From Aer Lingus:
Aer Lingus today (January 17, 2019) unveiled a refreshed brand with updated logo and new aircraft livery, reflecting the airlineโs position as a modern and contemporary Irish brand that competes on the international stage. The new brand identity supports Aer Lingusโ ambition to be the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic.
The new logo retains but restyles the iconic shamrock, adding a tilt to symbolise dynamism and speed, with heart-shaped leaves reflecting the warmth and hospitality of the brand. ย Guests will see four shamrocks on the new Aer Lingus aircraft livery.ย The first is within the new logo, the second sits on the tailfin, a third welcomes guests at the door, and a final surprise on the wingtip is in prime position for capturing on social media.
The Aer Lingus logo font has changed to โdiodrumโ and the dominant colour is teal. The body of the new look Aer Lingus aircraft will be white with a teal-coloured tail and engines, bringing a sleek, contemporary feel to the design. The teal undercarriage means that Aer Lingus will be instantly recognisable to those on the ground. The brand refresh is being rolled out today across all brand platforms, with a new website design and new app design. It will be visible across all guest touchpoints, from check-in to boarding gate and on to the aircraft.
The refresh is part of the airlineโs ambitious growth plan which will see Aer Lingus increase its North Atlantic fleet from 17 to 30 aircraft by 2023. ย Overall, Aer Lingus plans to grow its A330 fleet to 16 aircraft (from 13 in 2017) and invest in 14 new A321LRs to provide capacity for growth across the Atlantic and within Europe.
Sean Doyle, Chief Executive Officer (above), Aer Lingus said:
โAer Lingus is a modern Irish international success story, built on hard work, enterprise and the commitment of our people. Weโre delighted to unveil our brand refresh today, which comes more than 20 years after Aer Lingus last invested in new brand livery, and reflects our position as a modern, contemporary airline. Aer Lingus has had exceptional success in recent years: adding new routes, new aircraft, new jobs and new opportunities for colleagues and guests alike.
โThe refreshed brand reflects an airline that connects those living in Montreal to Marseilles; in Berlin to Boston; as well as those living in Cork to Croatia. The benefit for Ireland of being at the fulcrum of such connections is considerable and we in Aer Lingus are determined to realise this potential for Ireland.
โWe have ambitious plans for our future and the years ahead, yet we are aware of challenges facing the modern industry and thus investment in our new brand identity and livery; our new uniforms which will be unveiled later this year; and our fleet expansion are considered investments in the future of Aer Lingus to enable us realise our ambition to be the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic.โ
Mike Rutter, Chief Operating Officer, Aer Lingus said:
โThe Aer Lingus brand has evolved significantly over the last number of years. Since 2015, weโve invested significantly in our business, improving our value proposition and overall guest experience and becoming Irelandโs only four star airline. ย Innovations that we have introduced include the roll-out of WiFi on our A330s, automated check-in and bag drop at Dublin Airport, Business Class improvement with fully lie-flat beds and economy catering upgrades. Weโve also enhanced our performance to become the most punctual airline at Dublin Airport.
โWe conducted extensive guest research across Ireland, Europe & North America to inform every key stage of the process to ensure that the brand revealed today is reflective of our value carrier positioning.ย This research confirmed the importance of our shamrock โ the Irish emblem has been at the heart of the Aer Lingus brand for more than 80 years, and we made the shamrock โheartsโ more pronounced to reflect our hospitality and service.
โThe new look Aer Lingus livery consolidates our position as a modern, contemporary Irish airline on the international stage, but also allows guests who have always loved our brand to maintain a positive affiliation.โ
The new look Aer Lingus brand will be introduced today across the app, website, guest check in and boarding gates.ย The brand refresh is being delivered in keeping with Aer Lingusโ value carrier model, as part of the companyโs business as usual aircraft painting programme. All new aircraft will be delivered sporting the new livery and the updating of digital assets has been done in a highly cost-effective manner.
