Aer Lingus leaves as JAL, RJ, and Malev join
 

http://www.oneworld.com/ow/news/details?objectID=8613

Aer Lingus' last day in oneworld will be March 31. Oneworld hints that the three new members should be joining around the same time; let's see how close they are able to nail the date.

Upon exiting oneworld, Aer Lingus expects to maintain links with many of the current alliance members. I think it's safe to assume that they will maintain codeshare and FFP agreements with most of the existing partners. All of the technology links are already in place so the cost to maintain is minimal. Aer Lingus may want to emulate RyanAir/easyJet's no connecting traffic model, but the reality is codeshare revenue is hard to say no to!

Does anyone know the reason for Aer Lingus leaving OW?

If you look at the airlines in OW all full service intercontinental carriers. And then EI LCC, there is just no reason for them to be there, this has been discussed in some detail already a search would probably reveal lots ;)

The specific reason for EI leaving OW is that JL joined and EI was required to spend millions of Euros to update its computer systems in order to be compatible with JL. EI expected about 10 pax/day extra due to JL joining, so basically EI would never recoup this investment or have any benefit from it. The LCC issue was decided several years earlier, when EI was allowed to remain in OW, so it was not the reason for leaving. After leaving OW, EI expects to have over 90% of their benefit from being part of OW by having bilateral agreements with AA and BA; so for EI it was an easy decision. Too bad that JL has computer systems that are so different from other airlines (this of course was one reason why JL did not want to join any alliance, and kept out for years).

What's the name of the system? Are JL the only ones with that system?

Having Sabre and Amadeus is bad enough, a third in the mix can only make matters worse. :(

IIRC, they've been using "Soroban".

Seems FR have upped their stake in EI and sweatened their offer to EI's other shareholders.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5412002.stm

No sweetening yet, it was 2.80 initially and is still 2.80 ... an interesting sidelight is that the originally proposed price for the IPO was 2.80 but was reduced a few weeks before the offering to 2.20 "due to market conditions" ... obviously FR thought 2.80 was the right price and worth buying. Somehow I think none of these developments is a surprise to the principals involved.

The announcement is "The date for Aer Lingus' withdrawal from oneworld has been confirmed as 1 April 2007 - at around the same time as the alliance's three new recruits join in the biggest expansion in its history." That makes sense, with the new schedules becoming effective then, no?

I think JL will bring great value to ow for a number of us, Malév and RJ a bit less - but it's nice to see the alliance growing.

(TR35R, "Soroban?" ROFL!)

MA has announced a 50% long-haul fleet expansion next year, to capitalize on their OW membership (from 2x762 to 3x762). I guess BA wasn't worried enough about MA to blackball them, like they did LX.

JL isn't quite the power it was a few years ago, but it is roughly 18% increase in the OW fleet capacity, aside from the route network. So quite significant for the alliance, and with the potential for AA to wipe out the UA and NW hubs at NRT if it wanted to fight that fight (somehow I don't expect US-NRT fare wars, but one can hope).

The Sunday Business Post Online
 

I thought all oneworlder's may be interested in this article from the Irish Sunday Business Post. This seems to be in stark contrast with the progressive withdrawal of services over the last 2 years or so (i.e. the withdrawal of lounge use in Dublin if you are a non status business class passenger).

Aer Lingus aims for deals with Oneworld airlines

26 November 2006 By David Clerkin

Aer Lingus is in talks with other airlines in the Oneworld Alliance to allow its passengers to access their airport lounges and continue to earn frequent-flyer miles on their services after the airline quits the alliance next year.

Aer Lingus is in talks with other airlines in the Oneworld Alliance to allow its passengers to access their airport lounges and continue to earn frequent-flyer miles on their services after the airline quits the alliance next year.

The airline will leave the alliance at the end of March as part of a plan to streamline costs. But it has started negotiations with American Airlines, Qantas and Cathay Pacific, to strike bilateral deals that will ensure mutual recognition of frequent flyer points with effect from April.

Aer Lingus passengers will be eligible to collect points for their Aer Lingus account when they travel on the other airlines’ services and will also be able to use Aer Lingus points to qualify for free flights or upgrades on services operated by the three airlines.

The deal with American Airlines will also allow Aer Lingus passengers to access the airline’s lounges at US airports, although there are no plans to strike similar deals with Qantas or Cathay Pacific.

Aer Lingus also said it hoped to strike a similar deal with British Airways ‘‘in the near future’’. Agreements with other Oneworld members, which include Finnair, Spanish carrier Iberia and Chilean operator LAN, have yet to be put in place, however.

Passengers will also be able to carry forward frequent flyer miles from their existing accounts for use under the new arrangements. But flights with the Oneworld airlines that do not sign a bilateral deal with Aer Lingus can only be booked before the end of March.

While the bilateral agreements will be of some benefit it shouldn't be construed as anything approaching an about-turn in EIs philosophy. Milage earning will be as limited (if not more so) than it was while in OW and I believe the Dublin lounge will be closing completly in the next few months (Transatlantic Premier and other obligations will be met by an agreement with the Anna Livia lounge).

I wonder if the part about using miles to upgrade on CX, AA and QF flights is true ... it wasn't allowed when EI was in OW, so it would be better benefits than during OW membership. An interesting twist, if true (leave OW, and get better terms).

Is the exact date for MA joining the alliance known yet?

No announcement for the dates of MA, RJ or JL joining. MA has been ready to join for months. Presmably it will be April 1, 2007.