It was just last week that we reported on potential strike action at Irish budget airline Aer Lingus – and now the company has bounced back with some encouraging sales figures.
The company has reported that its passenger numbers in May actually increased compared to the same month in the previous year – however, last year’s numbers were affected by the disruption caused by volcanic ash and the number of passenger seats filled has dropped significantly.
Bleak outlook
During May 2011, the airline carried 911,000 passengers – that’s up four per cent compared to the previous year – and its short-haul numbers actually increased by 4.4 per cent, while its long haul figures were flat.
However, what is more worrying is that the percentage of seats filled dropped by 4.7 points to 74.6 per cent – and that’s despite last year’s ash hit period - the short-haul load factor actually dropped by 4.9 points to 75.1 per cent; while the long haul figure fell 4.3 points to 73.6 per cent.
Over the first five months of 2011, total Aer Lingus passengers are down 2.7 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Passenger call
In a bid to get passengers back on the airline, Aer Lingus has issued a number of deals which could help you save money on your flight including significant costs savings on flights from Dublin to Britain; and other flight deals, which expires on July 30.
These aren’t the only flight related promo codes to capitalise on, however, with the likes of eBookers and Easy Click Travel also offering active deals on the site. So check the listings before you book.
