Sir, - Nobody likes change, but change is inevitable in all spheres of life, It is quite obvious that a large vociferous number of Aer Lingus staff object to any changes in the organisation to make it slimmer and fitter to meet the fast developing competitive environment in which it is forced to live.
Unfortunately, Aer Lingus has cost the taxpayer dearly through subsidies, and also the business community through high fares, because it had a monopoly for so many years. The monopoly helped to protect inefficiency and gross overstaffing. Despite the re-organisation in recent years, productivity still lags far behind British Airways, KLM of SAS, and is down practically to the same level as TAP etc.
There are only two options open to Aer Lingus, One is to control costs by reducing staff and also possibly salaries, and the other is higher productivity. For the future, Aer Lingus will not be able to stand alone. It will have to enter into partnership with some major airline. At present it has a completely unbalanced route system with few long haul destinations, which are the most profitable for airlines. The blame for this must be laid at the feet of previous management, which over the years could only develop route networks westward, not eastward. They also failed to realise the potential of Dublin as a hub for long haul flights from the British midlands and Scotland. The result of this is inefficient use of aircraft. Aircraft only make money when they are in the air, not when on the ground, and Aer Lingus is barely using its long haul aircraft for 12 hours a day.
The tide is going out, and big decisions will have to be made quickly if the airline is to survive. Perhaps there is no future for it, since it has the millstone of TEAM around its neck. I think that privatisation in one form or another would make it more slim and cost effective, like Ryanair. It is in everybody's interest that Aer Lingus should survive, but if it is to, it will need swift and painful action, and realisation by all involved that the situation is serious, and not likely to improve over time. - Yours, etc.,
Thomas McDonogh,
St Paul's Road, Galway.