Aer Lingus totters along

AER LINGUS, no longer a member of oneworld, continues with big problems after the Irish flag carrier warned that operating losses quadrupled last year due to a collapse in fares topping €81m from a previous €20m.  Short haul fares were down by about 12% on 2008 while long haul revenue fell by 15.9%.  Passenger numbers went up by 3.8% to 10.4m.  The airline plans to cut 800 jobs, about one in five of its workforce, as part of a €97m restructuring programme.  The proposals have been accepted by the pilots’ unions, management and maintenance staff but rejected by over 1,000 cabin crew.  Ryanair, which is a 30% equity holder, says it is not interested in buying the carrier which is also 25% owned by the Irish government. www.aerlingus.com

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