Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus ( air LING-gəs; an anglicisation of the Irish aerloingeas [ˌeːɾˠˈl̪ˠɪɲɟəsˠ], meaning "air fleet") is the flag carrier of Ireland. It was founded by the Irish Government in 1936. Between 2006 and 2015 it was privatised, and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin. Aer Lingus was a member of the Oneworld airline alliance, which it left on 31 March 2007. After the takeover by IAG, it was expected that Aer Lingus would re-enter Oneworld. However, at a press briefing on 15 November 2017, the airline's then CEO Stephen Kavanagh stated that the airline has "no plans to join Oneworld". The airline has codeshares with Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam members, as well as interline agreements with Etihad Airways, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines. Aer Lingus has a hybrid business model of low-cost and traditional carriers, operating a mixed fare service on its European routes and full service, two-class flights on transatlantic routes. Ryanair owned over 29% of Aer Lingus stock, and the Irish state owned over 25% before being bought out by IAG in 2015. The state had previously held an 85% shareholding until the government decided to float the company on the Dublin and London stock exchanges on 2 October 2006. The principal group companies include Aer Lingus Limited, Aer Lingus Beachey Limited, Aer Lingus (Ireland) Limited and Dirnan Insurance Company Limited, all of which are wholly owned. On 26 May 2015, after months of negotiations on a possible IAG takeover, the Irish government agreed to sell its 25% stake in the company. Ryanair retained a 30% stake in Aer Lingus, which it agreed to sell to IAG on 10 July 2015 for €2.55 per share. In...