Aer Lingus Gold Circle Club - Etihad interested in buying Aer Lingus stake

According to the Financial Times, Etihad has approached the government in relation to buying their 25% stake in Aer Lingus.

Etihad is also in talks with Virgin Atlantic to join it in a bid to buy bmi from Lufthansa.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e4ff4a24-f7f5-11e0-a419-00144feab49a.html

According to the Financial Times, Etihad has approached the government in relation to buying their 25% stake in Aer Lingus.

Etihad is also in talks with Virgin Atlantic to join it in a bid to buy bmi from Lufthansa.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e4ff4a24-f7f5-11e0-a419-00144feab49a.html

A lot of this could be about the Aer Lingus slots in LHR.

I guess they would also be after the Ryanair shares as well.

It was crazy to turn down the €400m from Ryanair a few years ago.

The govt better stipulate that the LHR slots are to be used for EI operations and not EY flights. Otherwise EI will get gutted.

The govt better stipulate that the LHR slots are to be used for EI operations and not EY flights. Otherwise EI will get gutted.

I do not think the govt are in any position to put a rider in like that.

I think this is quite interesting - I must confess I hadn't considered one of the Middle Eastern carriers as a potential purchaser, although they are the only ones with any money these days I suppose.

Does anyone think that Etihad sees potential in Aer Lingus beyond its LHR slots? It would be nice to think they did, possibly in some sort of combination with bmi (and Virgin I guess?!), but it seems a bit fanciful...

I do not think the govt are in any position to put a rider in like that.

Such "riders" have been widely reported in the press since Varadkar announced that the Government was looking to sell.

Including this in today's Times:

Etihad’s approach follows Mr Varadkar’s recent statement that the Government would be willing to sell its stake in Aer Lingus under certain conditions. This included securing the right price for the shares and getting certain commitments on the use of its Heathrow slots.

From the same article it appears that Etihad did not approach Ryanair (yet!) about their 29.8% share - but Etihad would not be allowed to own half the company anyway under existing airline ownership rules.

Ethiad as I understand it and as irishguy28 says,being a non EU based airline can't own more than 49% of an EU airline.
So even if they buy the irish governments holding,they cannot buy all of Ryanair's along with ti and cannot take a controling stake.

Does anyone think that Etihad sees potential in Aer Lingus beyond its LHR slots? It would be nice to think they did, possibly in some sort of combination with bmi (and Virgin I guess?!), but it seems a bit fanciful...

Other than the LHR slots, I see little value in EI. An Irish airline with very virtually no intra-Ireland regional network?

DUB is in one of the worst geographical locations to provide intra-EU connectivity, and EY already operates to JFK and ORD. That really only leaves BOS.

I'm afraid EY is simply slot-fishing, otherwise lets see how much EY is willing to pay for EI minus the LHR slots.

Other than the LHR slots, I see little value in EI. An Irish airline with very virtually no intra-Ireland regional network?

DUB is in one of the worst geographical locations to provide intra-EU connectivity, and EY already operates to JFK and ORD. That really only leaves BOS.

I'm afraid EY is simply slot-fishing, otherwise lets see how much EY is willing to pay for EI minus the LHR slots.I beg to differ...

Year to date profits at EI of €67 million and ei are bidding for more heathrow slots at the moment according to todays report [the bmi slots lufthansa have for sale] and thats in a depressed market.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1103/aerlingus-business.html

Year to date profits at EI of €67 million..



Indeed, but there are a few caveats surrounding that performance:

- Total Full Year Profits will be significantly lower than that, with a loss making scenario developing for Q4, 2011.

- Increased Operating Costs will become a permanent feature from Q4 onwards, particularly in relation to fuel, as the impact of pro-active forward hedging expires towards the end of 2011, into 2012.

- Exceptional items are sure to feature once again, we have to await those and view their impact.

