Aertime

FEBRUARY 2015

YOUR STAFF MAGAZINE

THE PAPERLESS COCKPIT A reality at Aer Lingus

+ PENSION PRIORITIES

MAKING THE NEW DC SCHEME WORK FOR YOU

+THE SMARTER CHOICE REPOSITIONING THE AER LINGUS BRAND

NEW BUSINESS CLASS | CADET RECRUITS | VOLUNTEERS | GROUND OPS HEROES | ISPY | COMPETITION Aertime February 2015_V2.indd 1

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NEW CADET RECRUITS JET OFF TO JEREZ Following an application process that saw more than 3,000 applicants apply, a group of 12 recruits hailing from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Germany began their training in Jerez, Spain last month. The training includes five months of ground school followed by basic flying on single and multi-engine aircraft and aircraft simulators. The cadets will return to Dublin to complete further training including an airline transition course, further simulator training and safety training. Following successful completion the cadets will receive their wings and commence flying the airline’s fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. This is the third Aer Lingus pilot cadetship programme to commence since 2011. Together with the re-launch of our aircraft maintenance and engineering apprentice scheme in 2011 and the recently launched IT graduate programme, it forms part of our continuing commitment to develop talent from within.

WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE OUR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY GOAL Update from your Corporate Health and Safety Team

Consistent with our values, work-related risk prevention is one of our priorities. Over the last five years the occupational health and safety performance of the organisation has been improving year on year. Our aim is to continue this trend by developing a culture and a uniform safety management system throughout all departments. In 2015 one of the key objectives of the Occupational Health and Safety Team is to commence work on establishing a third party-accredited Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) within all departments. An OHSMS is a series of defined, organisationwide processes that provide for effective risk-based decision making related to our work activities. The implementation of the OHSMS will provide a consistent approach to occupational health and safety to prevent or minimise accidents and ill health. It will also contribute directly to the overall business success.

During 2015 the Aer Lingus Health and Safety Team will be working within each department to develop the framework for this system. The successful implementation is only possible with the collaborative efforts of all our teams working together to achieve this goal. Safety is a team effort; we all have roles and responsibilities therefore we all must play our part. All employees must demonstrate a positive approach to health and safety issues, have the courage to challenge unsafe behaviours and report any hazards identified in the workplace.

Only through honest, frank debate within our teams will we achieve continual improvement. By incorporating our Aer Lingus values into our day-to-day activities it will enable us to implement our OHSMS effectively and to work safely together.

If anyone has any comments or ideas, please contact any member of the Health and Safety Team as we actively seek feedback.

PICTURED: Christoph welcomed the 12 new cadets to Shamrock House

FAMILY ASSISTANCE VOLUNTEERS

Do you enjoy working as part of a team, possess good communication skills and have the ability to work under pressure?

If the answer is YES, then why not become part of the Aer Lingus Family Assistance Programme?

The Aer Lingus Family Assistance programme is a long-standing initiative organised by our Emergency Response team to ensure that we provide the highest levels of care to the families, friends and all persons directly affected in the event of an airline emergency response situation. Colleagues who volunteer for the programme will be provided with the training required to ensure that all those directly affected in an emergency response situation are treated with dignity and respect while providing practical support, care and timely information. If you are an existing volunteer or wish to get involved for the first time, simply return the application form available via the intranet and return it to er.familyassistance@aerlingus.com.

Applications are open to all Aer Lingus employees and no airline operations experience is required.

The closing date for applications is Friday March 6th 2015. * Please note: due to operational and business continuity reasons we may not be able to accept all applications. We will however make every effort to include as many applicants as possible.

If you would like further information, please contact: er.familyassistance@aerlingus.com or look out for one of the local information sessions that will be run locally at the end of February.

Do you have a story we could feature in Aertime? Then email us at: aertime@aerlingus.com

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Latest News Aertime

AER LINGUS INSURANCE LAUNCHES

As part of our strategy to develop innovative products that enhance our customers’ experience, our retail team recently updated the Aer Lingus online retail product offering with the launch of a new insurance product. Aer Lingus Insurance is provided in partnership with Blue Insurance, the leading supplier of travel insurance products in Ireland, and offers customers the ability to purchase insurance products that cover all of their travel needs including travel insurance, gadget insurance, pet insurance and wedding insurance. Aer Lingus Insurance is currently available to purchase on a dedicated microsite for Republic of Ireland residents only. Later this year, we will launch a similar site for UK residents.

