AERLingus is to sign a codesharing deal with British Airways next month ahead of the Irish carrier joining the Oneworld alliance in early 2000.
Aer Lingus group chief executive Garry Cullen said codesharing will focus on key business routes through Heathrow and to main regional UK destinations from Ireland from this winter.
Cullen said: “We want to be a mainly business-orientated airline, but there is a limit to what we can achieve on our own.”
He said 25% of Aer Lingus passengers connect at Heathrow to onward flights and it is this traffic which could be put on to BA flights.
Cullen is also planning to operate joint services on BA flights to key European cities, especially in eastern Europe where Aer Lingus is weak, to Far East destinations, Australia and South Africa and on Stansted-Dublin flights.
Aer Lingus’ London connections will also be improved with new double-daily Gatwick and five-daily London City flights to Dublin. Services are planned for this winter, with Gatwick services linking in with BA’s long-haul network. The co-operation with BA will not lead to Aer Lingus adopting the UK airline’s 7% commission rate, said Cullen.
Meanwhile American Airlines will take seats on Aer Lingus’ five transatlantic flights including Chicago and Los Angeles this winter.