It's far more likely that Aer Lingus will find a ' White Knight' to partner or merge with , than allow Ryanair to take it over. Aer Lingus is a very different airline from Ryanair , even though it has followed the Ryanair model on its European routes . It still is a full service airline on the Atlantic. Lingus is very much part of Irelands national identity . As the locals will tell you , Ryanair is Irelands favourite Polish airline!.