Ryanair and Aer Lingus sign flight-connection deal

Ryanair and Aer Lingus have signed a co-operation agreement to offer connecting flights on each other’s services. In a first for Ryanair, the airline will feed passengers from some of its European routes onto its Irish rival’s transatlantic services, while Aer Lingus will connect onto Ryanair services to various European destinations. Ryanair CE Michael O’Leary had long been opposed to selling connecting flights but the company started trials on Ryanair-only connections last year. “We will trial it in the marketplace. If it’s successful, we will live with the problems of success. If not, we will learn the lessons and move on,” Aer Lingus CE Stephen Kavanagh said. The risk of having to compensate passengers for missed connections was one of Ryanair’s main reasons for shunning the idea of offering feeder flights for long-haul routes. <br/>