AER LINGUS yesterday announced a transatlantic partnership with United Airlines that will see the pair operate a daily service from Washington to Madrid from the Spring of 2010.
Aer Lingus said the two airlines have agreed to launch two other transatlantic routes in 2011 and, if they prove successful, will set up a joint venture to run a network of flights from the United States to Europe.
Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion described the deal as a “ground-breaking agreement” and a natural follow-on to their existing code-sharing arrangement on flights to Ireland.
He said the Irish airline would operate the service and will provide all pilots and cabin crew, who will be recruited in the United States. He declined to say how many passengers would be carried on the service but said it was expected to deliver a “marginal level of profitability” in its first year of operation. “Profits will grow from there,” he added.
Aer Lingus and United will share any profits or losses as they occur, he said. Up to three Airbus aircraft will be used when the three routes are launched. These form part of Aer Lingus’s deal for new aircraft with the manufacturer.
Aer Lingus said Madrid was chosen because it was “top of the list” for United in terms of European cities it does not already serve. Spain’s Iberia is the only airline currently operating on the route.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey welcomed Aer Lingus’s announcement. “I would like to see Aer Lingus looking to develop more of these strategic alliances,” he said. “I think they need to look east as well as west. There’s a huge market in the Far East.”
But Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary was critical of the alliance with United, citing the multi-billion dollar losses that the American airline announced this week coupled with 1,000 job losses.
“If you went around the world to find a weaker partner you couldn’t have found a better airline,” he said. “United mightn’t be around in 2010 . . . it’s a joke.”
Mr Mannion dismissed any criticism of United as a partner. “We have chosen our partner very carefully . . . United is a terrific operator.”
