UK has new low-cost transatlantic airline flying from Manchester – and it’s Irish

A decade after British Airways abandoned its link from Manchester to New York, its Irish sister airline is set to start flying the route – as well as services to Boston and Orlando. Aer Lingus (UK) Ltd, a newly created subsidiary, will operate the links using Airbus A330 and A321 aircraft based at Manchester airport. The New York and Orlando services will be in direct competition with Virgin Atlantic. All three destinations were previously served by Thomas Cook Airlines, which was based in Manchester but went bust in September 2019. Aer Lingus has asked the US DoT for authorisation “to promote, advertise, and sell those services to United Kingdom passengers as quickly as possible.” The carrier is hoping to start selling seats on Friday 8 January, with flights starting in May. It follows discussions with a number of UK airports, including Edinburgh, about a possible British base for the Irish carrier’s US services. Aer Lingus defines its strategy “to be the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic enabled by a profitable and sustainable short-haul network”.<br/>