Find out more at aerlingusinsurance.com

OUR HOTEL AND HOLIDAY PRODUCTS ARE CHANGING! Our retail team also welcomed ebookers.com as our new online hotel accommodation partner, offering our customers a new and improved hotel and holiday booking experience.

Ebookers and their technology partner P&P Associates have a proven track record as market champions with a wealth of experience in the online hotel and holiday markets.

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INDUSTRY NEWS ICELANDIC CARRIER WOW AIR TO OFFER 149 US FLIGHTS The low-cost airline will start flying from Dublin to Boston and Washington DC in October. The airline plans to offer one-way fares from as little as 149 including taxes, but flyers will have to endure a two-hour layover in Reykjavik. The airline will use narrow-body short-haul Airbus A320 aircraft to fly between Dublin and Iceland and onwards to the US, and also face the prospect of clearing US customs and immigration upon arrival in the United States.

RYANAIR WI-FI? Having aborted previous plans to offer WiFi, Ryanair has again announced plans to trial in-flight entertainment and possibly Wi-Fi on some flights this year. It is the airline's latest attempt to attract business flyers and families who were turned off in the past by its basic service. John Hurley, Chief Technology Officer, stated that at present, Ryanair’s thinking was not to charge passengers for the basic service with advertisers footing the bill instead.

Wi-Fi will be trialled later this year on certain routes popular with business travellers, a key focus for the airline.

APPLE PAY AND JETBLUE STRIKE FIRST AIRLINE DEAL

NEW BUSINESS CLASS SEATS

Two of our Airbus A330 Aircraft, EI-DUO (A330-200) and EI-EAV (A330-300), recently returned from Bordeaux complete with new Business Class seats ahead of the official launch of our new Business Class service later this year.

DID YOU KNOW...?

From October 25th, all Aer Lingus flights to Berlin will operate out of Berlin Tegel Airport. Berlin Tegel Airport is the main international airport of Berlin offering our customers a more convenient, business-friendly experience that is closer to the city centre.

Apple Pay is coming to select JetBlue Airways flights. Passengers with an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus can purchase food and onboard amenities without fishing out their credit cards, starting on transcontinental flights between New York’s JFK and SFO and LAX. More destinations will be added in March with all JetBlue flights scheduled to support Apple Pay by June. JetBlue is swapping out older payment terminals with iPad Minis equipped with Apple Pay-compatible NFC cases. The new iPad terminals also support plastic credit card payments. Later in the third quarter, JetBlue’s own mobile app will support Apple Pay as well. Apple Pay is supported by 750 banks and Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Launched in September, it already accounts for two out of every three dollars spent via contactless payments for the three major credit cards.

Do you have a story we could feature in Aertime? Then email us at: aertime@aerlingus.com

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Aertime Latest News

JANUARY PUNCTUALITY ON-TIME:

TARGET:

WITHIN 15 MINS:

TARGET:

64 67 84 88 %

PASSENGER NUMBERS:

LOAD FACTOR:

Total flown passenger numbers, including Aer Lingus Regional operations were

% 614,000

2.4%

an decrease of 5.7% compared to January 2015

TWITTER FAVOURITES Air Contractors @AirContractors @AerLingus Thanks to all passengers, crew and everyone involved in making it a great first year for the #Boeing757 fleet

Fiona Kirwan @fkirwan After four return transatlantic flights in as many months,really think the cabin crew are top class,professional and so friendly

Marissa Lopez @onesillygoose15 Completely forgot. Have to thank for great travel and their great crew on my flight to and from Dublin. They know how to do it!

Stephen_Carroll @Stephen_Carroll Thought wallet was gone....Flight and ground crew on EI173 searched and called me straight away - what service!!!! Thanks Team

SiQing Lin @Squidchin Late Sunday night flight to London arrived 10 minutes EARLY and luggage came in 5 minutes. I am officially a fan.