The Airbus A330 (A330-300 series aircraft, EI-EDY, St Munchin) was unveiled at an event in Aer Lingusโ Hangar 6 at Dublin Airport, where it had been painted on-site. The A320 (A320-200 series aircraft, EI-CVA, St Schira.) flew from Shannon Airport, where it had been painted. The new liveried A330 aircraft will take to the skies for the first time on Friday 18 January, operating flight EI105, where it will be met by a reception in John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Brand Refresh โ Things you didnโt know
ยท ย More than 50 shamrock designs were considered as part of the brand refresh process.
ยท ย Hundreds of items across every aspect of the business were audited for the refreshed brand identity to improve the guest experience. The list included everything from the Aer Lingus check-in desks, to airport signage, to lounges, to onboard menus and everything else in between.
ยท ย An aircraft is usually repainted every seven to eight years.
ยทย When an aircraft goes in for painting, the critical areas that arenโt going to be painted are protected. The fuselage and wings are metal and stripper is applied to remove the paint followed by primer. Composite areas, such as the tailplane, are sanded down. The aircraft is then washed down and a base coat and top coat are applied followed by a clear coat.
ยท ย ย A wide-body aircraft takes about 10 days and about 850 litres of paint, the narrow-body takes between seven and eight days and uses around 500 litres. The thickness of the paint can vary slightly so itโs measured and its effect on the aircraft weight is taken intoย account. Our Airbus A330s can weigh up to 233,000kg while an Airbus A320 can be 73,500kg.
About Lippincott
Lippincott, a creative consultancy specialising in brand innovation, led the brand refresh project. They have seven locations across the globe, including New York, Boston and London. Lippincott has extensive airline experience having most recently worked on Delta, Southwest, and Hawaiian airlines. They have worked extensively with Airbus and therefore have a deep understanding of all the complexities involved in designing for and painting an aircraft. The lead designer on this project was Dublin native Brendรกn Murphy who has been working with Lippincott in New York for over 20 years.ย Brendรกn has seen a changing Ireland and a changing Aer Lingus through a US lens and was pivotal in understanding the airlineโs ambition to be the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic.
All images by Are Lingus.
Previous logos:
Aer Lingus, as previously reported, is expected to officially announce a new revised livery later this month for the new year.
We may now have a sneak preview. A safety card for Boeing 757-200s operated for Aer Lingus by ASL Airlines (Ireland) (formerly Air Contractors) has been leaked and circulating online. Is this the new look for Aer Lingus with less green?
Poll:
Bottom Copyright Photo:ย Aer Lingus (ASL Airlines) Boeing 757-2Q8 WL EI-LBR (msn 28167) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 933185.
Aer Lingus has made this announcement on its blog:
Weโve launched our latest pilot recruitment drive, with over 100 direct entry pilot positions available. Positions are open to qualified pilots, who, if successful, will join our flight team for an exciting and rewarding career, flying our modern aircraft, such as the Airbus A320/321 and A330, to over 80 destinations worldwide.
The pilot recruitment drive comes as we continue to expand, having recently announced our ambitious growth strategy that will see our North Atlantic fleet increase from 17 to 30 aircraft by 2023. The growth strategy will see significant investments in guest experience, brand, fleet, network expansion and our people.
Over the coming years, weโll add the new Airbus A321neo long-range aircraft, giving successful pilots the opportunity to fly the longest-range, single-aisle aircraft in the world when introduced.
We already fly to over 80 destinations worldwide but is continuing to eye new opportunities across the Atlantic and within Europe. This will give successful candidates exciting travel opportunities.
Weโve a strong track record of supporting female pilots, employing twice as many compared with the international airline industry average. We areย continuing to make a concerted effort to attract more female pilots and we encourage them to apply for a position to join ourย team.
Candidates should be highly motivated individuals who are committed to delivering our excellent service and who are tuned into the challenging commercial priorities faced by a value carrier in todayโs highly competitive aviation sector.
Successful candidates will be offered a very competitive package, which includes an incremental starting salary and excellent benefits.
