It has already axed food, alcohol and most in-flight frills. Now Aer Lingus is getting rid of the trademark shamrock from the tailfins of some of its aircraft.
As the airline tries to compete with the low-cost carrier Ryanair, it has begun repainting the tails of four Boeing 737s with its website address, Aerlingus.com.
A spokeswoman said the shamrock would still be displayed on its fleet, but in a less obvious place on the engines. 'We will be using the opportunity to advertise the Aer Lingus website, so it will be quite prominent on the plane,' she added. Ironically, the first repainted aircraft is due to go into service tomorrow on St Patrick's Day, when millions of shamrocks will be displayed worldwide.
Plans to drop the shamrock got a largely negative reaction on Dublin's streets yesterday. 'It's crazy to get rid of a symbol that is known worldwide. The shamrock is the face of the airline and something people always associate with Irish tourism,' said Rob Cornwell, 46, from Finglas.
The national carrier's aircraft have sported a shamrock since the 1950s and just seven years ago the airline spent £12 million redesigning the shamrock logo. But a downturn in the aviation industry worldwide forced a complete restructuring of the airline, pushing it towards the no-frills market and an image rethink.
Food and alcohol, which have been dispensed with on most short-haul flights, are due to be reintroduced for passengers to buy in the coming months.
Aer Lingus's decision to change its livery echoes British Airways' decision to drop the flag from the tailfins of its planes in 1997.
BA claimed then it was 'seen as aloof and unfriendly' and wanted a more cosmopolitan image. Amid much publicity, it announced a £90m rebranding that replaced the national flag on its livery with designs from around the world.
However, the plan backfired and the tailfins became a public relations disaster, with the press, passengers, staff and even Margaret Thatcher turning their fire on BA. Eventually it had to retreat and repaint its planes, bringing back the Union flag.
Aer Lingus bosses are confident, however, that their image revamp will work.
After suffering heavy losses in 2001, Aer Lingus implemented a radical rescue plan that saw it make a dramatic return to profit last year.
Day-to-day profits in excess of £45 million are thought to have been earned as the airline reversed the steep downturn that followed the 11 September attacks in the United States. The state-owned airline is expected to be sold off later this year.