%

%

CURRENT SHARE PRICE: Total flown load factor in January 2015 was

68.9%

An increase of 2.4% compared to January 2014 (excludes Aer Lingus Regional)

listed on the Irish Stock Exchange was

0.55 SINCE LAST AERTIME

2.23 Up 0.55 from the previous edition of Aertime

*at time of print

5.7

%

FACEBOOK POST OF THE MONTH From Eoin O'Connor to Aer Lingus

Flew from Cork to Paris today with my wife and daughter. Wish i could name the crew but the captain in charge was Diarmuid Curtin. This was the first leg of my daughters "Make a Wish" trip. She suffers from a rare cardiac condition and this trip is a huge deal for all of us as a family. Now I have l always loved to fly Aer Lingus but today was unreal. The crew were very polite but when they heard about her trip they bent over backwards for our 3 year old. They kept checking on her all the way through the flight and asking her if all was ok and they made her feel so special. When we landed the captain gave her a few minutes of his time to chat and took a picture with her. He obviously had lots to do but never showed any rush and smiled for her all the time until we were happy.

I have lost count the amount of Aer Lingus flights I have been on and while I can honestly say I could not complain about any of these (which is a credit to ye) I was privileged to fly on that 11.10am ORK to CDG today.

Thanks Guys.

Do you have a story we could feature in Aertime? Then email us at: aertime@aerlingus.com

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Latest News Aertime

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GROUND OPS HEROES

PICTURED: From left: Fergus Wilson, Chief Operating Officer; Pat Hassett, Laura Sweeney, Helen Barrett and Kieran Hanrahan.

The second annual Ground Operations Gala Dinner was held in December to celebrate and recognise some of the exceptional achievements displayed by our colleagues in Ground Operations. The night culminated in the 2014 Ground Operations Heroes Awards, the recognition awards programme that seeks to recognise achievements of our Ground Ops colleagues in Dublin, Shannon and Cork. Winners from each of the quarterly Ground Operations Heroes awards ceremonies and their colleagues or managers who nominated them were joined on the night by Chief Operating Officer Fergus Wilson to recognise the overall award winners for 2014. The evening was jointly hosted by Dublin Station Manager Mike Esam and Cork and Shannon Station Manager Alan Long, and was a great opportunity for Ground Operations colleagues from around Ireland to meet and see the great work that is being done across Ground Operations.

THE ANNUAL GREAT CARE AWARD

THE BRIGHT SPARK AWARD

...and the winner was: Pat Hassett.

...and the winner was: Laura Sweeney.

PICTURED: Mike Esam and Pat Hassett.

Pat's home was damaged by high winds resulting in serious damage to the roof of his house. He drove his wife and son to a relative’s house and reported for duty on time, staying with the operation until he had dispatched the diverted flights from the previous day and planned the remaining operation.

PICTURED: Mike Esam and Laura Sweeney

While on secondment to the acting compliance officer role, Laura comprehensively reviewed the Dublin Airport Operations Manual and ensured it referenced perfectly with the overall Ground Operations Manual. Her diligence has ensured the Dublin Station responsibilities to quality management have been met.

THE HEARTS AND MINDS AWARD

THE SAFETY FIRST AWARD

...and the winner was: Helen Barrett.

...and the winner was: Kieran Hanrahan.

PICTURED: Mike Esam and Helen Barrett.

A young boy travelling with his family to New York became extremely distressed after boarding due to a fear of flying. Helen did all that was possible to calm the boy down and the family were able to get the next flight to New York that day.

PICTURED: Marguerite Coote and Kieran Hanrahan

Kieran was on head-set duty on October 22nd when on his pre-departure walkaround he noticed an oil leak from one of the aircraft engines. Customers were de-planed while the aircraft was repaired.

Do you have a story we could feature in Aertime? Then email us at: aertime@aerlingus.com’

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Aertime Feature

MAKING YOUR

DC PENSION SCHEME WORK FOR YOU

SAVING FOR RETIREMENT MAY NOT RANK TOP OF YOUR SPENDING PLANS – PARTICULARLY IF RETIREMENT SEEMS A LONG WAY OFF. DIRECTOR OF HR OPERATIONS BRIAN BOWDEN EXPLAINS HOW MEMBERS OF THE AER LINGUS DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PENSION SCHEME CAN MAKE THE SCHEME WORK FOR THEM.

