Boston-bound Aer Lingus plane forced to return to Dublin after crew fall ill

An Aer Lingus plane bound for Boston was forced to return to Dublin halfway across the Atlantic on Sunday when the cabin crew fell ill. Engineers are now inspecting the Airbus aircraft for fumes after the mid-air emergency. All 280 passengers on board will resume their journey to the US on Monday afternoon after they were housed in hotels overnight by Aer Lingus.

The Boston flight had been airborne for two hours and 15 minutes when the captain announced they would have to return to Dublin. The Irish Independent reports that the U-turn was forced on the pilot after seven of the eight crew members suddenly fell ill.

The report says passengers were informed that the aircraft would need to land to ensure the safety of the sick crew members. Emergency services and paramedics were on hand when the plane landed back in Dublin. Crew members were taken to hospital for observation but all were released on Sunday evening. Aer Lingus flight EI139 had departed Dublin for Boston at 4.23pm with 280 passengers on board.

An Aer Lingus spokesman said eight cabin crew members were on board at the time and all but one of them fell ill. The flight crew was unaffected prompting speculation that fumes in the galley areas may have caused the illness. The aircraft landed safely at 8.40pm. Aer Lingus has launched an investigation into the issue. A similar incident occurred last month, when a US Airways flight en route from Venice, Italy to Philadelphia was forced to divert to Ireland after the crew fell ill.

Read More

WestJet makes first scheduled transatlantic flight

WestJet marks a key milestone in its 18-year history tonight with the launch of its first scheduled transatlantic service between Toronto and Dublin, Ireland, with a brief stop in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The flight arrives in Dublin tomorrow at 7 a.m. local time.

“It’s very exciting to think that we are about to take our guests across the Atlantic Ocean for the very first time tonight,” said Gregg Saretsky, WestJet President and CEO.

“This represents a very significant strategic step in the growth of WestJet. As we’ve expanded our reach, grown our fleet and added new products to broaden our appeal to different travel segments, it’s always been a dream of many WestJetters to one day be able to fly our guests to Europe. Today, the dream comes true.”

Announced in November 2013, WestJet offered introductory fares between Toronto and Dublin starting from $199 including taxes, fees and surcharges on all flights in both directions from June 15 to October 5, 2014 – fares which sold out within the first 24 hours. Today, the service is heavily booked and well ahead of projections, recently prompting a three-week extension to October 25, 2014.

“The response on both sides of the Atlantic has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said Gregg Saretsky. “With one in five Newfoundlanders able to trace their ancestry to Ireland, there is a great deal of travel between the two coasts and we are very pleased to have made it more affordable for so many families and friends to be together this summer. This service is about bringing our low fares and remarkable, people-driven guest experience to new routes and new markets including, for the first time, Europe.”

Gregg Saretsky also paid tribute to the hard work and dedication responsible for this milestone. “This is also a very proud moment for all of us,” he said. 

“Over the past 18 years our WestJetters have worked tirelessly to care for our guests, for one another and for our company, and that’s what makes this day so special. Our people have powered this airline across North America , Mexico , the Caribbean and Central America . Today, they’ll bring us all the way to Europe.”

Alison Metcalfe , Executive Vice President, United States and Canada Tourism Ireland, said, “Tourism Ireland warmly welcomes the launch of WestJet’s service from Toronto, via St John’s, Newfoundland, to Dublin. The island of Ireland has a wealth of experiences for Canadians to enjoy on a relaxing vacation – from cities bustling with vibrant culture and rich history to spectacularly scenic coastlines and mountain regions. Canada is one of our top 10 markets and is a market that is set to develop further in the years ahead. We are working with WestJet to maximize the promotion of this welcome new service.” 

“We are delighted with the overwhelming success of this new service to Dublin that clearly demonstrates the significant demand that exists for travel between our province and Ireland ,” said Keith Collins , President and CEO, St. John’s International Airport Authority. “This improved accessibility between the two regions will strengthen both personal and business relations, and will expose new opportunities for trade on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Read More

Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport increase by 6%

Passenger numbers at Dublin airport increased by almost 6% to 20.2 million last year, the Dublin Airport Authority’s (DAA) financial results for 2013 have revealed. 

The increase comes as 70% of the airlines operating at Dublin experienced traffic growth. 

“Long-haul traffic was Dublin’s best performer last year, with transatlantic passenger numbers up 13% to a record 1.9 million and traffic to the Middle East also up  13%,” DAA chief executive Kevin Toland said.

Traffic at Cork declined by 3.5% to 2.3 million passengers last year, due to a consolidation in services to central Europe and weaker traffic routes to Britain. 

However, despite the increase in overall passenger numbers, core business profit at DAA decreased by 7% to €26m last year, due to the group’s overseas retail business ARI completing a planned exit from Russia and Ukraine. 

Last year, Dublin Airport’s transfer passengers increased by 36% to 548,000 and they have increased by a further 30% so far this year.  The DAA plans to grow transfer traffic to 2 million per year. 

Securing an equitable resolution to the issues facing the multi-employer IAS pension scheme, which includes employees from DAA, Aer Lingus and SRT, was also cited as a key priority for the company. 

“DAA is actively engaged with the Government appointed Expert Panel investigating the pension issue and we will continue to focus on this critical issue until a sustainable resolution is achieved,” said DAA Chairman Pádraig Ó Ríordáin.

The retirement fund has a deficit €780m which means members face reduced benefits. 

The accounts show CEO Kevin Toland was paid a total package of €387,739 last year, which included a basic salary of €250,000 and pension contributions and other taxable benefits of €137,739.

Read More