For the full year, EI should report it's best performance in three years, there's no doubting that. Additionally, it is now, once again, a positive, cash generating business. However - the outlook is not as certain, with significant downward pressure on future positive yield trajectory and premium revenue growth as the global economic environment fluctuates from difficult to at times bleak.

Aer Lingus is worth a significant amount, should all of it's assets be disposed of, over time. However, as a collective cash generating unit - the airline is only beginning to turn around after three years. This is reflected in the current Market Capitalisation of EI. Were the pension deficit issue to be resolved however, and global stock markets were to calm - then EUR 1.00 p/share is a reasonable expectation, given the latest performance guidance.

EI Premier

I beg to differ...

Year to date profits at EI of €67 million....


I meant strategic value. There's nothing about EI's longhaul network that would benefit EY, and domestic connections are sparse. The Irish govt would have to be a fool to allow EY to buy EI without conditions on slot usage. Otherwise you can watch EI's LHR ops dwindle to virtually nothing.

Watch how fast the EY proposal dies if the govt imposes provisions.


... and ei are bidding for more heathrow slots at the moment according to todays report [the bmi slots lufthansa have for sale] and thats in a depressed market.



Well, thats not going to happen.

Wow!! Not a day after my last post and the EY-EI fanatasy dies.

Etihad to pass up Aer Lingus shares (http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/etihad-to-pass-up-aer-lingus-shares-1.928172)

Let's hope that IAG takes a second look at EI.

It's been a week since the Gulf News broke the story, but no other news outlet has picked it up, and neither Aer Lingus nor Etihad have commented on it. Very strange!

In an article in yesterday's Financial Times about Etihad and Qatar looking for airline partners, they stated the following, so perhaps it's not all over just yet:


Etihad is interested in the possibility of buying the Irish government’s 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus, and Mr Hogan highlighted how the Dublin-based carrier flew “to many parts of Europe that we don’t fly to”.

According to these lines in an article from Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-23/british-airways-parent-iag-targets-long-haul-acquisitions.html) that is more generally about IAG's future targets, it appears that perhaps Qatar Airways may be interested in Aer Lingus...

Vazquez said that IAG isn’t concerned about losing out in Europe to Middle Eastern carriers such as Etihad Airways, which has taken a 29 percent stake in Oneworld recruit Air Berlin, or Qatar Airways Ltd., which said last week it’s examining deals in the region after buying Cargolux International SA in 2010.

Shares of Stockholm-based SAS Group (SAS) gained as much as 7.8 percent Jan. 19 after Qatar Air CEO Akbar Al Baker said he was looking at an unspecified purchase. Ireland’s Aer Lingus Group Plc (AERL), previously linked with a bid from Etihad, rose 9.1 percent.

Qatar is also a likely investor in Barcelona-based Spanair SA, which is controlled by the regional government of Catalonia, Spanish newspaper Expansion said Oct. 27, citing people close to the airline. A deal might consist of cash or planes, it said.

Etihad is still hunting for more acquisitions in Europe and Asia and has, for example, looked at the case for buying a stake in Virgin Atlantic, Sir Richard Branson’s UK airline, and Aer Lingus, the Irish flag-carrier.

Etihad has dropped its interest in Virgin Atlantic but is still evaluating Aer Lingus.

“We will continue to look at opportunities,” said Mr Hogan.

Etihad Airways, the Middle East’s third-largest carrier, posted a first annual profit and said it’s mulling further purchases following an investment in Air Berlin Plc, with Ireland’s Aer Lingus Group Plc being monitored.

<snip>

“We don’t enter an agreement to bail somebody out, we enter into an agreement to improve our top line and revenue and take out more cost,” Hogan said. “With Aer Lingus we have looked at top line, but haven’t entered into any advanced negotiations.”

I'm not sure how reliable a source gulfnews.com is, given that they published a story last November (which wasn't published by any other news outlet) saying that Etihad were to "pass up" on the chance to buy Aer Lingus shares.

