commuter. This allowed Aer Lingus to fly to bigger cities in Ireland and Britain that didn't need jet planes. These services used five Short 360 planes. Around this time, Aer Lingus also bought most of the shares in a cargo airline called Aer Turas.
Between 1987 and 1989, new Boeing 737s arrived to replace older ones. Six Fokker 50s were added to the Commuter fleet. In 1990, Aer Lingus changed its plans after new airline rules came out in Ireland. It stopped using the BAC One-Elevens and replaced them with five new 737s. By 1992, Aer Lingus had replaced all its original 737-200 planes.
In 1994, Aer Lingus started direct flights between Dublin and the United States using the Airbus A330. This led to the Boeing 747 and the briefly used Boeing 767-300ER being taken out of service. On October 2, 1995, the Boeing 747 flights stopped after 25 years. By then, over eight million people had flown across the Atlantic on Aer Lingus Boeing 747s. In the late 1990s, Aer Lingus returned to Belfast with flights to New York. It also added Newark Liberty International Airport as a destination, but stopped these flights in 2001.
The first Airbus short-haul planes arrived in 1998. These were the A321, mainly used for the Dublin-Heathrow route. The first A320 was delivered in 2000.
2000s to 2010s
On February 1, 2001, Aer Lingus Commuter became part of the main airline again. The airline was greatly affected by the September 11 attacks in the United States. To deal with this, the airline cut staff and destinations and reduced its fleet. Because of these changes, it became profitable again. It did this by lowering costs, using modern Airbus planes, and starting new routes to Europe.
Many new A320 aircraft were delivered from 2004 to 2011. These new planes allowed Aer Lingus to stop using the Boeing 737. On October 29, 2005, Aer Lingus stopped using its last two 737 planes. This meant Aer Lingus now had only Airbus planes.
On October 27, 2005, Aer Lingus announced its first flights to Asia, starting in March 2006 to Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai service stopped in March 2008.
On June 6, 2007, Aer Lingus ordered six new A350-900 and six A330-300 planes from Airbus. These were to expand long-haul flights and replace older planes.
Going Public
To prepare for selling shares to the public, the Irish government agreed to remove the Shannon Stopover rule. This rule meant that all flights between Ireland and the US had to stop at Shannon Airport.
Aer Lingus started selling shares on the Dublin and London stock markets on October 2, 2006. When it first sold shares, the Irish government still owned 28% of the company, and employees owned 15%.
Aer Lingus left the Oneworld airline group on March 31, 2007. It decided to work directly with other airlines like British Airways and United Airlines. Aer Lingus said it wanted to be a low-cost airline, which didn't fit with Oneworld's goals.
Ryanair Tries to Buy Aer Lingus (2006)
On October 5, 2006, Ryanair tried to buy Aer Lingus. Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, said it was a "unique chance" to create a big Irish airline. Ryanair said it had already bought 16% of Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus rejected Ryanair's offer.
On December 21, 2006, Ryanair said it was stopping its offer for Aer Lingus. This was because the European Commission (EC) was worried that the takeover would reduce choices for customers and make prices go up. On June 27, 2007, the EC officially blocked the bid. They said the two airlines together would control more than 80% of flights to and from Dublin Airport.
Expanding to Northern Ireland
On August 7, 2007, Aer Lingus announced it would open its first base outside of Ireland, at Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland. Flights from Belfast started in December 2007. This move brought back flights between Belfast International and London Heathrow Airport.
After five years at Belfast International Airport, Aer Lingus moved its operations to George Best Belfast City Airport in July 2012. It moved its Belfast – London Heathrow flights there.
Open Skies
On March 22, 2007, because of the EU–US Open Skies Agreement, Aer Lingus announced three new long-haul flights to the United States. Starting in Autumn 2007, Aer Lingus began direct flights to Orlando, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. The airline also flies to Boston, Chicago, and New York.
Flights from Washington, D.C., restarted on March 28, 2010. Service to San Francisco resumed on April 2, 2014. Dublin–Washington Dulles service began in May 2015. The Dublin–Los Angeles route was brought back on May 4, 2016. Other US destinations added include Hartford, Seattle, and Minneapolis-St Paul.