T

he recent focus on pensions has highlighted the question of how we manage our income in retirement.

The DC scheme now in place provides a different structure and different options for how this can be done.

“The Aer Lingus DC Pension Scheme is designed to help members structure how they build up benefits for them, and their families, for when they retire,” explains Brian Bowden, Director of HR Operations. “The DC Pension Scheme puts individuals in control: colleagues choose how much they wish to contribute to their own individual

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account, and if they wish, where their own contributions are invested.”

Brian, as Director of HR Operations, has extensive pensions experience.

“The majority of pension schemes in Ireland today are defined contribution pension schemes. What this means is that the amount paid in (the contributions) are known or defined.

The benefit you receive at retirement will reflect the value of the pension fund that you have built up during your working years. This will depend on the amount you and Aer Lingus have

contributed to the plan and the investment performance of your individual fund, minus any charges applied to the plan.”

TAKING CONTROL Following approval by the Irish Pensions Authority on December 23rd 2014, contributions to the IASS Pension Scheme were frozen on December 31st 2014 and the new DC scheme for members of staff who were in the IASS commenced on January 1st 2015. “The pension scheme changes that occurred on January 1st 2015 affect all non-pilot employees based in the Republic of Ireland. There are decisions to be

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Feature Aertime

made for those colleagues who are former members of the IASS pension scheme, those colleagues who were members of the Aer Lingus DC scheme prior to January 1st 2015, and also those colleagues who are not currently part of any pension scheme.”

For those colleagues who are former members of the IASS pension scheme, a fund of €146.7m has been made available by the company to fund once-off contributions into their own individual DC pension scheme accounts. “A large number of colleagues have already drawn down their once-off contributions by returning their signed waivers or form of acceptance in the pre-addressed envelope provided in the packs sent on December 31st 2014.

For these colleagues, this contribution should be visible in their individual DC accounts and they can start making these funds working for them. For those who have not yet drawn down their individual once-off contribution and wish to do so, they must simply return their signed waiver or form of acceptance as soon as possible. Only then can their share of the €146.7m fund begin to work for them. A cash payment of €400 is also payable upon return of the individual waiver form.”

“THE DC PENSION SCHEME PUTS INDIVIDUALS IN CONTROL, COLLEAGUES CHOOSE HOW MUCH THEY WISH TO CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT, AND IF THEY WISH, WHERE THEIR OWN CONTRIBUTIONS ARE INVESTED.” For colleagues who were already members of the Aer Lingus DC Scheme prior to January 1st 2015 there are also decisions to be made. “Colleagues who were already members of the DC scheme and would like to take advantage of the higher contribution rates available to former IASS members can do so by returning their AVC form and changing their contribution to 6.375 per cent.”

The DC scheme is also open to those employees who are not currently members of any pension scheme. “I would strongly urge any of our colleagues who are not part of a pension scheme at the moment

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to consider joining the Aer Lingus DC scheme. For some, retirement may feel like a lifetime away and not important.

The reality is that although some expenses may decrease in retirement, others, such as electricity bills, heating bills and medical expenses, may actually increase as you get older. The earlier a pension plan is started, the more time the fund has to accumulate and the better off you will be in retirement.”

MORE INFORMATION What is the one piece of advice that Brian can give to colleagues regarding their pension arrangements? “Make an informed decision now,” Brian explains.

“Since January 1st, large numbers of colleagues have taken advantage of the various information channels available to make informed decisions about their future retirement investments. Whether it is returning a waiver or form, returning a form of acknowledgement or deciding to join a pension scheme for the first time, the time to make an informed decision is now. The sooner you make an informed decision about your future retirement fund, the sooner you can start building your investment fund and make your individual account work for you.”

If you are looking for more information regarding your future retirement fund, a number of channels remain available to answer pension queries.

General information regarding the DC pension scheme, including a DC Pension Scheme Member Guide, is available now via the 'Pensions' page of the staff intranet under the 'Aer Lingus and Me' link.

KEY BENEFITS OF THE AER LINGUS DC SCHEME

1 2 3 4 5

You are in control: you choose how much to contribute and you can even choose how to invest your contributions if you want. (If you do not feel comfortable making investment decisions you don’t need to take an active role in managing your individual retirement account.)

