Shannon Airport has welcomed the announcement by American Airlines to expand its Shannon to Philadelphia service in 2018, as the airline continues to build on the growing demand for flights between Shannon and its Philadelphia hub.
American will increase capacity on the route by 18%. Over 38,000 passengers already use the daily service annually, which operates a Boeing 757 aircraft. The airline will commence its 2018 service on 5th April 2018, a month earlier than this year, and will run until early October.
Andrew Murphy, Managing Director, Shannon Airport, said: “The airline’s decision is significant and shows that the service is popular with passengers both sides of the Atlantic. We are delighted with the increase, which will add an additional 50 return flights and 7,000 passengers. It is a service that continues to grow, with a 60% increase in capacity already added since 2013.
“The additional capacity will not only have a positive impact for inbound tourism for the West of Ireland, providing a boost for the tourism industry along the Wild Atlantic Way, but will also provide increased opportunities for business connectivity as people using the service will be able to connect at the American Airlines leading hub airports. It is also a very popular destination, given its historical significance in the USA and its strong Irish community. We look forward to partnering with American Airlines on making the expansion a real success.”
Declan Power, Head of Aviation Development, Shannon Airport, said: “Philadelphia is one of the airline’s leading hub airports, offering connections to well over 100 destinations across 25 countries. Just last month Shannon enjoyed its largest number of US services in over 17 years, with the launch by Norwegian Air of two new US services to Stewart International Airport, Orange County – just 90 minutes from New York – and Providence Green Airport, Rhode Island. These recent increases illustrate Shannon’s growing appeal in the transatlantic market and bring US capacity at Shannon next year to well over 550,000 seats, with eight services to seven airports on the US east coast.”
Shannon’s attractiveness for transatlantic travellers has been boosted by the introduction of a new time-saving combined EU/US Pre-clearance checkpoint being trialled at Shannon. It eliminates the need for US-bound passengers to queue twice for separate security checks. Shannon is the first airport in the world to trial this groundbreaking system.
Since 2009 passengers flying from Shannon have also benefitted from US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance facilities, which mean they avoid delays on arrival in the USA. Shannon was the first airport outside North America to secure US pre-clearance services.
