Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus, the national airline of Ireland, was founded in 1936 and operated its first flight from Baldonnel Airfield in Dublin to Bristol in England with a capacity of only six passengers on a De Havilland 84 Dragon. Prior to WWII, in addition to its Dublin–Bristol route, Aer Lingus introduced services to Liverpool and a domestic service to Shannon Airport. With the end of WWII, the airline inaugurated the Dublin-London route and the first Irish flight attendants were employed.

The end of the 1940s and beginning of '50s saw the introduction of operations to Brussels, Amsterdam and Rome and in 1958 the first transatlantic flight from Shannon to New York. Throughout the 1960s and '70s the fleet was expanded, including the purchase of Boeing 747s for use on the transatlantic routes, which had now expanded to Boston.

The early 1990s brought some hard times for the airline with the introduction of highly competitive 'no-frills' airlines such as Ryanair. But the airline has fought back by increasing routes throughout Europe and cost cutting. In 2005 they announced the first scheduled flight to Asia, flying to Dubai International Airport.

Aer Lingus' destination list is as long as its history. In Europe alone the airline flies to 58 destinations in 22 countries and 7 airports in North America. The introduction of its Dublin-Dubai route has given it a place as one of the few European low-cost carrier services flying to Asia.

Aer Lingus now issues tickets through its efficient e-ticketing service, while its web check-in service cuts out the hassle of having to queue before boarding. Check-in for all flights closes 45 minutes prior to take off and with the latest touch screen technology, customers can check in quickly and efficiently. Seating is designated by the airline and in-flight meals are served at an added cost.

One of the biggest stories in Irish news for 2006 and 2007 was that of the Ryanair-launched takeover bid of 1.4 billion euros. The bid was immediately rejected by Ireland's national airline. However, Ryanair did not back down until June of 2007 when the European Commission blocked the bid on the grounds that the two airlines already had control of 80 per cent of European flights in and out of Dublin Airport, and the decision was to block a monopoly from forming.