Aer Lingus has announced its winter schedule, with the airline set to offer 300,000 additional seats to Europe and North America as part of its largest ever deployment.
Soon to begin its direct service on September 1st, Aer Lingus will operate three flights per week to Miami, Florida, a new long-haul destination for winter.
The new Miami service is in addition to Aer Lingus’ existing transatlantic routes: Boston, Chicago, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Washington, Los Angeles, Newark, Hartford and Toronto via Dublin and Boston and New York via Shannon.
The airline’s focus on expanding its long-haul network continues this winter with 350 additional transatlantic flights from Ireland to North America, representing a 13 per cent increase in capacity compared to last year.
The Dublin to Toronto service will see a 96 per cent increase in capacity with four flights per week, operated on a larger Airbus A330.
With daily services to San Francisco and a five times weekly service to Los Angeles during peak winter months, Aer Lingus will operate up to 12 flights per week from Ireland to the US West Coast.
On the East Coast, the Dublin Washington service will become daily during peak months resulting in 44 per cent additional capacity.
New York remains one of the most popular Christmas shopping destinations and with services to JFK from Dublin and Shannon as well as the Dublin Newark service, eager UK shoppers will be able to choose from up to four daily flights from Ireland to New York with quick and convenient connections via Dublin.
Passengers from Britain can take advantage of the new and increased services thanks to Aer Lingus’ easy transatlantic connections from 18 key UK airports.
When connecting in Dublin, Aer Lingus guests can pre-clear US customs and immigration allowing them to pass through domestic channels upon landing for a smooth and swift arrival in the USA.
Mike Rutter, chief operating officer, Aer Lingus said:
“This Winter is our biggest yet with considerable expansion of our long-haul and European networks. The increasing recognition that the Aer Lingus Dublin Hub is the fastest, cheapest and least hassle way to visit North America is underpinned by a further 13 per cent increase in transatlantic seats from Dublin this winter. The Aer Lingus Dublin Hub is now the year round choice for North Atlantic travellers whether they are travelling for leisure or business purposes. This premier position will be underscored by our new route to Miami and the increased frequency to our California gateways.”
Aer Lingus’ UK network will also enjoy significant expansion this winter, key growth routes are the Birmingham to Dublin service boasting 50,000 additional seats and the London Heathrow to Dublin service benefiting from an additional early morning flight resulting in 56,000 extra seats.
The wider European network will also see increased capacity to key European cities such as Hamburg, operating up to ten flights per week, double the frequency of last year, as well as Zurich, also operating ten services per week.
Winter sun continues to be a top priority with 190,000 seats to the Canary Islands and popular destinations in France will enjoy greater frequency with Aer Lingus operating a four times weekly service to Bordeaux and seven flights per week to Lyons.
Bilbao, Spain is the airline’s new winter short-haul destination with a three-times-weekly service during peak winter months from Dublin.