Aer Lingus to drop uncivilised Ryanair strategy
Ryanair, the World’s most hated airline, were yesterday branded “uncivilised” by Aer Lingus as it unveiled a plan to position itself midway between Ryanair, its no-frills rival, and high-end carriers such as British Airways.
Shares in the flag carrier initially rose as Christoph Mueller, its new chief executive, told investors in London of plans for a new business model that some analysts compared with that of Easyjet, Europe’s second-biggest low-cost airline.
While Aer Lingus hopes to lure business travellers with faster check-in times, pre-paid meals and central airports, rather than the secondary ones for which Ryanair is known, it will not focus on the quality lounges, free food and drinks associated with full-service airlines.
“You could say there’s a shift towards an EasyJet model,” said Joe Gill of Bloxham stockbrokers in Dublin, adding that investors seemed optimistic that the new strategy would start to deliver profits from 2011.
The airline’s “civilised” tag will be seen as a dig at Ryanair, which has twice tried to buy Aer Lingus and remains its biggest shareholder with a stake of 29 per cent. Mr Mueller said the size of this holding remained a deterrent to other airlines who might wish to take a stake in Aer Lingus.
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