Impact of 2008 Recession
In October 2008, after losing money, Aer Lingus announced a plan to save €74 million. This plan included cutting jobs and changing how things worked at Cork and Dublin airports. This caused a lot of disagreement, especially with the airline's workers' unions.
In December 2008, Aer Lingus announced that the Shannon – Heathrow flight would start again. However, by June 2009, the company had lost a lot of money. In October 2009, the new CEO, Christoph Mueller, announced a big cost-cutting plan. This plan aimed to save €97 million by 2011.
Second Ryanair Takeover Bid (2008/2009)
,_Dublin,_July_1992_(01).jpg)
On December 1, 2008, Ryanair tried to buy Aer Lingus again. They offered €748 million. Ryanair said that Aer Lingus, as a small airline, was being left behind while other airlines were joining together. They claimed the two airlines would operate separately and that Aer Lingus would double its short-haul planes. The Aer Lingus Board rejected the offer.
The offer was eventually rejected by most other shareholders. This was the second time Ryanair tried and failed to buy Aer Lingus. The Irish Government said Ryanair's offer was too low and would harm competition.
In June 2009, Aer Lingus changed its 'Premier Class' to the new 'Business Class'.
Gatwick Base
_departs_London_Heathrow_Airport,_England,_on_2ndJuly2014_arp.jpg)
On December 19, 2008, Aer Lingus announced it would open a base at Gatwick Airport in the UK. Four planes would be based there starting in April 2009, flying to eight destinations. The CEO said they expected to have eight planes at Gatwick within a year.
By June 2009, the airline had five planes at Gatwick, making it its biggest base outside Ireland. This led to six new routes.
However, on January 8, 2010, due to low demand for air travel, Aer Lingus announced it would reduce the number of planes at Gatwick from five to three. The Gatwick base closed in 2015.
New CEO and 75th Anniversary
On April 6, 2009, CEO Dermot Mannion announced he would leave the airline. He was replaced by Christoph Mueller on October 1, 2009.
On December 2, 2009, Aer Lingus announced that talks with its unions had failed. As a result, the airline decided to reduce flights and jobs. Mueller said the airline would move away from competing directly with low-cost airlines like Ryanair. It would focus more on service.
Aer Lingus celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011. On March 26, the company showed off its newest plane, which was painted in the 1960s style. The crew also wore old uniforms.
Third Ryanair Takeover Bid (2012)
On June 19, 2012, Ryanair announced it would try again to buy Aer Lingus. They offered €1.30 per share. Aer Lingus rejected this offer, saying it was too low. They also pointed out that the European Commission had already blocked Ryanair's previous attempts.
On February 27, 2013, the European Commission blocked Ryanair's third attempt to buy Aer Lingus. They said the merger would hurt customer choice and lead to higher prices.
Long-haul Expansion
In July 2013, Aer Lingus announced it would expand its flights to North America in 2014. This included direct flights from Dublin to San Francisco and Toronto. It also announced that transatlantic flights from Shannon to Boston and New York would fly daily all year round.
Aer Lingus also started flights to Washington Dulles in May 2015, and to Los Angeles in May 2016. Other US destinations added include Hartford, Seattle, and Minneapolis-St Paul.
In March 2021, Aer Lingus announced four new routes from Manchester Airport in the UK: to New York, Orlando, Barbados, and Boston.
IAG Takes Over (2014/2015)
On December 14, 2014, International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns British Airways, tried to buy Aer Lingus for €1 billion. The Aer Lingus Board rejected this offer.
On January 9, 2015, Aer Lingus rejected a second offer from IAG. On January 24, 2015, IAG made a third offer of €1.4 billion. On January 27, 2015, Aer Lingus's board said they would recommend this offer. They noted that IAG planned for Aer Lingus to operate as a separate airline with its own brand and management.
On May 26, 2015, the Irish Government agreed to sell its 25% share to IAG. On July 10, 2015, Ryanair also agreed to sell its nearly 30% share. The takeover was approved by regulators. On September 2, 2015, IAG officially took control of Aer Lingus.
2020s
In February 2020, Aer Lingus was told about travel restrictions to some Italian towns because of COVID-19. The airline said its flights would continue to follow health guidelines.
