Aer Lingus has announced that it has postponed the planned launch of Transatlantic flights from Manchester to the United States. The routes, which were planned to start in July, have now been pushed back to September.
Delayed
Aer Lingus has been forced to delay the launch of Manchester Transatlantic flights that were supposed to begin on 29th July 2021. The carrier, citing “international borders opening later than expected,” has rescheduled the launch for 30th September 2021. There are still travel restrictions in place in the United States for travellers from Europe, although authorities are working on a solution.
The 2 destinations that Aer Lingus will start to fly this year are New York JFK and Orlando. The airline is also set to fly to Boston starting in the summer of 2022. The airline’s planned launch of flights to Barbados remain unaffected by the postponement and will go ahead as planned on 20th October.
Aer Lingus, in a statement, said:
Due to international borders opening later than expected, Aer Lingus is postponing the start of new transatlantic services between Manchester Airport and New York JFK and Orlando. New services to Barbados will launch as scheduled. Aer Lingus remains fully committed to its services from Manchester Airport, and looks forward to launching to New York and Orlando on 30th September, and to Barbados on 20th October.
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Passengers will be compensated
Travellers who are booked with Aer Lingus for the summer will be compensated by the airline due to the postponement. Passengers will be entitled to a full refund, voucher compensation (with an added 10% value), or re-booking on another Aer Lingus service.
The airline added:
Our dedicated teams are contacting customers directly and offering a full refund, re-accommodation on an alternative service, or the option of a voucher with an additional 10 percent, for use across the Aer Lingus network over the next five years.
Airbus A321LR
At the time of the announcement, Aer Lingus noted that it would be the 1st airline to operate the Airbus A321LR (Long Range) between the United States and United Kingdom. Aer Lingus’ A321LR features 16 lie-flat business class seats and 169 standard economy class seats.
With initial launch date of 29th July 2021, Aer Lingus was to pip JetBlue to the post. JetBlue’s much-anticipated New York – London service is scheduled to launch on 11th August and will also involve the A321LR.
However, due to the postponement, JetBlue is set to become the first airline to fly the A321LR between the U.S and the UK.
Featured image by Conflats
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