![]() ![]() “This new flight is a big deal for us,” said Mary McFarland Brooks, president of Irish Network MN, a cultural promotion group. Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey one-year estimates. “It’s like where we are from,” she said.Ībout 10% of Minnesotans possess Irish ancestry, according to the U.S. Her colleague Sharon Coffey said that she watched the bucolic, rural landscape during the descent into MSP. We think will really like it here,” said Hannah Downey, one of the flight attendants. “We were able to give the city a look-about today, check out the shops. departure, had arrived in Minneapolis Sunday night via New York. The crew for that trip, Aer Lingus flight 88 due with a 6:45 p.m. On Monday’s inaugural flight out of MSP, 39% of them are connecting beyond Dublin, with the highest number heading to London. Passengers can spend seven days in Ireland before or after flying to a continental destination without adding to their fare.Īer Lingus flies to 23 airports throughout the United Kingdom and Europe from its home city. The airline is offering a stopover option in Ireland, similar to one Icelandair does in Iceland. KLM and Air France also fly in and out of MSP under their code-share agreements with Delta.Īny new competition often puts downward pressure on airfares to an entire region, Potter said.Īdvance bookings for the MSP-Dublin route on Aer Lingus are currently at or above projections, Byrne said. MSP travelers currently access Europe on Delta nonstop flights to London, Paris and Amsterdam, on Delta and Icelandair to Reykjavik and Condor to Frankfurt. “Delta has a stranglehold on MSP flights going to Europe, so the hope is that the entry of Aer Lingus can really change that,” said Kyle Potter, editor of Minneapolis-based Thrifty Traveler, a travel and flight deals website. But fare-conscious travelers often bemoan the higher prices that market leader Delta can charge without much pressure from competition on its international nonstops. With its northern location and as a major hub for Delta Air Lines, MSP has a level of international connectivity that cities of comparable size don’t. Boston Scientific and UnitedHealth Group also have sizable operations or business interests in both cities.Īer Lingus executives also aim to make European travel cheaper for Minnesotans as an intermediate step to other destinations on the continent. It was really about time we got here.”ĭublin is an important business market - Minnesota’s largest med-tech company, Medtronic, has its legal headquarters there. “For us to be relevant here, we have to offer nonstop. “Minnesota’s business sectors align with ours - in med-tech, banking and other sectors,” Bill Byrne, vice president of North America for Aer Lingus, said in an interview. The plane taxied to Terminal 1, where passengers were met by officials from the airport and airline. and was greeted with a water-cannon salute. Paul International Airport.Īer Lingus flight 89 arrived just after 5 p.m. Transatlantic passenger numbers from Dublin have increased by 82% since 2012 to reach 3.5 million in 2017.Aer Lingus launched nonstop service between the Twin Cities and Dublin Monday, bringing more competition in transatlantic travel to Minneapolis-St. Passengers travelling on the new service to Minneapolis-St Paul will use US Pre Clearance facilities at Dublin airport.Īer Lingus CEO Stephen Kavanagh said: “These destinations each have a rich heritage, vibrant culture and much to offer visitors travelling for business or leisure.” “These new services to Minneapolis and Montreal will both have significant onward connections from Dublin to cities in the UK and continental Europe.” ![]() Vincent Harrison, Dublin airport’s managing director, said: “We have been working closely with Aer Lingus since 2014 to grow its North American business and build a substantial transfer business. The extra routes will add 250,000 seats to Aer Lingus’ transatlantic capacity which already offers 2.8 million seats per year to North America. The Minneapolis-St Paul route will be operated by Boeing 757 aircraft while Aer Lingus will use a Airbus A321neo on the Montreal service. The Irish carrier, which is owned by British Airways’ parent company IAG, will launch a daily route to Minneapolis-St Paul on July 8, 2019, followed by the Montreal service on August 8. Aer Lingus is to increase transatlantic services from Dublin to 15 routes with new flights to Minneapolis and Montreal from summer 2019. ![]()
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