Aer Lingus Announced as Ireland's Only 4-Star Airline

DUBLIN, IRELAND--(Marketwired - July 12, 2016) -

• Ireland's national carrier receives 4-Star rating from Skytrax, placing it among the top 40 airlines in the world for quality and service

• Skytrax is a globally recognized independent organization providing the leading Airline Rating system classifying airlines worldwide

Aer Lingus is proud to announce that it has now achieved a 4-Star rating by Skytrax, the international air transport rating organization. Aer Lingus is the first Irish airline to receive this rating and joins a select group of only 40 airlines worldwide that also boast a 4-Star guest experience*. The airline is also now the only 4-Star airline connecting North America and Ireland.

Speaking at the announcement of Aer Lingus as Ireland's 4-Star airline, Aer Lingus Chief Executive Stephen Kavanagh said:

"We are delighted to have achieved a 4-Star rating from Skytrax which recognizes our product offering, service and overall guest experience as world-class. 2016 is shaping up to be a standout year in the airline's history as not only does our transatlantic expansion continue to accelerate and we celebrate 80 years of flying, now we can also stand proud as Ireland's only 4-Star airline.

"The needs of our guests are central to everything we do and this achievement not only confirms that our service enhancements are responding to those needs, it also confirms our status as global leader within the air travel industry. While our product offering was instrumental in securing the rating, it is our people that then deliver the award-winning, world-class experience each day at the airport, on board and beyond, and this was highlighted by Skytrax in their awarding of the fourth star. I am very proud of the entire team at Aer Lingus who each played their part in making this happen."

Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax, commented:

"Aer Lingus embarked on an intensive project of quality development during the last two years and this has seen the product and service standards improve significantly, particularly for the core transatlantic market. The new Aer Lingus Business Class experience was a key factor in securing this 4-Star Airline rating. The US customs pre-clearance facility that is available to Aer Lingus passengers at Dublin airport, a leading gateway to North America, offers a seamless transfer experience. We noted that the crown jewel of the Aer Lingus experience, and important aspect of the 4-Star Airline rating is the staff service -- it is the kind and warm personality of staff that shines through during flights. Achieving a 4-Star Airline rating status is based on a balance of both product and service quality, and we were pleased to observe the considerable quality improvement that Aer Lingus is now delivering to travellers."

As a value carrier Aer Lingus is committed to delivering to its guests a high quality travel experience at a value price. As part of that commitment to delivering a high quality travel experience, two years ago, Aer Lingus embarked upon a mission to offer its guests the ultimate travel experience at every point of their journey -- from booking on Aer Lingus.com, airport check-in, boarding procedures, to stepping on board the aircraft. The 'Good to Great' program revisited each aspect of the Aer Lingus guest experience to identify ways in which to innovate the overall product offering, increase efficiency, provide a more comfortable experience on board and ultimately offer guests a world-class service.

A key milestone in the 'Good to Great' journey was the relaunch of Aer Lingus' Business Class which now boasts fully lie-flat seats, where each seat transforms into a fully lie-flat 6.5ft long by 22 inches wide bed, and a redesigned cabin space offering greater comfort, storage and space. The new Business Class also offers Wi-Fi on board, the very best in Irish cuisine complemented by award-wining wines, plus the latest in inflight entertainment. At the airport Business Class guests are also invited into Aer Lingus' lounges in Dublin, Boston, London Heathrow and New York JFK and for those arriving from North America the Aer Lingus 'Revival Lounge' in Dublin Airport offers them the chance to refresh on arrival.

Mike Rutter, Chief Operating Officer, Aer Lingus, who led the 'Good to Great' initiative, said:

"Aer Lingus made a significant investment over the last 24 months in terms of enhancements to our guest experience, including rigorous training programs for our staff and fleet modernization, in order to be able to upgrade our service from three to four star. We conducted in-depth research to hear directly from our guests and better understand their needs. This has resulted in a much more innovative and intuitive guest experience. This is evident not only in our Business Class cabins, but in our new website and mobile app, how we use the Aer Lingus social media channels to meaningfully reach out to our guests, as well as our Premium Check-in and Express Bag Drop at Dublin airport. We are thrilled to have achieved a 4-Star rating from Skytrax, to receive official recognition for Aer Lingus' world-class product offering and service. This should be seen as only the start of our journey. We will fight on a daily basis; to maintain that rating; to continue to deliver punctuality better than our competition and to retain a listening ear to our guests."

Skytrax highlighted how Aer Lingus has grown Dublin as a leading gateway from North America, providing a seamless transfer experience at Dublin Airport with the US customs pre-clearance facility. Aer Lingus' transatlantic growth continues with three new routes to Dublin this summer, marking the single largest expansion of Aer Lingus' transatlantic network since the airline commenced transatlantic flying in 1958. The new year-round Los Angeles service began in May and will be closely followed by Newark, New Jersey to Dublin from 1st September and flights from Hartford, Connecticut to Dublin will begin on 28th September.

This summer Aer Lingus will operate 28 daily services across the Atlantic offering value to business and leisure customers in an increased number of markets across North America and Europe strengthening Dublin's position as a leading gateway from North America.

Aer Lingus' 4-Star rating has been awarded by Skytrax following a range of rigorous audits conducted by Skytrax to measure the quality of front-line product and staff service standards in the air and on the ground.

Notes to Editor:

*By achieving a 4-Star rating Aer Lingus is now part of a select group of just 40 airlines worldwide. There are currently in excess of 100 airlines that hold a 3-Star rating.

What makes a 4-Star experience?

Aer Lingus' 'Good to Great' program focused on enhancing the way key touchpoints of its guest experience.

Below summarizes the key enhancements made by Aer Lingus to deliver a 4-Star experience:

Before you fly…

• New website and mobile app
• New baggage allowances
• Price lock and deposit payment options
• 'Upgrade yourself' Business Class bid system
• Social Media as a key contact channel

On the ground…

• Premium Check-in and Express Bag Drop at Dublin Airport
• U.S. Customs and Immigration pre-clearance
• Seamless transfer experience at our Dublin gateway
• Business Class pre-flight dining at our lounge in New York JFK
• Revival (Arrivals) lounge in Dublin Airport

In the air…

• New long-haul aircraft
• Wi-Fi and on-board mobile network across our Airbus A330 fleet
• Business Class lie-flat beds
• Best of modern Irish cuisine
• Enhanced Economy dining options

About Skytrax Airline Star Rating

• The Airline Star Rating was introduced in 1999 and is the recognized global ranking systems that classify airlines and airports by the Quality of their front-line product and staff service standards.
• The Airline Star Rating covers all types of airline, from largest carriers with global route networks to domestic only and low-cost airlines.
• Airline Star Ratings apply an internationally recognized evaluation system to assess the "front-line" quality standards of an airline, and provides the world airline industry with a professional, unified Quality classification system that is a respected symbol of airline product and service standards.
• As part of the process to determine Airline Star Rating levels, Skytrax conduct detailed Quality analysis across hundreds of categories for both airline product and service delivery, covering the Onboard and home-base Airport environments.
• For more information about Skytrax, visit www.airlinequality.com.

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