• Americans’ desire to travel to Europe soars according to US travel experts
• Aer Lingus operates largest ever North American programme this summer with bookings up more than 20% on 2019 and 2.25 million seats on sale
• Premium leisure travel bounces back with strong dollar having positive effect
• Over the last decade Aer Lingus has grown its longhaul network from 6 to 19 transatlantic routes since 2013
• On average more than 37% of passengers on board Aer Lingus transatlantic flights connect to/from the UK and Europe

Aer Lingus drives forward its North American expansion and Dublin Hub strategy as it commences its first new transatlantic route since 2019, on cue with the surge in US demand for travel this summer. The start of its new Cleveland service today, operating four-times weekly, will serve strong Cleveland – Ireland business, investment and tourism connections. With no direct flights between Europe and Ohio’s second largest city, the new route is also a new gateway between Europe and North America, continuing Aer Lingus’ highly focused strategy of growing its position as a transatlantic connecting carrier between Ireland, Europe and North America.

Launching its first new longhaul route in almost four years, Aer Lingus’ transatlantic bookings reflect the strong travel trends and behaviour of US consumers who are returning to Ireland and Europe in strong numbers, buoyed by the strong dollar, personal finances and the complete removal of travel restrictions.

This summer Aer Lingus’ transatlantic bookings are up more than 20% on 2019 and Cleveland flights are already off to a very strong start with more than 90% of seats booked across peak summer season.

Aer Lingus’ standout North American routes include Washington which is seeing a jump in bookings of 40% versus 2019 and now operates double daily from Dublin, along with Orlando, Florida with 35% more bookings which is largely resulting from increased demand from UK and European passengers connecting via Dublin.

Despite inflationary concerns, industry research indicates that travellers are willing to spend more on their holidays[1] which is in line with the bounceback in demand for premium leisure travel that Aer Lingus bookings confirm. There is significant appetite among Aer Lingus leisure customers for a more luxurious experience reflected in their business class cabin and equally those travelling in economy are upgrading their travel with added extras such as lounge access and fast track.

Aer Lingus’ growth in bookings reflects the US consumer’s desire to travel again, with almost 40% of US consumers[2] eager to travel outside North America and 33% of those having a European destination in mind, with Ireland making their top 10 list of European destinations.

A decade of transatlantic growth

Since 2013 Aer Lingus has grown the number of transatlantic routes it serves from six to 19 in 2023 and the number of transatlantic passengers will have almost tripled in the same timeframe, from 1.1m in 2013 to an expected 3m in 2023.

The airline’s longhaul strategy is also focused on connecting Europe to North America and vice versa due to Ireland’s unique geographic position, along with the advantage of customers being able to clear US Customs and Immigration in Dublin and Shannon airports, removing the requirement to be cleared upon arrival stateside.

Over the past decade, the total number of Aer Lingus transatlantic passengers connecting between Europe and North America, through our hubs, has increased almost threefold, from 300,000 to 800,000, and in 2022 more than half were travelling from North America. Today, close to 40% of transatlantic passengers connect via Dublin onwards. In 2022, the main connecting UK and European markets were Manchester, London, Paris, Edinburgh and Amsterdam.

While smaller than the connecting flows over Dublin, many Aer Lingus transatlantic flights also carry significant traffic connecting at its US gateways to/from other points in North America.  The airline’s entry into the Atlantic Joint Business agreement in late 2020 is opening major opportunities in terms of expanding its reach in the US market. Currently around 7-8% of Aer Lingus’ transatlantic passengers make such connections, pointing to further growth opportunities for the airline as it deepens its codeshare and other commercial collaborations with partner airlines in the US, American Airlines, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines.

Next-generation aircraft driving longhaul growth

The arrival of the Airbus A321neoLR into the fleet, which today operates the inaugural Cleveland flight, was a game changer for Aer Lingus. It is one of the most sustainable aircraft crossing the Atlantic delivering up to 20% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions and close to 50% reduction in noise footprint when compared to previous generation aircraft.

The A321neo LR aircraft accounts for over a third of Aer Lingus’ current fleet and from 2024/2025 the fleet will be boosted further with the planned delivery of six Airbus A321XLRs (extra long range). Designed to travel even further than the A321neo LR, adding this aircraft to the fleet will open up further opportunities to expand Aer Lingus’ transatlantic network, delivering new routes.

While the Airbus A330, wide-body aircraft is ideal to serve primary US destinations such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, where there are high volumes of passengers to fill the larger aircraft, the A321neoLR and XLR enables Aer Lingus to operate from secondary US cities with lower travelling numbers. Destinations such as Cleveland, Ohio, or Hartford, Connecticut would not have the numbers to fill a wide-body A330 aircraft on a high-frequency schedule, but there is still strong demand for travel overseas which Aer Lingus can cater for and that is more in line with the seat capacity on the aircraft of an A321neo LR and XLR.

Lynne Embleton, CEO, Aer Lingus, said:

“The addition of the new Cleveland route is a further demonstration of Aer Lingus’ commitment to develop Dublin as a hub, a key part of the airline’s growth strategy. At Aer Lingus we are seeing a 20% increase in transatlantic bookings, a strong indicator of the demand amongst US passengers for travel to Ireland and Europe. which is being met by our largest ever transatlantic schedule, delivering over 2.25 million seats this summer.

“At Aer Lingus we are very proud of what we have achieved over the last decade having consistently grown our North American network and we plan to continue on this growth trajectory. Dublin’s geographic position is unique and advantageous for the airline as we can fly to North America operating some of the most sustainable aircraft across the Atlantic. Not only do we serve the very popular destinations such as New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles, our A321neoLR aircraft allow us to provide connections to secondary cities such as Cleveland.

“Our strategy augments direct travel between Ireland and the US with connecting passengers from across Europe. 

With the ability to preclear US Customs and Immigration in Dublin and competitive pricing, flying via Dublin is an attractive proposition. Almost 40% of Aer Lingus’ transatlantic passengers are connecting passengers flying through Dublin; positioning Aer Lingus and Dublin as a highly influential and growing player in transatlantic travel.”

New routes support tourism, business and the broader Irish economy

Recent reports by ITIC, Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, stated that US tourism into Europe is expected to continue performing well, and Ireland is very well positioned to benefit from this. It is anticipated that the US market holds best prospects for Irish tourism this year and next.

According to the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland’s 2023 report, there are now 950 US companies in Ireland, employing 376,000 people directly and indirectly, and spending more than €31 billion in the Irish economy annually.  Their report also emphasises the two-way nature of the business relationship, stating that Ireland is the 9^th largest FDI investor in the US, with 650 companies employing over 100,000 people across all 50 US States. 

In addition, economic research from IAG, the parent company of Aer Lingus, revealed that IAG’s operation, of which Aer Lingus accounts for 95%, contributed €1.1bn to the Irish economy in 2019 and supported 7,000 jobs. The supporting impact of the tourism and business travel it facilitates contributed an additional €1.07bn, and a further 7,400 jobs to the Irish economy.