No other news outlet is reporting any word of this supposed bond-issue to plug the Aer Lingus/DAA pension hole

Dubai: A compromise deal between the Irish government and Aer Lingus over the airline's pension deficit is in the works, opening the door to a possible takeover of Dublin's 25.1 per cent stake by Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, Gulf News has learnt.

Gulf News is clearly wrong when they say that the announcement of EI's 2011 financial results "boosted its share price to the point where Dublin feels a sale would be worth while", when all other media reported that
the share price dropped 7.5% on the announcement (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0229/1224312523173.html), and when the Irish Government has not said anything new about Aer Lingus since stating, 2 weeks ago, that the share price of 94 cents was too low for them to sell at (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0223/1224312241821.html)

While I don't think it will happen, looking at their investment in AB..you could see some parity between the operating models of AB and EI, although EI's operation is much, much smaller.

Interesting development in Monday's Irish Times. Irish government's preferred partner to sell its stake in EI is apparently JetBlue. Government also negotiating a commercial deal with Etihad, possibly involving Fifth Freedom rights for TATL to US. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/0312/1224313154997.html

Indeed...but it's Aer Lingus' preferred partner, rather than the Government's choice.

Didn't anticipate that one coming. But the proposed codeshare arrangement between EI and EY seems more likely than Etihad taking a (large) stake - would be good to see EI flying long haul to the UAE again, and with the onward connections from AUH it should turn out far better than the short-lived DXB service.

Indeed...but it's Aer Lingus' preferred partner, rather than the Government's choice.

Didn't anticipate that one coming. But the proposed codeshare arrangement between EI and EY seems more likely than Etihad taking a (large) stake - would be good to see EI flying long haul to the UAE again, and with the onward connections from AUH it should turn out far better than the short-lived DXB service.

As a matter of interest, was there a particular reason why the DXB flights didn’t work? Lack of codeshares for onward connections (either with a local middle-eastern carrier, or an Asian one)? Poorly timed flights?

Or did the conomics just not work?:rolleyes:

As a matter of interest, was there a particular reason why the DXB flights didn’t work? Lack of codeshares for onward connections (either with a local middle-eastern carrier, or an Asian one)? Poorly timed flights?

Or did the conomics just not work?:rolleyes:

all of the above

B6: No interest in Aer Lingus

http://atwonline.com/airline-finance-data/news/jetblue-no-interest-aer-lingus-stake-0315

I think they've misrepresented the Irish media reports - nowhere was it stated that B6 were interested - just that EI management expressed a preference for B6, given that they would not be viewed negatively by EI's codeshare partners in a way that could not be said of EI.

I saw a report online today saying Ryanair is talking with EY about taking their stake on the condition that they also buy the Government's stake. That can't strictly be true, as EY is precluded by law from taking a controlling stake in any EU airline. Not sure why Ryanair would stipulate thattheir stake should only be sold to the buyer of the government stake, either.

As a matter of interest, was there a particular reason why the DXB flights didn’t work? Lack of codeshares for onward connections (either with a local middle-eastern carrier, or an Asian one)? Poorly timed flights?

Or did the conomics just not work?:rolleyes:

Most/all of these I think, although then again BA seems to get away with running a DXB-LHR flight at 0255 or thereabouts.

Hogan said there are no merger talks going on with Aer Lingus, the Irish carrier it has been linked to in the past, and he offered no commitments about other potential tie-ups.

On the ongoing speculation about its interest in the Government’s 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus, Hogan said: “We haven’t sat down and had that discussion.

“[The Government] are working through their own process. They haven’t come out with any documentation in regard to that process, so we just continue to focus on our knitting.

“We haven’t done any due diligence. Until we do that, there’s nothing to say.”

Is Etihad still interested? “We’ve always said we’re keen to have a look at it as we’re keen to look at other airlines.”

The CEO of Qatar Airways has said he has “no interest” in buying stakes in smaller airlines, and was not in talks with any other carriers.