.jpg)
On February 28, Aer Lingus learned that a passenger with COVID-19 had been on a flight from Milan to Dublin. Four cabin crew members from that flight had to self-isolate. The next day, Aer Lingus stopped flights to Northern Italy, and later to all of Italy.
On March 13, Donald Trump, who was the US President, announced a travel ban from Europe. This ban was later extended to include Ireland. Aer Lingus then greatly reduced its flights, cutting its network by 95%. The airline's big summer schedule plans were ruined by the global pandemic. As a temporary measure, the airline cut hours and salaries for all employees by 50%.
Later that month, on March 29, an Aer Lingus flight from Beijing, China, landed at Dublin Airport. It was carrying important medical supplies for Ireland's health workers. This was the start of many flights the airline operated for the Irish government to bring in supplies.
With only 5% of its planned flights operating, Aer Lingus announced on May 1, 2020, that it needed to cut jobs. The airline talked with its unions about changes to work and proposed job cuts. Aer Lingus CEO Sean Doyle said it would take years for the airline industry to recover.
Corporate affairs
Ownership and Structure
Aer Lingus used to be listed on the Irish and London Stock Exchanges. However, it was removed from these lists on September 17, 2015, after IAG bought most of its shares. As of September 2, 2015, International Airlines Group owns 98.05% of Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus Cargo
Aer Lingus Cargo is the part of the airline that carries goods. It uses special areas in the cargo holds of passenger planes. Aer Lingus Cargo services are available on all flights to the US from Dublin and Shannon. Cargo services are also offered on most European and some UK routes. This division later became part of IAG Cargo.
Aer Lingus Regional
Flights under the Aer Lingus Regional brand have been operated by Emerald Airlines since March 17, 2022.
Aer Lingus used to have an agreement with Stobart Air (formerly Aer Arann). Stobart Air operated many routes using the Aer Lingus Regional name, colors, and flight codes. Stobart Air stopped flying in June 2021. Aer Lingus and BA CityFlyer temporarily took over these routes.
Business Trends
Here are some key facts about Aer Lingus's business over the years:
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total money earned (€m) | 1,718 | 1,766 | 1,859 | 2,020 | 2,125 | 467 | 366 | 1,667 |
| Profit (€m) | 118 | 205 | 234 | 258 | 225 | −502 | −338 | −23.0 |
| Number of employees | 2,753 | 2,711 | 2,662 | 2,658 | 2,646 | 1,609 | 2,472 | 2,283 |
| Number of passengers (millions) | 10.1 | 10.4 | 10.9 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 9.0 |
| Passenger load factor (%) | 81.6 | 81.6 | 81.2 | 80.9 | 81.8 | 46.4 | 48.0 | 77.0 |
| Number of aircraft (at year end) | 49 | 51 | 53 | 56 | 58 | 56 | 57 | 56 |
| Sources |
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total money earned (€m) | 1,284 | 1,357 | 1,205 | 1,215 | 1,288 | 1,393 | 1,425 | 1,557 |
| Profit (€m) | 105 | −107 | −130 | 43.0 | 71.2 | 33.9 | 34.1 | −95.8 |
| Number of employees | 3,905 | 4,035 | 3,844 | 3,516 | 3,491 | 3,566 | 3,615 | 3,766 |
| Number of passengers (millions) | 9.3 | 10.0 | 10.4 | 9.3 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 9.8 |
| Passenger load factor (%) | 75.4 | 72.8 | 74.5 | 76.1 | 75.6 | 77.7 | 78.4 | 79.0 |
| Number of aircraft (at year end) | 41 | 42 | 44 | 44 | 43 | 44 | 47 | 50 |
| Sources |
Business Model
Aer Lingus uses a "small frills" approach. This means it's a mix between a traditional airline and a low-cost carrier. For short flights, you might pay extra for some services. But on long flights, things like meals are usually free.
This new way of doing business needed a lot of talks with the airline's unions (groups that represent workers). Everyone agreed that lower costs were needed for the airline to survive.
Head Office
The main office for Aer Lingus is at Dublin Airport in Fingal, County Dublin. The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) made an existing building ready for Aer Lingus's headquarters.
The old head office site included several buildings. These buildings had offices, training areas for flight crew, and parking. In 2010, Aer Lingus announced it would move its employees to other buildings it owned. The airline said its old head office was too big after it cut costs. In 2011, Aer Lingus signed a contract to give back the lease on its old head office building to the DAA.
