February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The airline business has been a tough one of late and even some of the world’s largest carriers are feeling the need to form alliances and merge with equally big airlines they once would have viewed as rivals.
But if a mega carrier like British Airways needs a prop what of Aer Lingus? As things stand, the former Irish flag carrier – and still that in the imagination of many – is back peddling at a rapid clip in terms of its routes and services. There is talk of the Aer Lingus fleet, now standing at 44 aircraft, being reduced by 11 planes to 33. Some of the planes might be leased back but, overall, the impression is one of consolidation and retreat.
The work of profit and loss being what it is, Aer Lingus can no longer expect to be unconditionally supported by the Irish taxpayer, at least for the long run. If there’s a rescue package in the wings it could well be along the lines of what U.S. automobile manufacturers were given, in other words a loan.
Already, services linking the U.S. and Ireland have been cut for the winter months and the prospect for a continuation of cuts throughout the year is looming ominously if Aer Lingus continues to suffer the kind of losses that have been draining away its once significant cash reserves.
Is it possible, then, that the transatlantic link in its entirety, is under threat? If the very future of Aer Lingus itself is in doubt, then the answer would appear to be yes.
Will Aer Lingus merge with another airline, effectively be taken over? That, too, is a distinct possibility, especially against the backdrop of other European mergers such as that between British Airways and Iberia, and the earlier tie-up between Air France and Dutch carrier KLM. Given new chief executive Christoph Mueller’s former posting with Lufthansa, it has to be wondered if the Irish carrier is destined for absorption by that airborne German power house.
Nothing is certain right now. A shamrock on the tail as the plane covers the air miles between America and Ireland is no longer a cast iron guarantee. Neither is the idea of Irish-owned planes even directly servicing Ireland.
If making a profit is the imperative in an era of “open skies,” what’s to stop Aer Lingus, with its globally known brand name, flying not from New York to Dublin, but from New York to London with Ireland-bound passengers being required to make a connection upon arrival?
The argument that Ireland, an island economy, needs regular air connections with both North America and Europe is more relevant today than it ever was.
It can be further argued, of course, that it really doesn’t matter how you make the connection, what airline you use and what nationality its ownership, so long as the link is maintained. So the plane doesn’t have to belong to an airline called Aer Lingus.
Fair enough. But while it’s a good thing that larger U.S. carriers have been flying to Ireland for some years now, it would be unfair and unrealistic to expect that those American operators somehow have a duty to keep flying into Ireland.
Despite privatization and the shelving of its former flag carrier status, there is still a lingering air of duty about Aer Lingus.
Those running the airline might not sense it, but many working for it do, and so do the many people who consciously chose the plane with the shamrock on the tail when they decide that an Atlantic hop is required.