In an interview with Arabian Business, Akbar Al Baker said he would leave these kinds of ventures to rival Etihad, which recently voiced an interest in Ireland’s second flag carrier Aer Lingus.

“We are not interested in any small airline,” he said at the Global Aerospace Summit this week. “We will leave that opportunity to Etihad.”

Etihad buys stake in EI with a view to purchasing government's shares in national carrier
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/0501/1224315408744.html

I wonder what Etihad long term plan with EI is?

I was waiting for CAPA to give their analysis; it's a very good read, as always (click the link for full article)



Etihad Airways gets springboard into Northern Europe with 2.9% stake in Aer Lingus

The United Kingdom is emerging as an end-game country for the Middle East triumvirate: Emirates has firmly planted itself across the country, Qatar Airways is cosying up to British Airways and Etihad Airways’ 2.9% stake in Aer Lingus has the potential to give it a springboard into the UK, codesharing on Aer Lingus’ wide Ireland-UK network.

http://www.centreforaviation.com/images/resized/stories/companies/airlines/etihad/etihad_aerlingus-200x.png

(Reuters) - Etihad Airways is not willing to sell its 2 percent stake in Aer Lingus, the Irish flag carrier subject to a takeover bid by Ryanair, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

President and Chief Executive of Etihad James Hogan was quoted as saying "we are not selling", giving his backing to Aer Lingus's current management and its strategy.

(more)


Etihad to "strengthen" ties with Aer Lingus

TIHAD AIRWAYS’s decision to buy a 2.96 per cent stake in Aer Lingus in April was a signal to its board and management that it liked the airline’s strategy and wanted to forge a close business relationship, its president and chief executive James Hogan has said.

“By investing in Aer Lingus we’ve sent a very clear message to the board and to the Aer Lingus management that we think they’ve done a good job and we’d like to strengthen our relationship with them,” Mr Hogan told The Irish Times yesterday after Etihad published its half-year results.

“Ireland is an important market to us. It’s a strong market. It’s a profitable market. We have a strategy of equity [stakes] and code share.”

(more)

Etihad predicts Irish expansion (http://atwonline.com/airline-finance-data/news/etihad-predicts-irish-expansion-0727)

With the UK's expensive APD tax for long-haul flights, perhaps there is a market in 24 hour+1 minute connections/"stopovers" via Aer Lingus and the Irish Republic that include hotel transfer there. [A related UAE player could even acquire/develop the hotels.] It couldn't hurt Etihad's attraction to highly-price sensitive VFR traffic where families are willing to sacrifice a day to save several hundred dollars.

Etihad, the fast growing Abu Dhabi carrier, would like a seat on the board of Ireland's Aer Lingus as it builds its own global alliance of airlines.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/9436735/Etihad-eyes-seat-on-Aer-Lingus-board.html

The Etihad-Aer Lingus codeshare deal will be announced on Tuesday.

will it include any larger of a stake in the airline?

will it include any larger of a stake in the airline?

I don't know. They did say some time ago that they would not be increasing their stake until after the codeshare agreement entered into force. I suspect they will wait and see the outcome of the European Commission's ruling on Ryanair's attempted buyout before doing anything further.

And here we have the details (on BT (http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/etihad-and-aer-lingus-announce-codeshare-agreement)):

Following Etihad Airways’ recent three per cent equity purchase in Aer Lingus, the two carriers have announced interline and codeshare agreements to take effect from mid-September.

.......

•Between Dublin and Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kerry, Lisbon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow and Manchester
•Between London Heathrow and Dublin, Cork, and Shannon
•Between Manchester and Dublin, Cork, and Shannon
•Between Dublin and Boston and New York JFK
Aer Lingus will in turn place it EI code on Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and Dublin, a route which was launched in 2007 (see online news May 30, 2007).

The Irish carrier will also have “full access to flights across the [Etihad] network beyond Abu Dhabi, to points including Australia, Asia-Pacific, the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East”.