Our direct entry pilot application process is now open and will close on Friday, 28th December.
Applicants are invited to apply online via the Aer Lingus careers website http://careers.aerlingus.com.
International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) on October 26, 2018 presented Group consolidated results for the nine months to September 30, 2018.
The IAG is the holding company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level and Vueling.
IAG period highlights on results:
ย 
Performance summary:
| ย ย | Nine months to September 30 | ย | |
| Highlights โฌ million | 2018 | 2017
(restated)(1) |
Higher / (lower) |
| ย | ย | ||
| Passenger revenue | 16,326 | 15,507 | 5.3 % |
| Total revenue | 18,346 | 17,450 | 5.1 % |
| Operating profit before exceptional items | 2,575 | 2,400 | 7.3 % |
| Exceptional items | 584 | (271) | nm |
| Operating profit after exceptional items | 3,159 | 2,129 | 48.4% |
| ย | ย | ||
| Available seat kilometres (ASK million) | 244,343 | 231,417 | 5.6 % |
| Passenger revenue per ASK (โฌ cents) | 6.68 | 6.70 | (0.3)% |
| Non-fuel costs per ASK (โฌ cents) | 4.84 | 5.01 | (3.2)% |
| ย | ย | ||
| Alternative performance measures | 2018 | 2017
(restated)(1) |
Higher / (lower) |
| ย | ย | ||
| Profit after tax before exceptional items (โฌ million) | 1,970 | 1,805 | 9.1 % |
| Adjusted earnings per share (โฌ cents) | 91.9 | 81.7 | 12.5 % |
| Adjusted net debt (โฌ million) | 7,475 | 7,183 | 4.1 % |
| Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR | 1.4 | 1.4 | (0.0x) |
| ย | |||
| Statutory results โฌ million | 2018 | 2017
(restated)(1) |
Higher / (lower) |
| ย | ย | ||
| Profit after tax and exceptional items | 2,514 | 1,597 | 57.4 % |
| Basic earnings per share (โฌ cents) | 121.9 | 75.3 | 61.8 % |
| Cash and interest-bearing deposits | 6,923 | 7,523 | (8.0) % |
| Interest-bearing long-term borrowings | 7,342 | 7,578 | (3.1) % |
| ย ย | |||
| For definitions refer to the IAG Annual report and accounts 2017. | |||
| (1)Restated for new accounting standards IFRS 15 โRevenue from contracts with customersโ and IFRS 9 โFinancial instrumentsโ. | |||
Willie Walsh, IAG Chief Executive Officer, said:
โWeโre reporting a good quarter 3 performance with an operating profit of โฌ1,460 million before exceptional items, up from โฌ1,450 million last year.
โThese were strong results despite significant fuel cost and foreign exchange headwinds. At constant currency, our passenger unit revenue increased by 2.4 per cent while non-fuel unit costs went down 0.7 per cent.
โWeโre pleased to announce an interim dividend of 14.5 euro cents per share and this week we completed our second โฌ500 million share buy-back programmeโ.
Trading outlook
At current fuel prices and exchange rates, IAG expects its operating profit before exceptional items for 2018 to show an increase of around โฌ200m from a base of โฌ2,950m in 2017. Both passenger unit revenue and non-fuel unit costs are expected to improve at constant currency for the full year.
It’s back! College Football is returning to Dublin for the Aer Lingus College Football Series. Five epic games from 2020-2024. First up: Notre Dame Football v Navy Football.
Top Copyright Photo: Aer Lingus Airbus A330-302 EI-ELA (msn 1106) JFK (Stephen Tornblom). Image: 910752. The desire to create larger profits are driving an upcoming livery change at Aer Lingus. Look now, the amount of green is expected to be significantly reduced with the upcoming new livery.ย The first Aer Lingus aircraft in the new colors is expected at the end of January, 2019. The pictured Airbus A330-302, registered as EI-ELA, will probably be the first aircraft to be repainted (always subject to change). The new livery is expected to be something likeย Iberia Express with green engine cowlings and a dark green shamrock on the tail with two cheat lines down the fuselage. The size and style of the titles are still under discussion pending a final livery decision.