Employee Relations
On May 30, 2014, Aer Lingus cabin crew had a 24-hour strike. This caused about 200 flights to be cancelled and affected travel plans for many people. The workers wanted changes to their work schedules.
Sponsorships
Aer Lingus used to sponsor the Irish Times International Fiction Prize.
On April 30, 2015, Aer Lingus became the official airline of the Irish Rugby Team. One plane was even renamed "Green Spirit" and painted with a special design for the team. Another plane also got the same design.
Destinations and Hubs
As of January 2023, Aer Lingus flies to 93 places in Asia, Europe, and North America. This includes countries like Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In October 2022, Aer Lingus flights between Belfast City and London Heathrow were moved to Aer Lingus UK. This was because of new rules after Brexit.
Hubs
Aer Lingus has six main bases, called hubs:
- Dublin: This is Aer Lingus's main hub for almost all its long-distance flights. It serves many routes to Europe, America, Africa, Asia, South America, and most UK routes. Dublin is also where the airline does most of its plane maintenance.
- Cork: Even though operations have been reduced, Cork is still an important base. Three planes are based here, flying to 10 places in the UK and Europe.
- Shannon: Shannon is a smaller hub for connecting to transatlantic flights. Aer Lingus flies short routes to London-Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle from here. These flights help feed passengers onto its daily transatlantic flights to Boston and New York-JFK.
- Belfast: Flights from Belfast are mainly within the UK, but some international European flights also operate. After Brexit, Aer Lingus started more UK flights from Belfast than from Dublin due to new travel laws.
Aer Lingus works with these airlines through codeshare agreements:
Fleet
Aer Lingus planes are named after Christian saints from Ireland.
Current Fleet
_London_Heathrow_Airport_(LHR_EGLL)_(52677893908).jpg)
As of December 2022, Aer Lingus (not including its smaller airlines, Aer Lingus Regional and Aer Lingus UK) uses only Airbus planes. Here are the planes it has:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 29 | — | — | 174 | 174 | |
| Airbus A320neo | 4 | 4 | — | 186 | 186 | |
| Airbus A321LR | 8 | — | 16 | 168 | 184 | |
| Airbus A321XLR | — | 6 | TBA | Delivery scheduled from 2024. Launch operator. | ||
| Airbus A330-200 | 3 | — | 23 | 243 | 266 | |
| 248 | 271 | |||||
| 258 | 281 | |||||
| Airbus A330-300 | 10 | — | 30 | 275 | 305 | |
| 283 | 313 | |||||
| 287 | 317 | |||||
| Total | 54 | 10 | ||||
Fleet Development
In January 2017, Aer Lingus decided to order eight A321LR planes. These planes are good for flying longer distances on routes that are not as busy. As of November 2018, the airline has ordered fourteen A321LRs.
At the 2019 Paris Air Show, IAG agreed to buy 14 Airbus A321XLR planes. Six of these will go to Aer Lingus. The first of these planes will arrive in 2023.