The codeshare agreement will take effect for flights purchased from today, for travel from September 15.

Members of the Etihad Guest loyalty programme will be able to earn miles on Aer Lingus codeshare flights, and further integration of the carriers' frequent flyer prgrammes is “under discussion”.

......

I assume EI GC members will be able to earn points on EY services as well.

One would hope - it would make GC slightly more useful!

Good news!

The Etihad website hasn't yet added Amsterdam as a new departure point, though...

Press Release (http://www.etihadmediacentre.com/file.php?f_ID=3658) at the EY Media Centre website

Any idea as to why ORD was left out of the deal?

And I wonder about lounge access at DUB....will there be scenarios where a Gold Circle member can use the EY lounge, and vice versa?

Press Release (http://www.etihadmediacentre.com/file.php?f_ID=3658) at the EY Media Centre website

Any idea as to why ORD was left out of the deal?

And I wonder about lounge access at DUB....will there be scenarios where a Gold Circle member can use the EY lounge, and vice versa?

As to ORD, it may be about the AA-EY relationship -- I would be surprised if the AA-EY relationship weren't part of the reason but that is just a guess at this point.

Etihad operates its own services to both ORD and JFK, and does indeed codeshare on AA from both of these airports (it's true that there are far more codeshares available on AA form ORD than from JFK, according to the EY website (http://cms.etihadairways.com/sites/Etihad/us/en/planatrip/Pages/partnerairlines.aspx)) so I don't think AA codeshares are the reason ORD isn't covered when it seemingly was not a problem for JFK...

But then again, Dublin is one of the destinations listed as an AA codeshare from Chicago, so perhaps that is the reason...

AER LINGUS and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways have drawn up a list of 50 areas in which they might be able to co-operate and achieve cost savings to supplement the code sharing deal they announced on Monday.

“Over and above what’s happening on the code-sharing side, we’re looking a bit deeper into potential cost synergies with Etihad, in the area of simulator crew training, IT costs and such like,” Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller told The Irish Times yesterday.

“We have a list of up to 50 items where we can explore more synergies over and above the revenue.”

Read more: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0801/1224321233657.html

Interesting to see a full page Etihad ad in today's Irish Times announcing the partnership. It does mention mileage accrual for EY FF members on EI/EY codeshare services but nothing about EI GC earning on EY.

Just wondering if EI might be adopting a new currency, in light of yesterday's email requesting a market research call?

/crosses fingers/



Market Research Invitation

Dear GoldCircle,

As a valued Aer Lingus customer your comments and feedback are always greatly appreciated and are included in our ongoing reviews of our products and services.

Aer Lingus has commissioned Millward Brown, an independent market research company, to undertake customer research on our behalf.

Over the next couple of weeks you may receive a call from Millward Brown inviting you to participate in our market research programme. We would be most grateful for your participation.

If you would prefer not to be included in our research programme please let us knows by responding to this email or by emailing goldcircle@aerlingus.com


John Kavanagh
Loyalty Marketing Manager

Just wondering if EI might be adopting a new currency, in light of yesterday's email requesting a market research call?

/crosses fingers/

If they get one of us it'll make for an interesting conversation..... :D (I hope at least some FTs are included in the research)

Given a good number of us here will have matched BG*G for EI Elite, I'd say we account for a certain proportion of the tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny number of people who have made it to the lofty heights of the worlds least rewarding loyalty marketing programme.

Given a good number of us here will have matched BG*G for EI Elite, I'd say we account for a certain proportion of the tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny number of people who have made it to the lofty heights of the worlds least rewarding loyalty marketing programme.

BG? Well if you had star gold from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, you certainly belong to a brave tiny tiny elite :D

Biman Bangladesh Airlines

^ :D

Just wondering if EI might be adopting a new currency, in light of yesterday's email requesting a market research call?