In other news, Aer Lingus is expecting their first Avro (BAe) RJ85 (EI-RJN) on Sunday with Aer Lingus titles and a shamrock in green decals.
Below Copyright Photo:ย Aer Lingus Airbus A330-302 EI-ELA (msn 1106) DUB (SM Fitzwilliams Collection). Image: 925195.
Aer Lingus aircraft slide show:
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Aer Lingus in January 2019 will roll out a new brand according to CEO Stephen Kavanagh ahead of the first Airbus A321LR delivery in April 2019.
The update will also include new uniforms.
Let’s hope Aer Lingus does lose its “color” in its color scheme for a bland “Eurowhite” “updated” livery.
Previously on August 3, 2018 CEO Stephen Kavanagh issued this report on the first six months of 2018:
Aer Lingus has an ambitious flight path โ to be the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic. This vision is enabled by a profitable, sustainable short-haul network; and is supported by a guest-focused brand and digitally-enabled value proposition. Todaysโ results are the latest manifestation of the airlineโs successful business model. A business model that has delivered accelerated growth, boosted traffic, created new Irish job opportunities and driven Irish tourism growth particularly from North America over the past number of years.
We are now re-investing in the business to deliver future growth. This year Aer Lingus is flying 17 times daily to 13 North American gateways, providing a record 2.75 million seats between Ireland and North America: we have almost doubled our North American transatlantic capacity from Dublin over the past five years. This growth has a very positive impact on the wider economy in this country with tourism receipts from North American visitors up 27% since 2015 to over โฌ1.5 billion.
We have invested in our people with hundreds of new Cabin Crew, Pilot and Ground positions created this summer; we had over 8,600 applicants for the Aer Lingus Future Pilot Programme which launched in April; our Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Apprenticeship Scheme launched in May is a four-year programme run in conjunction with DIT and SOLAS, Further Education & Training Authority in Ireland. Our commitment to investing in our people is exemplified by the multi-million euro investment in a new joint flight crew and cabin crew training centre which will be open in 2020.
We have been undergoing a programme of positive change in response to our ambitious growth strategy. We have repositioned our brand and enhanced our product and guest experience offering a new Aer Lingus Business Class; WiFi on A330s; new website and mobile app; automated check-in and bag drop experience at Dublin airport, to name just a few. All of these changes are informed by extensive guest engagement, we listen carefully to the over 12 million guests we carry every year and adapt our offer accordingly.
In order to realise our growth ambitions, significant infrastructure development and process improvement is required at Dublin Airport. We expect that the airportโs forthcoming Capital Investment Programme will begin to address the infrastructure deficits at the airport. Prior to the delivery of such infrastructure, we are hopeful that airlines can work with Dublin Airport to make significant process improvement and to optimise existing infrastructure in order to address the existing congestion and to facilitate growth.
Our aim is to compete on the global stage and to realise our ambition to be the leading value carrier on the North Atlantic. Our new aircraft being delivered from 2019 โ the Airbus A321 NEO LR, will make new airports in the US more attractive and present a variety of potential destination cities. To realise the new opportunity that these new modern fuel-efficient aircraft will provide, we launched a search for new 2019 North American Airport destinations presenting a unique opportunity for local communities to invest, alongside Aer Lingus, in the introduction or expansion of our service, as has been so successfully realised in Hartford. Our new uniform will project a distinctive, contemporary Irish brand that can compete internationally, as we target travel to Europe from North America as well as those travelling west. We have a clear path for continued growth.
This success is the result of our value model, based on the pillars of cost, product and service which continues to deliver. Our investment in new aircraft, new uniforms, new facilities, and new people is part of our objective to futureproof the business and is demonstrative of our big ambitions.
โ Stephen Kavanagh is CEO of Aer Lingus
Top Copyright Photo (all others by Aer Lingus):ย Aer Lingus Airbus A320-214 EI-DEK (msn 2399) TLS (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 943518.