Historical Fleet
,_Dublin,_June_1993.jpg)
Here are some of the planes Aer Lingus has used in the past:
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transatlantic fleet | |||
| Boeing 707-320 | 1964 | 1986 | |
| Boeing 720 | 1960 | 1971 | |
| Boeing 747-100 | 1970 | 1995 | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 2014 | 2020 | Leased From ASL Airlines Ireland |
| Boeing 767-200ER | 2016 | 2016 | Leased from Omni Air International |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 1991 | 1994 | |
| Douglas DC-8-63F | 1990 | 1990 | Leased from Arrow Air |
| Douglas DC-8-73PF | 1990 | 1990 | Leased from Aer Turas |
| Lockheed L-749 Constellation | 1948 | Unknown | |
| Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation | 1958 | 1960 | |
| Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | 1989 | 1997 | Leased from American Trans Air, Caledonian Airways |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 1998 | 1998 | Leased from World Airways |
| 2001 | 2001 | ||
| European and commuter fleet | |||
| Airbus A319-100 | 2011 | 2016 | |
| Airbus A321-200 | 1998 | 2022 | |
| Airspeed Consul | 1948 | 1950 | |
| ATR 42-600 | 2003 | 2020 | |
| Aviation Traders Carvair | 1963 | 1968 | |
| BAC One-Eleven | 1965 | 1990 | |
| British Aerospace BAe 146-300 | 1995 | 2006 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 1969 | 1992 | Leased from All Nippon Airways |
| Boeing 737-300 | 1987 | 1993 | |
| Boeing 737-400 | 1989 | 2005 | |
| Boeing 737-500 | 1990 | 2005 | |
| Bristol 170 Freighter | 1952 | Unknown | |
| de Havilland DH.84 Dragon | 1936 | 1938 | |
| de Havilland DH.86 Express | 1936 | 1946 | |
| de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide | 1938 | 1940 | |
| Douglas DC-3 | 1940 | 1964 | |
| Fokker F27 | 1958 | 1966 | |
| Fokker 50 | 1989 | 2001 | |
| Lockheed Super Electra | 1939 | 1940 | |
| Saab 340B | 1991 | 1995 | |
| Short 330 | 1983 | Unknown | |
| Short 360 | 1984 | 1991 | |
| Vickers Viking | 1947 | Unknown | |
| Vickers Viscount 700 | 1954 | 1960 | |
| Vickers Viscount 800 | 1957 | 1973 | |
Livery
On January 17, 2019, Aer Lingus showed off a new look for its brand and planes. This new look includes a new font, a refreshed shamrock symbol, and new colors. The planes are now white with teal engines and tail. Most Aer Lingus planes were expected to have this new look by the end of 2021.
Services
In-flight Services
From 2015 to 2016, Aer Lingus sold pre-packaged Tayto sandwiches on some flights. In 2018, the company announced it would offer a free glass of wine or beer on transatlantic flights. That year, it also planned to offer free Wi-Fi to certain economy customers on transatlantic flights. In 2019, Aer Lingus introduced AerSpace, which is its premium economy class.
Frequent-Flyer Programme
AerClub is Aer Lingus's programme for frequent flyers. It started in November 2016, replacing the old Gold Circle programme. AerClub has four levels: Green (entry-level), Silver, Platinum, and Concierge. Members earn points called Avios.
Accidents and Incidents
Aer Lingus has a good safety record, with no crash deaths in over 55 years. It has had 12 incidents, including six accidents where planes were badly damaged (three of which had deaths) and one hijacking.
- On January 10, 1952, a Douglas DC-3 plane called "St. Kevin" crashed in a peat bog near Llyn Gwynant in Snowdonia, killing all 20 passengers and 3 crew. It was the company's first accident with deaths.
- On January 1, 1953, a Douglas DC-3 plane called "St Kieran" had to land in a field near Spernall, England. Both engines stopped because they ran out of fuel. All 25 passengers and crew survived. The plane was too damaged to be used again.
- On June 22, 1967, a Vickers Viscount plane on a training flight crashed near Ashbourne, killing all three crew members.
- On September 21, 1967, a Vickers Viscount flying from Dublin to Bristol scraped its wing on the runway and crashed when landing. All passengers and crew survived. The plane was too damaged to be used again.
- On March 24, 1968, a Vickers Viscount (named "St. Phelim") flying from Cork to London crashed near Tuskar Rock off the coast of Ireland. All 57 passengers and 4 crew died. This crash is known as the Tuskar Rock Air Disaster. Later investigations suggested the accident happened because a part of the plane's tail broke.
- On May 2, 1981, Aer Lingus Flight 164 from Dublin to London was hijacked and flown to France. While officials talked to the hijacker, French special forces entered the plane and stopped him. No one was hurt during the hijacking.
- On January 31, 1986, Aer Lingus Flight 328, a Short 360 plane, hit power lines and crashed before the runway at East Midlands Airport. No one died, but two passengers were injured.
- On June 9, 2005, Aer Lingus Flight 132, an Airbus A330, almost crashed with another plane at Logan International Airport in Boston. Both planes were given permission to take off at almost the same time on runways that crossed each other. The other plane managed to stay low and go under the Aer Lingus plane, avoiding a collision. No one was hurt.
See also
In Spanish: Aer Lingus para niños
- Transport in Ireland
- Aer Lingus UK
