And it’s not just the price changes that customers will soon notice. The airline could have a new name. And stand by to say goodbye to all those smart cabin crew uniforms.
The airline, which could be sold by the Irish government into private ownership in a matter of weeks, is offering a range of new fares over the Atlantic that are intended to boost profits even as the company goes through the most profound operational and image changes since it was founded in 1936.
In what appears to be the opening move in a fare war with future, as yet unnamed, rivals, Aer Lingus this week indicated its belief that the new lower fares, and the simplification of the rules that surround them, was its flight path to the future.
The airline, in a statement released Monday, described the reduced fares and the scrapping of a number of previous restrictions and purchasing regulations as “a total revamping of its trans-Atlantic business and leisure fare structure as part of its corporate goal of pioneering low fares on the Atlantic.”
The new fares will be introduced in tandem with route changes that will see the mothballing of the service out of Baltimore/Washington, D.C., and the introduction of a charter service to Orlando, Fla.
“We believe that it is time to bring the low fare concept now prevalent in the U.S. and European domestic markets to transatlantic travel,” Jack Foley, Aer Lingus’ executive vice president, said.
“It is our goal to position Aer Lingus as a profitable airline offering low fares and reliable travel on the Atlantic for both our business and leisure customers to Ireland and Europe.”
The main thrust of the price slashing is aimed at the business traveler. Fare reductions of from 40-60 percent are being slotted in for premier class seats.
The largest reduction, a 60 percent cut, will be applied to premier business class seats on the Los Angeles-to-Dublin route. The current one-way fare of $3,695 is being reduced to $1,504.
The $2,272 one-way premier fare from New York to Dublin is being dropped $1,304, or 43 percent.
A business traveler flying out of Boston or New York to Shannon or Dublin via Shannon will be able to purchase a one-way business fare for $1,104.
These fares will not require any advance purchase or Saturday night stay.
Aer Lingus, in a statement, said that the reduced business fares would not result in any reduction in its in-flight and airport lounge services.
Even as it moves to lure more business passengers, Aer Lingus is planning an across-the-board reduction in economy fares. Reductions will range from 20-30 percent.
The airline is also offering what it says is a simplified set of fare rules for all economy seats.
In addition, a cap will be placed on the economy fare structure, with the maximum possible fare being reduced from a current $838 one-way price to $503.
As with the revamped premier fare structure, a Saturday night layover will no longer be need to avail of the lowest possible economy fare.
The Aer Lingus statement said that the carrier was doing away with “the complexity of traditional fare rules, which based the fare on such variables including how early you book, whether you stay a Saturday night and if you were traveling roundtrip or one-way.”
The introduction of a standard set of rules for all fares would mean that customers could take advantage of the best fare regardless of when they were traveling, or the length of their stay.
The trans-Atlantic changes are being mirrored in the airline’s services out of Ireland to Britain and Europe, a market in which Aer Lingus has been battling against the giant among European budget carriers, Ryanair.
Aer Lingus has already scrapped business class and cargo services in Europe and will no longer fly the remains of the deceased back to Ireland.
Similar service cuts are not, however, in the pipeline for the trans-Atlantic routes.
However, the airline will be quitting the One World Alliance, in which it has been trans-Atlantic partner with American Airlines.
Meanwhile, the Irish Independent, citing an Aer Lingus source, reported Tuesday that casual polo shirts and trousers would replace the trademark cabin crew aquamarine suits.
And the Irish reservations center would be “outsourced” to a London company.
The paper additionally reported an Aer Lingus management denial that the very name of Aer Lingus was to be scrapped with its name being replaced by the English version, “Irish Airlines.”
The changes to Irish and European operations have caused considerable angst and anger among the airline’s unionized employees.
The final say in the matter of actual privatization rests in the hands of the Irish government and, in particular, the transport minister, Seamus Brennan.
Brennan indicated to the Echo earlier this year that October would be decision month for Aer Lingus.
Against the backdrop of its trans-Atlantic fare cuts, the carrier has announced that from Dec. 1, its scheduled flights between Baltimore/Washington, D.C., and Ireland will be suspended until May 9, 2005.
The mothballing of the route has been taken, said Aer Lingus, “due to the low seasonal demand on this route during the winter months.” Customers already booked on the route for the mothballing period will be offered full refunds or alternate flights.
And the airline this week unveiled a new winter charter flight service linking Dublin and McCoy International Airport in Orlando, Fla.
The airline will operate three flights a week between Dec. 2 and May 8, 2005.