IRISHFLYER1

I would love to earn BA tier points on Aer Lingus flights

AHC96

You can earn BA tier points on EI flights, cheapest ticket will get you 5 tier points. I want EI to join OneWorld so we can enjoy our OW status on EI flights. If they did, I would definitely fly them more often.

ROKNA

Just to be clear tickets sold by BA on a BA code on EI metal have earned tier points in BAEC for as long as I can remember, nothing to do with IAG

Any Oneworld membership will happen AFTER the US DoT/JV approval happens and it may only amount to recognition of BA/IB/AA/EI/AY status on JV flights

IRISHFLYER1

Yes, but you don't get Aer Lingus as an Option, for instance. I am supposed to fly to Chicago in January. DUB-ORD direct with Aer Lingus is not given as an option on BA.COM

Mostly DUB-LHR-ORD or before Covid even DUB-PHL-ORD with AA.

Yet to get direct as an option and I fly to states 3/4 times a year

alancostello

Even if they don’t join OneWorld there will be some element of reciprocal benefits once they join the AA/BA/IB/AY transatlantic joint venture. Pre-COVID I believe this was aimed to be completed by the end of 2020 but who knows when/if it’ll happen now. Probably yes in the long term but that may be another year or two away.

ECR

Unfortunately though you don't earn any BA tier points if it is booked under an EI code. You can only earn them if it is booked under a BA flight code as a codeshare. Not all Aer Lingus flights are available to book as a BA codeshare, and those that are are usually more expensive.

For what it is worth, I don't think Aer Lingus have any intention of ever rejoining oneworld, however, I would be delighted to be proved wrong.

fly747first

What makes you believe that? Just curious because joining OW could help EI now under a critical Covid period.

mike turnbull

Why wouldn't they join ?

ROKNA

IT integration costs are a huge problem to meet the OW requirements

EI's existing IT does work with BA/IB/AA/AY already to some degree, so etickets/interlining/connections/boarding cards etc work

ECR

I sadly believe they have no intention of rejoining oneworld and the following are my reasons for believing this:-

1. It is over 5 years since Aer Lingus were taken over by IAG in 2015, and yet there seems to have been zero progress to joining Oneworld. Other airlines have joined in a much shorter period, and indeed Royal Air Maroc have joined during that time.
2. My guess is that suggestions of joining oneworld when IAG were wanting to take over Aer Lingus were just spin to help encourage the Irish Government who were a major shareholder of the advantages of selling to IAG so it could become part of a global group opening Ireland up to a much wider world. Although who knows for sure, maybe there was a genuine aspiration to join Oneworld at that time.
3. Their Chief Executive stated in 2017 "We have no plans to join Oneworld. We still have to do the business case for joining Oneworld" (source: Independant.ie)
4. They have weakened ties with other Oneworld members rather than strengthen them since being taken over by IAG. You used to be able to earn points in the Qantas Frequent Flyer loyalty scheme on EI coded flights, but that was ended in 2019 (source: Executive Traveller).
5. There has been no attempt to even integrate within IAG. For example a BA Executive Club status holder does not even get priority boarding on a EI flight, even if it was booked as BA codeshare, even though this is something very simple which would require no IT integration, just the showing of a BA Exec Club card. (They do get lounge access on London flights, but that arrangement existed pre-IAG).
6. There doesn't appear to have even been any attempt to link within IAG even where the IT systems obviously can communicate with each other. For example a flight on an EI code can earn avios in BA Exec Club, but Tier Points earned are zero. It is impossible to believe that the IT couldn't easily be set to earn 5 Tier Points rather than 0 if they wanted to.
7. IAG has been more focused on low cost carriers - i.e. launching LEVEL which is not a Oneworld member.
8. Oneworld Connect was launched which only required limited benefits and integration with a few members, two of which are IAG owned in British Airways and Iberia, Even though Aer Lingus would seem to be a prime candidate to join something like this as a initial member there has been no announcement. As previous full Oneworld members, I would assume their IT systems must be good enough to still integrate with at least a few on those initial members, and indeed you can credit EI coded flights to earn points in British Airways, Cathay Pacific, future member Alaska (source: wheretocredit) and until last year Qantas.
9. If IT was an issue and they really wanted to join I'm sure they could easily adopt British Airways or Iberia IT systems with Aer Lingus branding, although this is obviously not without some cost.
10. Only some, not all Aer Lingus, flights are available as codeshares with IAG, e.g. sold as a standalone flight under a BA code. Those that are are usually much more expensive. If they wanted to move closer to being in Oneworld I would have thought making all the Aer Lingus flights bookable under BA or IB codes on the respective websites might be an easy way to make a start to integrating them more. It also might test demand for Oneworld memebership to see how many people choose to book under a Oneworld flight code (BA or IB) rather than an EI one.