The company more than matches your regular ordinary contributions to the scheme. In fact, for every €100 you contribute, the company pays an additional €156, meaning that a total of €256 is actually invested on your behalf.

You receive tax relief on your own contributions, making your scheme the most tax-efficient way available to save for your retirement.

The scheme is designed to be easy and hassle free – contributions are automatic and you can always manage your own individual account via www.oneview.mercer.com.

For former IASS members of the scheme, the company has set aside €146.7 million to fund once-off contributions to the employee DC scheme. To access your own onceoff contribution, you must sign and return your individual waiver form.

Only then can your own once-off contribution begin to work for you.

If you have some questions on your personal illustration before you return your documents the Pensions Helpline remains open to assist you – LoCall 1890 944 525 or, for calls outside ROI, +353 1 5530045.

You can access your individual DC pension scheme account through the Mercer “oneview” portal: www.merceroneview.ie. The Employer Code is: aerlingus. Should you require any help relating to your DC account you can also e-mail justASK@mercer.com or call the Mercer DC Helpline on 1890 275 275.

PICTURED: Brian Bowden, Director of HR Operations.

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Aertime In Focus

THE PAPERLESS COCKPIT

CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF:

AN AER LINGUS FIRST

PICTURED: L-R: Richard Niland, Fergal Toland, Captain Eamon Kierans, Stephen Uniacke, Paul Stanley and Christian Connolly.

THE IRISH AVIATION AUTHORITY HAS JUST APPROVED AER LINGUS TO BECOME THE FIRST IRISH AIRLINE WITH PAPERLESS COCKPITS. HEAVY AND CUMBERSOME MANUALS ARE BEING RETIRED, AND LAPTOPS AND IPADS ARE NOW THE NORM IN THE 'ELECTRONIC FLIGHT BAG', AS PAUL STANLEY, EFB PROJECT MANAGER AND RICHARD NILAND, HEAD OF FLIGHT OPERATIONS ENGINEERING EXPLAIN.

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In Focus Aertime

Eight years ago, Aer Lingus started looking into something that once seemed to be science fiction but is now a reality: the paperless cockpit.

Modern airliners, such as the A320 and A330 used by Aer Lingus, are obliged to fly with 35-40kg of paper manuals, documentation that flight crew need on-hand whether for routine flying such as weather and navigation charts, or emergency reference.

Modern technology holds the promise of the 'electronic flight bag' (EFB): a digitised version of all this material that would allow paper manuals to be retired and efficiencies made.

That the airline was interested in adopting technology at such an early stage should come as no surprise: in the 1960s it was one of the first companies in Ireland to operate a mainframe computer, and jointly developed IPARS and implemented a reservations and check-in system. In the '90s it was an early airline presence on the world wide web.

And so a small team began to look into the concept of the paperless cockpit in 2007.

They quickly found that supporting capabilities on the ground would have to be built up first. “We knew that there would be major benefits from EFB including the paperless cockpit, improved distribution of content which, in turn, would support better compliance and the streamlining of processes,” explains Paul Stanley, EFB Project Manager, who headed up the efforts. “But in light of the lack of supporting capability, we were finding it difficult to build a business case.

“By 2011, Aer Lingus had digitised most of the key manuals including FCOM (flight crew operations manual), MEL (minimum equipment list), OMA (Operations Manual Part A); and ACSP (Air Carrier Security Programme),” says Paul. “A number of content types were also digitised, including flight crew notices, cabin crew notices, airfield briefing sheets, rosters and flight briefing packs. Because it’s one content management system, we can publish content once and it becomes available everywhere through all relevant portals.”

The results – cost and time efficiencies – were already encouraging.

PHASE 2: CLASS 1 EFB By 2011, all this information was available on the ground. “So the next step was to bring this all on board the airplane,” says Paul. Laptops, in this case the sturdy Panasonic Toughbook, were the most costefficient options. 3G-connected, they could be updated easily with the help of Irish software company Flightman, and two were installed in each cockpit using a lockable docking station. Among the many benefits, this made optimal flap settings and better Flex figures for reduced power for takeoff a reality. It also helped management to collect more data on how flights are running, and Ground Handling recordkeeping was boosted. So far, so good.

