annual report 2009 - Aer Lingus

24 Corporate Social Responsibility Statement Aer Lingus Group Plc – Annual Report 2009It was a significant achievement for AerLingus to organise the special flight at suchshort notice, and to be able to mobiliseteams in operations, cargo, planning, flightoperations and cabin crew, to make themission a reality. In addition to crew andoperations employees volunteering theirtime, all airport and navigational chargeswere waived by both the Dublin AirportAuthority and the Irish Aviation Authority.Aer Lingus wish to sincerely thank therelevant organisations for their co-operation,together with all Aer Lingus staff.Ulster Grand PrixFor the third consecutive year Aer Lingus isproud to sponsor the Ulster Grand Prix race,which takes place in August. The event hasbeen part of Northern Irish culture for thelast 85 years. This hugely popular sportingevent sees spectators travel from all over theglobe from as far afield as Australia, Spain,France and Italy.Special Olympics IrelandAer Lingus is delighted to continue itssupport of Special Olympics Ireland. Theairline supported Team Ireland travelling tothe 2009 Special Olympics Winter Games,which were held in Boise, Idaho, USA.Daffodil DayFor the second year Aer Lingus has offeredits support to The Irish Cancer Society fortheir Daffodil Day campaign. Aer Linguscabin crew supported the appeal with onboard collections, which amounted to over€21,700. The funds raised will go towardsthe Irish Cancer Society’s National NightNursing program, which to date has helped1,800 families, and provided over 7,000 nightsof care. Donations also funded the IrishCancer Society information services whichassist over 20,000 people in Ireland each year.CustomersThe Group’s website, www.aerlingus.com,gives the Group the opportunity tocommunicate directly with customers andto provide customers with all the informationthat they need to make it easier to booktheir flights and to travel. In 2009, 83%of all bookings were made throughwww.aerlingus.com. Services offered onthe website, which are available in eightdifferent languages, include timetables,car hire, hotel accommodation, travelinsurance, sky shopping, advance check-inand seat selection, pre-payment of baggagecharges, booking changes, passport and visainformation, collection of advance passengerinformation required by the US authorities,investor relations, real-time arrival anddeparture times and in-flight health andcomfort advice. Customers can also sign-upto receive regular emails with special offers.During 2009 Aer Lingus introduced theGroup Booking facility. Customers can nowbook a group of up to 25 people online atone time even during Seat Sales or when wehave Discount Sales meaning they can savetime and money. To provide even greaterflexibility, seats can be booked withouthaving all confirmed names – customersjust book the number of seats they needand then confirm all names within 7 days –giving them the chance to check everyone’sname as it appears on their passport.We also provide the opportunity forpassengers to upgrade all/part of theirjourney to business class on transatlantic(or Flexi Fare on all routes). Allowingpassengers the flexibility to upgrade all/both parts gives them the control and abilityto decide whether they want to return earlyor indeed want to avail of the extra comfortof business class to ensure they arrivethoroughly rested at their destination.We now also offer the option, on selectedroutes, to purchase Lounge Access in thebooking flow. This is part of our continuedcommitment to offering customer benefitat their discretion.During 2009 Aer Lingus completed anA330 retrofit programme where new seats,and a new in-flight entertainment system(IFE), were installed in most of our long-haulaircraft. Currently 7 out of 9 aircraft areoperating in the new layout – two olderA330s are not being retrofitted, as they aredue to leave the fleet in the coming months.We have made a significant investment inupgrading our business class product on longhaul routes. It is important that we continue