Aer Lingus has begun advertising for cabin crew to work out of its new base in Manchester, which is scheduled to open this summer. The company has engaged the services of Nobox HR Outsourcing Solutions to find “talented and passionate” cabin crew.
The closing date for applications is April 2, which will give the airline enough time to train the crew ahead of its summer launch in Manchester.
In December, Aer Lingus registered a subsidary in the UK so they could launch direct services from Manchester to the United States, while documents filed with the US Department of Transportation show that it intends to fly to New York, JFK, Orlando and Boston – transatlantic destinations that have been well served by Aer Lingus from Dublin Airport. The airline plans to keep four aircraft in Manchester – three long-range narrowbody A321LRs and one widebody A330 – and would operate transatlantic flights under the oneworld joint venture, using BA’s code on its flights (which would allow them to be sold through British Airways).
The move to Manchester makes sense: not only will it allow Aer Lingus to resume international flights earlier but it offers the airline the opportunity to challenge Virgin Atlantic in an important transatlantic hub – made even more important following the demise of Thomas Cook and its 200,000 yearly seats out of Manchester.
There is also the possibility that Aer Lingus may look to fly direct from Manchester to Antigua – last month, Antigua’s Daily Observer quoted the island’s tourism minister Charles Fernandez: “Just last week, Aer Lingus contacted us and they want to fly to the Caribbean, so they will be offering a flight – Dublin, Manchester, Antigua. Of course, this is important for us because it will open up the northern part of England.”
