Aer Lingus has welcomed its one-millionth transatlantic passenger. On checking-in to their flight to Los Angeles, California, Olwen Kelleghan and Ciarán Foy from Co Dublin were greeted by Aer Lingus staff with champagne, a complimentary Business Class upgrade, and a pair of complimentary tickets for any route of their choice on the Aer Lingus transatlantic network.
Having recently marked 80 years of flying, 2016 has seen Aer Lingus’s largest ever transatlantic expansion take effect since the airline commenced transatlantic flying in 1958.
By the end of the September, Aer Lingus will fly to 10 new North American cities on 12 transatlantic routes. The new year-round Los Angeles service began in May and will be followed by Dublin to Newark, New Jersey, from 1st September and flights from Dublin to Hartford, Connecticut, will begin on 28th September. These are in addition to its nine existing routes to Boston, Chicago, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Washington and Toronto from Dublin, and Boston and New York from Shannon.
Mike Rutter, Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the millionth guest onboard an Aer Lingus transatlantic flight in 2016. This is a significant moment in the airline’s history, which comes after a busy year in which we have announced a number of exciting new transatlantic routes. We are committed to expanding our Dublin Airport base into a major European transatlantic gateway and look forward to welcoming the next million guests onboard Aer Lingus flights.”
Aer Lingus is operating up to 30 daily transatlantic services this summer offering value to business and leisure customers in an increased number of markets across Europe and North America. The convenience of US Customs and Border Protection services at Dublin has enhanced the continued growth of Aer Lingus’s Dublin operation as a connecting gateway and Dublin Airport itself is now the fifth largest transatlantic gateway in Europe.
All Aer Lingus transatlantic fares have the added bonus of being all-inclusive offering free 23kg baggage allowance, complimentary meal and drinks during the flight, not forgetting 120 hours of endless entertainment via the very latest inflight entertainment system. The airline has also recently been awarded 4-star status and been named Europe’s third favourite airline, by airline rating website Skytrax.