PHASE 3: GOING MOBILE

“On completion of phase 2, the general view was that it had been a success, so much so that we got a lot of feedback from crews including that they wanted some information to be available in an offline manner,” says Paul. “This was largely “So it was decided that the best approach because we had decided to fix our EFBs in was to break the programme into different the cockpit – but the flight crew wanted phases. This, it was felt, would minimise access to items like the flight briefing the risk to each phase, allow us to assess packs in advance of arriving in the cockpit feedback for each individual phase or even arriving in the operations area at and maximise the cost effectiveness of the airport. This is particularly useful for implementation.” overnight crew stays at stations such as New York or Chicago where they can download their flight plan briefing pack onto a mobile PHASE 1: 2007-2011 device and even be reading it on the bus The first years would see Paul and his to the airport to get the information in team implement an electronic document authoring and content management system, advance. as they assessed the benefits of digital “This works really well and for that project delivery. we decided that the iPad would be the best device. We’re now feeding the information They began to work with software provider that the crew needs also onto an iPad so Arconics, and selected the company to that they can have access to everything, on supply Manual Manager and PublishPort systems – the latter now underpins all of the the ground, before they even arrive at the airport.” Arconics was again the partner, and Aer Lingus staff portals.

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last year iPads were issued to all pilots. Again, more gains were made since crew can arrive for their flights fully prepared.

EVALUATING SUCCESS? “Overall we’d say yes, the EFB program in Aer Lingus has been a success,” says Paul. “It was a pleasant surprise for us when the crews requested the information to be available outside of the cockpit.”

All this achievement has been the result of superb cross-departmental co-operation between IT and Flight Ops, and the Maintenance team that fitted out the aircraft.

In blazing a trail they successfully overcame numerous obstacles, fitting out the aircraft had to be carefully co-ordinated, plus there was a huge amount of research at the cutting edge of emerging technology.

The EFB rollout is the latest part of a longterm project that has resulted in many benefits for employees including availableanywhere online operations portals, digital manuals, and the iPad mobility project in Flight Operations. The project doesn't end here: further improvements are on the way, with a Windows tablet linked to the onboard Avionics systems to be introduced over the next two years.

For now, though, Paul Stanley, Richard Niland, Captain Eamon Kierans and all involved can be congratulated for delivering an Irish first: with IAA approval in the bag, the paperless cockpit is now a reality at Aer Lingus.

ROLL OF HONOUR: AER LINGUS COLLEAGUES INVOLVED IN THE EFB PROJECT • • • • • •

Captain Eamon Kierans Richard Niland Stephen Uniacke Christian Connolly Fergal Toland Paul Stanley

From IT • Laurence Moughan • Kevin McDonnell From M&E • John Fields • Tom Hayden • Stephen Swan • Stephen Dunne From Ops Logistics • Paddy Mulvihill • Rory Sergison

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Aertime In Focus

THE SMARTER CHOICE

of Travel

3

AER LINGUS RECENTLY SELECTED A NEW GLOBAL CREATIVE AGENCY WITH THE AIM OF REPOSITIONING THE AER LINGUS BRAND IN A MODERN CONTEXT. EUROPEAN AGENCY, KESSELSKRAMER ARE CHARGED WITH DEVELOPING A NEW CREATIVE STRATEGY THAT WILL SEE THE AER LINGUS BRAND MOVE FROM ‘GREAT CARE’ TO ‘SMARTER TRAVEL EXPERIENCE’. AERTIME FINDS OUT MORE.

I

n the past number of months there has been a new marketing focus for Aer Lingus. Under the guidance of Chief Revenue Officer Mike Rutter, our marketing team has been reviewing the Aer Lingus brand position and developing new initiatives to grow serious consideration and airline preference amongst target consumers. According to Mike and the team, the time is right to take the Aer Lingus brand and put it into a modern context in the Irish market and to provide a greater shape and definition to the brand in the developing markets outside of Ireland.