/crosses fingers/

Or in light of the Etihad press release (linked to above):

Initially, members of the Etihad Guest loyalty program will be able to earn miles on Aer Lingus codeshare flights and further integration of frequent flyer programs is under discussion.

Wonder will EY request EI to reformat the J cabin for full flat seats?
There were rumors earlier that EI would do this (along with a Y+) in W12, however that seems less likely now as there was no mention of any cabin refurb in the recent report.

I understand the current seat is capable of going fully flat, all they need to do is increase the pitch.

Etihad Airways has said it would be interested in buying Ryanair's 30 per cent stake in Aer Lingus as the budget airline struggles to take over the Irish flag carrier.

Etihad, which already owns 3 per cent of Aer Lingus, would be "very happy to have that discussion," chief executive officer James Hogan said by phone from Brisbane, Australia today.



read more at the link above

Ahmad concludes: “To throw the cat amongst the pigeons - there's absolutely nothing ruling out a counter-bid by Qatar Airways. After all, it too is growing and on the hunt for strategic buys, although its not evident whether Aer Lingus is one of the candidates on its immediate radar. But for Etihad, their chase of Aer Lingus seems to have gone up a gear."

There's an interesting piece entitled "Resolute Ryanair" at the very bottom of this page (http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c535dd38-e783-11e1-8686-00144feab49a.html#axzz23meqnfOy) on the FT (Financial Times) website about the possibility of Ryanair and Etihad discussing FR's stake. I won't copy it, as they expressly forbid that. But it does refer to MoL's "need to win" as being "practically a compulsive disorder".

It also makes the interesting point that, were Ryanair to succeed in its bid to take over EI, it would need to "shed a significant slice of Irish business to a big airline prepared to base a small fleet at Dublin, and forswear the aggressive pricing". I don't think that's quite the type of takeover that O'Leary had in mind.

There's an interesting piece entitled "Resolute Ryanair" at the very bottom of this page (http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c535dd38-e783-11e1-8686-00144feab49a.html#axzz23meqnfOy) on the FT (Financial Times) website about the possibility of Ryanair and Etihad discussing FR's stake. I won't copy it, as they expressly forbid that. But it does refer to MoL's "need to win" as being "practically a compulsive disorder".

It also makes the interesting point that, were Ryanair to succeed in its bid to take over EI, it would need to "shed a significant slice of Irish business to a big airline prepared to base a small fleet at Dublin, and forswear the aggressive pricing". I don't think that's quite the type of takeover that O'Leary had in mind.

Maybe James Hogan can sweeten the deal by bringing a couple of cans of kerosine :D

Apparently EY doesn't want to talk to FR (or at least not in public) Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-17/etihad-says-it-s-not-in-talks-to-buy-ryanair-stake-in-aer-lingus.html) reports:

Etihad Airways PJSC, the Abu Dhabi- based carrier, said it’s not holding discussions with Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYA) about buying the budget carrier’s 30 percent stake in Aer Lingus Group Plc.

“Etihad Airways is not in talks with Ryanair regarding its stake in Aer Lingus,” the airline said in an e-mailed statement today. “If approached by Ryanair we would be happy to have a discussion about the stake, and evaluate the opportunity as we would any other commercial proposition.”.......

Ryanair is holding discussions with the European Commission about pulling Aer Lingus from a series of routes from Dublin if it is permitted to take over the airline.

This would allow a number of major European airlines, including British Airways and Virgin, to operate from routes vacated in the airport.

(Read more at the link above)

Virgin? They have no short-haul capability, do they? And it would be unlikely that they would be allowed in (or even want to!) operate long-hauls from DUB - I doubt FR would cut any of the EI transatlantics).

They also seem not to have noticed that BA is already ramping up its DUB-LHR services in the winter timetable, doubling them to 8 daily.

Apparently EY doesn't want to talk to FR (or at least not in public) Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-17/etihad-says-it-s-not-in-talks-to-buy-ryanair-stake-in-aer-lingus.html) reports:

I think those talks can only kick off once the proposed tie-up is knocked back by the EC. Ryanair does appear to be serious in wanting to take over the airline. If they are blocked, then they may decide that rather than holding on to the stake, they can sell it to a very keen buyer.