Aer Lingus aircraft slide show:
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Aer Lingus has made these two announcements:
Flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will commence on July 8, 2019 with daily direct service to Dublin, Ireland and a four times weekly service in the winter, with convenient connecting service to 25 destinations across Britain and Europe.
MSP flights will be operated by Boeing 757-200s of ASL Airlines (Ireland).
Flights from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport will commence on August 8, 2019 with daily direct service to Dublin, Ireland and a four times weekly service in the winter, with convenient connecting service to 35 destinations across Britain and Europe.
YUL flights will be operated with new Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Top Copyright Photo (all others by Aer Lingus):ย Aer Lingus (ASL Airlines Ireland) Boeing 757-2Q8 WL EI-LBS (msn 27623) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 934654.
Aer Lingus aircraft slide show:
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Starting on October 28, 2018, Aer Lingus will operate six daily round trips from Dublin to London City Airport on weekdays, with a reduced service on the weekend.
This new service will be in addition to the ย current extensive services between Dublin and both London Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
The new route will be operated by CityJet for Aer Lingus. CityJet is planning to operate two RJ85s for Aer Lingus livery (as it was in the past).
CityJet also announced it will no longer operate flights under its own brand. CityJet issued this statement:
In recent years CityJet has transitioned from being an airline serving scheduled markets under its own brand to becoming a provider of capacity to customer airlines throughout Europe.
CityJet has announced that effective from October 27, 2018 it will no longer operate scheduled services marketed under its own brand.
Also announced, the company has entered a leasing arrangement between Aer Lingus and CityJet that will see CityJet provide two aircraft to Aer Lingus to operate the Dublin-London City route.ย Commencing October 28, 2018, Aer Lingus will operate six daily round trips from Dublin to London City Airport on weekdays, with a reduced service at the weekend.
Intending passengers holding bookings to/from London City on CityJet flights will be transferred to Aer Lingus flights.
Top Copyright Photo (all others by Aer Lingus):ย CityJet (Ireland) BAe RJ85 EI-RJZ (msn E2326) BSL (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 943334.
CityJet aircraft slide show:
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Aer Lingus has announced it will begin new Cork – Lisbon service on October 26, 2018. The new route will operate two days a week year-round.
This announcement comes after it was announced by Norwegian it would drop Cork – Providence service in October.
Copyright Photo:ย Aer Lingus Airbus A319-111 EI-EPR (msn 3169) LHR (SPA). Image: 925091.
Aer Lingus aircraft slide show:
Alaska Airlines and Aer Lingus announced a broad partnership that will provide Mileage Plan members more ways to earn and redeem miles to Europe. The carriers will begin interline availability across their respective networks starting in April. Alaska Mileage Plan members will be able to earn and redeem miles on Aer Lingus flights and Aer Lingus AerClub members will also be able to earn and redeem miles on Alaska, starting at a later date.
Aer Lingus currently serves Dublin from 13 cities in North America, including from Alaska’s gateway cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and โ starting May 18 โ nonstop from Seattle/Tacoma.
Aer Lingus will fly Airbus A330-200 wide body aircraft on its new route from Seattle/Tacomaย to Dublin. Since Dublin airport has its own U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, passengers and their luggage will be pre-cleared in Ireland before departure, with no need to go through passport control on arrival in Seattle.
Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, founded in 1936. It operates 63 aircraft on more than 100 routes to destinations in the U.K., Europe and North America and carries more than 12 million guests per annum. Aer Lingus is Ireland’s only 4-Star airline, awarded by Skytrax, the international air transport rating organization. Its mission is to connect Ireland to the world and to become the leading value carrier operating across the North Atlantic. Its home base is Dublin Airport. Aer Lingus is a member of International Airlines Group (IAG), one of the world’s largest airline groups.
Copyright Photo:ย Aer Lingus Airbus A330-202 EI-DAA (msn 397) IAD (Brian McDonough). Image: 907081.
Aer Lingus aircraft slide show:
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