OA277
Business-Class-Member
- Εγγραφή
- 08/05/2003
- Μηνύματα
- 460
- Likes
- 25
- Περιοχή
- Athens/London U.K.
- Πλησιέστερο αεροδρόμιο (ICAO Code)
- EGLL
Wednesday, August 25 07:37:47
(BizWorld)
Aer Lingus is thinking of leaving the eight-member international airline Oneworld alliance, according to a report this morning.
It is likely to announce the move as early as the next meeting of the alliance in three months time, the Irish Times says this morning, in an apparent leak.
The Irish flag carrier has been reinventing itself as a low fares carrier.
The paper says that the state-owned airline feels its new strategy of targeting the budget market so lucratively mined by Ryanair is not compatible with the full service model offered by Oneworld's other members.
It says that Aer Lingus chief executive Willie Walsh explained the airline's position to the rest of the alliance at a meeting four months ago.
Oneworld is scheduled to meet again in November, and according to sources cited in this morning's report, Aer Lingus is likely to signal its intention to pull out of the group at that time.
Membership of Oneworld would require Aer Lingus to maintain full service on all its routes. But the Irish flag carrier intends to eliminate business class seats from all flights to the UK and Europe by next April, but maintain them on transatlantic routes.
According to the report, other Oneworld members, who are not as exposed as Aer Lingus to low fares competitors such as Ryanair, want to maintain a more traditional approach to air travel.
Oneworld's other members are: American Airways, LanChile, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Finnair and British Airways.
Membership allows the airlines to sell passengers flights on the other seven, thus offering a larger variety of routes.
Still at Aer Lingus, SIPTU shop stewards at the airline will meet later today to consider the company's plan to cut 1,300 jobs.
The meeting will assess the terms of the redundancy plan presented by the company to achieve the cuts.
OA277
(BizWorld)
Aer Lingus is thinking of leaving the eight-member international airline Oneworld alliance, according to a report this morning.
It is likely to announce the move as early as the next meeting of the alliance in three months time, the Irish Times says this morning, in an apparent leak.
The Irish flag carrier has been reinventing itself as a low fares carrier.
The paper says that the state-owned airline feels its new strategy of targeting the budget market so lucratively mined by Ryanair is not compatible with the full service model offered by Oneworld's other members.
It says that Aer Lingus chief executive Willie Walsh explained the airline's position to the rest of the alliance at a meeting four months ago.
Oneworld is scheduled to meet again in November, and according to sources cited in this morning's report, Aer Lingus is likely to signal its intention to pull out of the group at that time.
Membership of Oneworld would require Aer Lingus to maintain full service on all its routes. But the Irish flag carrier intends to eliminate business class seats from all flights to the UK and Europe by next April, but maintain them on transatlantic routes.
According to the report, other Oneworld members, who are not as exposed as Aer Lingus to low fares competitors such as Ryanair, want to maintain a more traditional approach to air travel.
Oneworld's other members are: American Airways, LanChile, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Finnair and British Airways.
Membership allows the airlines to sell passengers flights on the other seven, thus offering a larger variety of routes.
Still at Aer Lingus, SIPTU shop stewards at the airline will meet later today to consider the company's plan to cut 1,300 jobs.
The meeting will assess the terms of the redundancy plan presented by the company to achieve the cuts.
OA277
