Aer Lingus have announced they are going to refresh the brand from January 2019. At the same time, improvements will be made to the transatlantic economy class proposition and new uniforms will be introduced.

Certain changes seem to be driven by the fact the Irish carrier is planning to join a transatlantic joint venture. This will mean services will be cross sold with British Airways, American Airlines, Finnair and Iberia.

Brand Refresh

The current livery has been in place for almost 25 years and the intent is to modernise it. A look at the branding over the years shows the green representing Ireland and the Shamrock as main features.


When it comes to the brand refresh, the Shamrock and the green will be remaining, which I think is key. It is very distinctive and it would make no sense to change this.

Transatlantic Economy Class Improvements

Panasonic Wi-Fi is available on board all Aer Lingus transatlantic flights. Business class passengers receive 400mb free, while economy class passengers pay for the service. It is planned that economy class will now receive 20mb free and can pay for more.

Considering how vital connectivity is on board, this is a plus. Having used the Internet services on transatlantic Aer Lingus flights, I have to say that it works very well.


Economy class passengers currently have to pay for alcoholic drinks when flying across the Atlantic. The enhancement here is that wine and beer will be provided free of charge during the meal service.

This is presumably part of the plans for the transatlantic joint venture, as those airlines provide certain alcoholic beverages for free in coach. When booking on the joint venture airlines, the service provided should be similar so this is why I think this is happening.

Overall Thoughts

Personally, I hope that a lot of green remains on the aircraft. The Aer Lingus jets stand out at the airport because they are not white like all the other airlines. My hope is the refresh keeps a lot of this colour.

Improvements to the economy class offering are going to make a lot of people happy. I know Irish people who are surprised when they find out other airlines offer free drinks in economy class, as they’re so used to paying for them on their Aer Lingus flights to the USA.

What do you think Aer Lingus will do? Is it a good move to modernise the brand or is it okay as it is? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image via Fora.ie.
With thanks to Jon Hemmerdinger at Flight Global.