It had occurred to me that Aer Lingus would have to shed routes if bought by Ryanair. Either way, it looks like there will be significant changes at DUB. Interesting times.

Etihad flights can now be booked on aerlingus.com

http://www.aerlingus.com/media/aerlinguscom/content/images/promoimages/exie/ey_banner.jpg

http://www.aerlingus.com/travelinformation/planandbook/etihadcodeshare/

The dynamic route map shows only AUH/Bahrain/Muscat/Kuala Lumpur/Sydney/Melbourne, though.

http://www.aerlingus.com/media/aerlinguscom/content/images/help/etihad_codeshare_map.jpg

Etihad flights can now be booked on aerlingus.com

http://www.aerlingus.com/media/aerlinguscom/content/images/promoimages/exie/ey_banner.jpg

http://www.aerlingus.com/travelinformation/planandbook/etihadcodeshare/

The dynamic route map shows only AUH/Bahrain/Muscat/Kuala Lumpur/Sydney/Melbourne, though.

http://www.aerlingus.com/media/aerlinguscom/content/images/help/etihad_codeshare_map.jpg

No mention of Etihad in the Gold Circle section though. :confused:

They have a new helpdesk number specifically for Etihad booking enquries - ( 01) 886 8989.

Perhaps one of us should ring up and ask about reciprocal frequent flyer recognition.

I'm guessing it's just oversight on their part. Given that there are so few routes on sale (so far - it seems more will be added) surely Etihad would extend lounge access etc. to GC holders that venture onto EY flights bearing an EI code?

What about miles accrual as an Etihad Guest member, if I fly on an EY flight bearing an EI code?

Today's Irish Times: (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2013/0124/1224329224794.html)

About 4,000 passengers have used the code-sharing agreement between Etihad Airways and Aer Lingus in the first four months of its operation, according to figures supplied by the UAE carrier to The Irish Times.....

I was going to say that figure sounds quite small, but then again, the number of destinations available is still quite small, too!

However, assuming no variations in the number of seats available due to seasonality, and working from the figure of 215k DUB-AUH passengers carried in 2012, that would work out at about 5.5% of Etihad's passengers in the first 4 months travelling on the codeshare. Not bad!

Rumors over on a.net that EI may get some 330's next year from EY to cover expansion while waiting for the A350. Apparently YYZ and SFO are on the list for future expansion.

Do you mean EI may return to YVR and SFO?

I'm doubtful of that.

Can't see a Vancouver market myself; San Fran is certainly more likely, but didn't EI get it's fingers burnt on the yields equation last time round?

But we have a thread for that discussion: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/aer-lingus-gold-circle-club/1247921-aer-lingus-may-restart-flights-us-west-coast.html

Let's try and keep this thread for Ethiad.

Sunday Interview: Ethiad CEO James Hogan
The chief executive of Etihad, James Hogan, tells James Quinn how he has transformed the airline’s fortunes, what he thinks about Heathrow and why he’s interested in an Aer Lingus stake.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/9919567/Sunday-Interview-Ethiad-CEO-James-Hogan.html

And from the same paper:

Etihad’s Irish plan
The chief executive of Etihad had given the strongest signal to date that he intends to raise the Abu Dhabi airline’s stake in Aer Lingus once Ryanair’s third bid for the Irish airline has lapsed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/9919835/Etihads-Irish-plan.html

Etihad Airways president and CEO James Hogan said the airline is not planning further expansion of its investments in Europe, and will instead focus on further developing its existing partnerships there (WSJ Germany, 03-Jun-2013 (http://www.wallstreetjournal.de/article/SB10001424127887324063304578522790846208284.html)) . Mr Hogan said the airline is currently concentrating on expansion outside Europe, particularly in India.