Aer Lingus Plan to Save €74m

Controversy and Aer Lingus are never too far apart, particularly when it comes to cost saving practices and Unions. Aer Lingus have just announced plans to axe 1,500 jobs and plans to save €74 million annually. Details on the savings were not presented at the time of the announcement, but it is believed the company wants to shave €74million off current costs.

“[The cost reduction plan was]… a matter of urgency to deliver the substantial savings which are necessary to ensure the company’s long-term viability as an independent airline.” – Aer Lingus Board

Among the plans, Aer Lingus is set to outsource all ground staff at Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports. Ground staffs include baggage handlers and catering staff and the move would see Aer Lingus virtually no longer directly employing ground staff in Ireland. Aer Lingus is also planning to outsource check-in staff, loaders and staff working in the cargo terminal. With regard to cabin crew, Aer Lingus proposes to close down its bases in Shannon Airport and London Heathrow Airport and in 2009 services to Boston, New York and San Francisco would be operated by cabin crew recruited in the US under revised terms and conditions. For staff remaining at Aer Lingus, a pay freeze would be introduced until the end of 2009 and new performance based contracts would be introduced.

“These proposed job losses… will effectively reduce Aer Lingus to a shell of its former self. Why should the people of the Midwest and indeed the whole western sea board have any confidence or loyalty in Aer Lingus when the company wants to shed its entire workforce who have for decades given loyal server to Aer Lingus” – Jan O’Sullivan – Limerick East Labour TD

Representatives from SIPTU, the biggest trade union within Aer Lingus met management on Wednesday (2nd October 2008) under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission and told the company they will oppose outsourcing of any part of the application. Taoiseach Brian Cowen said recently he hoped the industrial relations process would provide a forum to enable management and staff representatives discuss the issues and come up with solutions.

“The company also reiterated its intention to implement significant cost reductions across all of its operations. Following the board meeting, meetings will be arranged early next week at which the company will outline the specifics regarding their cost cutting proposals.” – SIPTU

It is widely understood that Aer Lingus informed SIPTU and the craft unions that it was forecasting a substantial loss during 2009 and that the forecasted revenue streams for Aer Lingus had deteriorated badly in recent months. Stockbrokers believe that Aer Lingus could lose up to €40million this year and up to €90 million during 2009.

“The board has agreed the need for this fundamental change in the cost base to ensure that the company remains competitive and is appropriately positioned to take advantage of future growth opportunities.” – Aer Lingus

Gerry McCormack, National Industrial Secretary for SIPTU said the union will wait for further details on the cost cutting proposals, but the union will not accept mass layoffs by Aer Lingus.

It has now emerged that SIPTU sill analyse legislation introduced after the Irish Ferries controversy in their fight against layoffs at Aer Lingus. The legislation (Protection of Employment) came into force last year and allows an independent panel to consider whether redundancies as opposed to situations where existing workers are replace by lower paid staff. If this is found to be the case, the issue can be referred to the Labour Court. If the Labour Court finds that an exceptional collective redundancy situation exists but employees are dismissed in any event, it is open to the workers to claim unfair dismissal and possibly receive compensation of up to five years’ pay.

Under the legislation, a Union has to be in dispute with a company before it can seek to refer a case to the independent panel which would explain the decision by the union to ballot members immediately for all-out industrial action.

“The country is in recession and unemployment is rising. To export jobs during a recession is unacceptable, and we will fight any attempts to do that. That fight begins by talking with management.” – Christina Carney, Impact Union

Whatever the developments over the next two months, Aer Lingus is no stranger to strike actions and standing up to unions in recent times. Any proposed strike action will have devastating effects on the tourism economy in Ireland during this recession with hotels and car rentals at Dublin Airport service providers

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Malone Car Rental Ireland – Site Review

Malone Car Rental is one of the largest independent car rental companies operating in the Irish Car Rental market and has locations in Dublin City Centre, Dublin Airport, Cork City, Cork Airport and Shannon Airport. Malone Car Rental Ireland has a wide range of vehicles that cater for all needs, from the cheap to the luxurious and everything in between.

“Malone car hire has a long tradition for providing an excellent service at a discount price.”

There is a lot of information on the site about pick up locations, opening hours and contact details which makes the site in general easy to use. Information about further services offered by Malone Car Rental is also given, including corporate hire, van rental and GPS hire.

There is a large information section about traveling in Ireland which provides information under the following headlines: Tourist Information, Towns and Cities and Information about Renting a Car in Ireland. There is no doubt that a lot of thought had been put into the provision of good quality information for those interested in traveling to Ireland.

One of the very nice aspects of the website is the fact that they provide customer feedback on the homepage. It is always reassuring to hear that people have received a good services from a company, and this no doubt helps towards their bookings.