The Marketing team engaged planning consultants MCCP to work on the brand positioning with the objective of delivering a distinctive proposition that would incite feeling and attract new customers to trial the brand. This work has led to our new positioning which aims to appeal to the modern traveller who is looking for value, convenience, comfort and a seamless travel experience. Our 78 years’ experience and heritage have helped us perfect the travel experience, which is why we aspire to be the smartest international network connecting people to the world and be the airline that offers the “Smarter Travel Experience”.

miss miss out out jump jump in in FARO FAROfrom fromjust just€39.99 €39.99 BOOK BOOKNOW NOWATATaerlingus.com aerlingus.com

FareFare is one is one wayway including including taxes taxes and and charges. charges.

ValidValid for travel for travel 01-30 01-30 Apr.Apr. Weekend Weekend supplement supplement maymay apply. apply.

BookBook by 20 byFeb. 20 Feb. See See aerlingus.com aerlingus.com for further for further details. details.

Offer Offer subject subject to conditions to conditions and and availability. availability.

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DEVELOP IMPACTFUL CREATIVE THAT DISRUPTS The Marketing team started the process to appoint a “best in class” creative agency to help them disrupt and bring fame for the Aer Lingus brand. This involved an

Aertime February 2015_V2.indd 10

Fare is one way including taxes and charges. Valid for travel 01-30 Apr. Weekend supplement may apply. Book by 20 Feb. See aerlingus.com for further details. Offer subject to conditions and availability.

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In Focus Aertime

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in-depth and rigorous international pitch process with an independent pitch doctor to help us find the most suitable agency.

They reviewed over 30 international agencies, and eventually narrowed the search to a short list of three agencies.

Amsterdam based Kesselskramer were appointed in January 2015 as the new Aer Lingus creative agency. Established in 1996, Kesselskramer is an independent communications agency with offices in London, Amsterdam and Los Angeles. With clients including eBay, C&A, Diageo and KBC Bank, the majority of their business is pan-European or global. “With their extensive experience in the pan-European market, Kesselskramer are the perfect partner to promote the benefits of flying Aer Lingus not just in Ireland but also in our key international markets,” explains Mike.

THE SMARTER CHOICE One of the first tasks for the new agency is to develop a new brand architecture and creative platform to communicate the Aer Lingus smart travel experience.

The focus for the team is to move the Aer Lingus brand message from ‘Great Care’ to ‘Smarter Travel Experience’.

Over the past number of years, the Aer Lingus marketing message has focused on providing a value message to customers.

The new approach provides a much wider scope for the team to promote the various elements that differentiate Aer Lingus from its competitors. “We are looking to deliver a message that encompasses all the great advantages of flying Aer Lingus,” explains Dervila McGarry, Head of Marketing. “Our 78 years’ experience and heritage have allowed us to refine a product that stands out. We offer a smarter way to travel; that is why customers choose to travel with us. The new platform must retain our existing customers whilst also strengthening our potential to acquire new passengers from competing airlines.”

To deliver that message, a fresh creative approach with a contemporary tone of voice that incites feeling and reignites an emotional connection with the brand was needed. “What I wanted to do with the branding was to get the story of the real Aer Lingus and marry it to the warm historic platform that the brand has had, and to bring that proposition to our customers,” adds Mike.

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stay on the sofa see all the sights BARCELONA from just €39.99 BOOK NOW AT aerlingus.com

Fare is one way including taxes and charges. Valid for travel 01-30 Apr. Weekend supplement may apply. Book by 20 Feb. See aerlingus.com for further details. Offer subject to conditions and availability.

NEW BLACK AND WHITE CHOICE CAMPAIGN The Aer Lingus Marketing team have conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative research to explore how the new creative approach is perceived by existing customer segments and also by our competitors' customers.

The customer feedback and insights have helped reassure this is the right strategic direction for the brand and also provided some suggestions to make the creative approach stronger.

The first creative work from the new agency began in February with customers getting a taste of the repositioning through advertising across various Irish media.

We will introduce the new creative platform in a phased approach.

does not offer, as well as the reassurance of our 78 years of travel experience.

"In the coming months we will see a much wider rollout of the new proposition and creative platform to support Aer Lingus as the ‘smart travel experience’.