Like I have said the above is only my personal opinion, and others may differ. I as much as anyone would really love Aer Lingus to rejoin Oneworld and can think of lots of reasons why they should, but unfortunately just because I really want it to happen doesn't mean it will.

I would be very very happy to be wrong as there are a few routes that Aer Lingus serve that I regularly fly. I would almost certainly choose them if the flights counted towards earning status within a Oneworld frequent flyer scheme. As they currently don't, price and schedule is the only factor, therefore I am much more likely to fly Ryanair or Easyjet than Aer Lingus on the routes on which they compete.

From what I recall (my recollection may be wrong though) it was the outgoing IAG boss (Willie Walsh) who was in charge of Aer Lingus when they left Oneworld. IAG have a new person in charge and perhaps they might have different ideas, or perhaps not. As yet who knows.

ROKNA

EI has been getting along fine without OW.

It was the most profitable airline in the group based on the return on investment. So why spend millions on new IT if business is doing well and ahead of its peers? Load factors were industry leading on the North Atlantic.

So lets imagine EI tomorrow joins OW

• EI dumps Astral and move to somewhat crash/bug prone BA Fly system (expensive and complex)
• Standard OW benefits are introduced, free advance seat selection, free checked bag, priority baggage etc (significant loss of revenue based on EI’s current business model)
• Increase in lounge costs as EI members have access to OW network (EI has heavily cut back here in recent years)

If the plane are already full and profits are good, why risk it?

I would benefit hugely if EI joined OW, but `i don’t see it happening

COVID changes some of this, but some of the basics remain to retain the status quo however frustrating it might be

irishguy28

Huge costs; no benefits.

Which is the reason they left in the first place!

BrianDromey

Its true, people who already fly with EI find the network suits them and EI might find they have increased billings for 3rd party lounge access, membership costs, etc if they were members. I believe the AA/BA/IB/AY JV requires all airlines to be one world members, I that might force their hand. I think the US DOJ paperwork includes a reference to this. I don't know if this could be changed or if one world connect membership would count.

The collapse in transatlantic traffic probably changes the commercials on the JV and membership, but on the other hand the possibility of operating flights from UK regional airports might play in favour of membership as it would reduce the risk for EI.

irishguy28

I used to think this too - that the members of a JV had to be alliance members - and maybe this was true in the past.

And when IAG announced that they wanted EI in their TATL JV with AA, BA, IB, AY, I thought that was the clincher - EI will *have* to join oneworld as a prerequisite.

But it's certainly not true anymore. Delta, AFKL and Virgin Atlantic got approval to form a new immunised TATL JV. Notably, Virgin Atlantic is not (and most likely never will be) a Skyteam member.

mccartje

Point 1: Why would EI have to move to BA's system? I know then integration would be straight forward if they did but surely there could be a mechanism to integrate using their current system. You seem to be knowledgeable about these systems so I'm genuinely curious about this point.

Point 2: I think this is a key sticking point for EI. But BA have shown us that there are ways around this. BA does not offer priority baggage at all (even EI does this on TATL business). BA's hand baggage only fares do not include extra bags for status holders. Sounds like EI could easily fit their standard saver fares into this class as plus, flex, aerspace already offer baggage so then giving it as 'free' to status holders is handy, ok maybe they would need to offer an 'extra' check in bag on these higher fare classes but I doubt that would cause too much of a strain as people unlikely to take advantage of that too much I would feel (could be wrong). Free seat selection is the biggest issue here as its common across all of them. Unless EI can negotiate an exception for saver fares maybe as a connect partner but hard to see them avoiding that hit.

Point 3: Yes again this is a good point, Would the extra costs be offset somewhat by EI leveraging BA's presence in most airports and canceling 3rd party lounge operator contracts, surely from an IAG perspective this would be cost neutral. Lounge capacity on common BA routes would obviously be an issue in some cases however so some inter IAG disagreements may arise.