“Pick-up staff at location were very helpful with giving us a bigger vehicle that we had reserved” – Dublin City Centre

All in all, the Malone Car Rental Ireland website provides good information about renting a car in Ireland. There is ample information on the vehicles themselves, and the processes involved in renting a car in Ireland.

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Flying in to Shannon: Arriving in the Shannon Airport

Ireland has three primary airports. These are located in Dublin, Cork and Shannon, and the Shannon Airport, or the or Aerfort na Sionna, the second busiest airport of the three. In 2006 the Shannon Airport saw over three and a half million passengers travel through its gates. The largest operator through Shannon airport is Ryan Air, a budget airline that is responsible for over half of the passengers coming through Shannon airport. They will soon have five aircraft operating out of Shannon airport covering thirty one different routes— will you be on one of them?

The Shannon airport is a popular choice with many international travelers. The Shannon airport actually has something called US Border pre-clearance, which allows passengers traveling to the United States to have all necessary paperwork taken car of before they board their flight, which saves them a lot of time when they arrive in the United States. Dublin Airport also offers this same service, meaning that Ireland boasts the only two European airports that offer this service to their passengers. This is an especially popular choice for families with young children, since the last thing tired parents usually want to do after such a long flight is to contend with customs clearance and border services while juggling children!

The Shannon airport is well served by bus routes connecting to the city, and taxis also operate out of the Shannon airport. Visitors also have the option of hiring a rental car right in the terminal, saving them from having to do so on arrival in the city. If you choose to hire a car from the Shannon Airport, you will be able to load the whole family and luggage into your rental car and drive directly to your chosen accommodation to relax after your flight.

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Shannon Airport: Getting there and away

If you are visiting the West of Ireland, there is no better place to land than Shannon Airport. Situated in County Clare, between Ennis and Limerick City, it is an ideal starting point for a tour of the west coast of Ireland, or indeed, the whole country.

If you are traveling by car, the airport is easily accessible from both the north and the south. The N19 dual-carriageway which by-passes Shannon town has made it even more accessible.

Wherever you wish to go in Ireland, it will be a convenient drive from Shannon Airport. You can travel to Dublin on the N7 (approx 4 hours), Galway on the N18 (approx 2 hours), Limerick on the N18 (approx 15 minutes) or Cork on the N20 (approx 2 hours).

By far the best transport option for exploring Ireland is by car. On arrival in Shannon Airport, you will find a number of car hire options available to you. You can find an excellent range of vehicles available from Thrifty Car Rental Ireland which has an office at Shannon Airport. It has a range of vehicles at competitive prices. However, if you arriving at peak season you are advised to book ahead.

If you are driving, Shannon Airport offers both short-term and long-term car parking. Short-term parking, for anything less than a day, can cost between €1 and €15. Long-term car parking costs €8.50 per day or €42 per week.

If you choose not to rent a car for your stay, you can easily catch a bus to your destination of choice. Ireland’s national carrier Bus Eireann provides connections to and from all of Ireland’s major cities.

Meanwhile, there are also some private services on offer. Citylink runs between Galway City and Shannon Airport, while JJ Kavanagh & Sons provides services to Limerick and Dublin Airport.

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Exploring Limerick City

Limerick is often the first stopping point for the many visitors to Ireland that land at Shannon Airport, which is just a few kilometers away. In fact, it acts as something as a gateway for people who visit the south-west, the south-east or Dublin.

However, Limerick has a long and rich history and many interesting sights that are worth exploring in themselves. Limerick was settled by the Vikings in the 9th century, but it is likely people lived there before then.

With a current population of more than 50,000 it is Ireland’s fourth largest city after Dublin, Cork and Galway. While it has grown into a modern city, evidence of its long history can be seen all around.

St Mary’s Cathedral, built in 1168, and St John’s Castle, built in 1212, both date back to Norman times. The Hunt Museum is also a major attraction.

Limerick is also the setting for Frank McCourt’s world famous account of his childhood, Angela’s ashes. You can take an Angela’s ashes walking tour if you wish to see some of the locations described in the book.

Limerick has changed a lot since those times and the city center has received a major face lift in recent years. It is now a bustling place with plenty options for shoppers and a vibrant social scene.

Getting there is easy. If you land at Shannon Airport it is just 15 minutes drive by car. If you need to rent a car, check out Dollar car rentals at the arrivals hall at Shannon Airport. Dollar offers a good choice of vehicles at economical prices. You can arrange a car on arrival, but it is probably best to book ahead at Dollar Car hire Ireland.

Limerick also has bus links with all major cities and towns as well as a good rail service and a city bus network.

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