"With all these changes to come, our marketing team are planning a campaign to inform colleagues across the company about what smart travel means to them," Dervila explains. “We will be launching a communication campaign shortly to introduce our new ‘smart’ proposition internally and provide guidance for colleagues across the organisation regarding how they can communicate the Aer Lingus ‘smart travel’ proposition”.

Look out for further information on our new ‘smart’ proposition in future editions of Aertime and via the My Aer Lingus Intranet.

Examples of this creative are shown here and are currently being refined and updated based on the research findings for a Q2 roll out across all our markets. Phase two will feature a new tagline supported by a proof point as to why we are the smart choice for travel.

“The focus of the campaign is very much on the consumer and not the airline,” explains Head of Marketing Dervila McGarry. “The campaign is designed to force black and white choices with the smarter choice highlighted. The approach reinforces we have an aggressive price platform, benefits and service that our competition

PICTURED: Mike Rutter, Chief Revenue Officer

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Aertime What's Hot

TWO AWARDS FOR AER LINGUS AT THE 2015 ISPY AWARDS Aer Lingus picked up two awards at the 2015 Inflight Sales Person of the Year awards (ISPY) in the Grand Hotel, Brighton in January, winning both Airline of the Year and Dragons' Den – Product Idea of the Year.

Organised by Travel Retail Roadshow, the awards commend excellence in inflight retail, with airlines from across the globe taking part. Following a selection process that looked to reward best practice in communication, crew engagement, performance management, training and sustainability, Aer Lingus came out on top to be awarded the accolade of Airline of the Year.

The second award for Aer Lingus on the night came in the Dragons' Den category, with Emma Young and Glen Butler from our Belfast base taking home the prize. Emma and Glen presented their Jetset Pet Pack product to the ISPY panel, an innovative and unique concept that will appeal to a nation of dog and cat lovers. The Jetset Pet Pack consists of a vanity case containing everything your pet needs to ensure a stress-free break, containing a paw-shaped voice recorder to allow the owner to record a personal comfort message, a pet passport and a pet chewable toothbrush to maintain dental hygiene. The team had just five minutes to pitch their product to the four Dragons, who all came from the world of in-flight retail, before they were questioned on the production costs, their market, and the potential profitability of their idea.

Speaking about the awards, Director of Inflight Services Peter O’Neill commented: “We are very proud of our Aer Lingus team and would like to congratulate them on this fantastic achievement.

These two awards are a great reward for all the hard work and effort that has been made by our Inflight Retail team over the past year. Special mention must go to Anthony Carson who led the team and Emma Young and Glen Butler who wowed the audience with their Jetset Pet Pack presentation, very well deserving of their award on the night.”

COMPETITION WIN ONE OF 10 PAIRS OF TICKETS TO THE IRISH MOTORBIKE AND SCOOTER SHOW!

A FUN FAMILY DAY OUT AND ALL THE LATEST 2015 BIKES, GEAR, ACCESSORIES AND GADGETS… AMD World Custom Bike Building Show | Ace Global Stunt Starz Competition | Ace Café’s Classic & Retro Zone | Flat Track Racing | 1000cc Off Road Sidecar Racing | Pitbike Racing | World Class Racing Heroes | Celebrity MC | Steve Parrish with John McGuinness | Lifestyle Fashion Show | Miss Motorbike Show | Nitro Girls Live | And lots more…

HOW TO WIN : To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply email aertime@aerlingus.com with your name, staff number and the answer to the following question:

Aer Lingus' runs a DC pension scheme. But what does DC stand for? a) Direct current b) Defined contribution c) Debit credit DECEMBER COMPETITION WINNERS

WORD SEARCH: €50 one4all voucher: Susan McFadden, Accounting Department, SUDOKU: €50 one4all voucher: Deirdre Eighan, Inflight Services, CHRISTMAS QUIZ: €50 one4all voucher: Fiona McDonald, Cargo Department, KNOCKRANNY HOTEL BREAK: Liam Crowley, Integrated Operations Centre, GUINNESS STOREHOUSE: 1. Julianne Flynn, Aer Lingus Administration, Cork, 2. Ken Delaney, Maintenance & Engineering, 3. Ian McKeown, Ground Operations, 4. Michael McGuirk, Cabin Appearance, 5. Sean Regan, Inflight Services.

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