Aer Lingus had planned to launch transatlantic flights from Manchester in July 2021. The airline announced in June that the routes would be delayed to September. The airline has now announced that these routes will be delayed further. US routes are scheduled to launch in December 2021.
This is because international borders open later than anticipated. The delay is due to the United States still being closed to Americans who have been vaccinated. It is not surprising that these routes are highly targeted at leisure travellers from Manchester and there has been a delay.
Even if the restrictions are lifted within the next few weeks there will likely be a delay until transatlantic travel demand fully returns.
Aer Lingus transatlantic Manchester routes
Let's now look at the updated details for this new Aer Lingus service. Aer Lingus will launch transatlantic flights between Manchester and four destinations: Barbados, Boston New York, New York, Orlando.
Aer Lingus Manchester-New York route
Aer Lingus will start a non-stop daily flight between Manchester, New York, every day, starting December 1, 2021. This route will be operated using an Airbus A321LR and the following schedule:
EI45 Manchester to New York JFK departure at 12:05PM, arriving at 3:45PM
EI44 New York JFK Manchester departures at 6:25PM, arriving at 6:45AM (+1 Day)
Blockage of the 3,341-mile flight occurs at 8hr40min westbound, and 7hr20min Eastbound.
Aer Lingus Manchester to Orlando route
Aer Lingus will start a non-stop, 4-5x per week, flight between Manchester, Florida, starting December 11, 2021. This route will be operated using an Airbus A330 and the following schedule:
EI35 Manchester to Orlando departing 11:00AM arriving 3:50PM
EI34 Orlando to Manchester, departing at 6:50PM and arriving at 8:10AM (+1 Day)
Blockage of the 4,236-mile flight occurs at 9hr50min westbound, and 8hr20min Eastbound.
Aer Lingus Manchester to Barbados route
Aer Lingus will start a seasonal, nonstop, 2-3x per week flight between Manchester, Barbados, starting October 20, 2021. This route will be operated using an Airbus A330 and the following schedule:
EI31 Manchester to Barbados departing 10:15AM arriving 2:35PM
EI30 Barbados to Manchester departing 7:40PM arriving 9:20AM (+1 day)
Blockage of the 4,163-mile flight occurs at 9hr20min westbound, and 8hr40min Eastbound.
Aer Lingus Manchester-to Boston route
Aer Lingus will launch a flight between Manchester, Massachusetts and Boston with an Airbus A321LR. However, it will not be available until the summer 2022. We don't know much about the flight schedule, frequency, and whether it will operate daily or year-round. So we are going to have to wait.
Redeeming miles on Aer Lingus flights
There are many award options available if you're interested in redeeming Aer Lingus rewards between the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
Book through British Airways Executive Club to redeem points for these flights. These flights don't have any carrier surcharges, but you will still need to pay the UK's high APD. However, you will need to make a phone booking. What is the cost of these award flights?
One-way business class from Manchester to New York costs 42,500 Avios off peak and 50,000 Avios Peak.
For Manchester to Orlando or Barbados, one-way business class costs 50,000 Avios off-peak and 60,000 Avios peak
These flights can be redeemed for Alaska Mileage Plan or United MileagePlus points, but I believe that redeeming Avios is the best option.
Earn miles towards Aer Lingus business class
What does Aer Lingus' business class look like?
Personally, I like Aer Lingus' inflight product. I have found the employees to be friendly and I also enjoy the seats and service.
A wide and narrow body can often have a significantly different inflight product. Aer Lingus is able to overcome this problem.
Aer Lingus offers some cool A321LRs
Aer Lingus A330s have fully flat, staggered business class seats. These are very comfortable, especially for those short flights. You can read my review of Aer Lingus A330 Business Class here.
Aer Lingus A330 Business Class
The Aer Lingus A321LRs have the same seats and I find it to be one the most narrowly built planes. You can read my review of Aer Lingus A321LR Business Class here.
Aer Lingus A321LR business Class
Why is Aer Lingus moving out of Manchester?
Although it might seem odd that Aer Lingus would launch transatlantic flight from Manchester, this has been in the planning for some time and makes sense.
Aer Lingus announced in September 2020 that it would reduce transatlantic flights from Shannon and was in talks with six UK airports to launch transatlantic flights. It was clear that the airline was seeking subsidies.
Aer Lingus has joined the oneworld transatlantic joint venture. This basically means that Aer Lingus can coordinate schedules and fares with American, British Airways and Finnair.
Delta and Virgin Atlantic have a large joint venture between Europe and the USA, and Virgin Atlantic has been expanding its Manchester presence since pre-pandemic.
British Airways has not offered transatlantic flights to Manchester for whatever reason. It is possible that another IAG airline could be added to the market.
Thomas Cook was forced to close its doors last year. However, the airline still had the largest transatlantic capacity from Manchester.
American has permanently cancelled its Philadelphia-to Manchester route. This means that there is less transatlantic oneworld capacity in Manchester.
Aer Lingus will join the oneworld transatlantic joint venture
Bottom line
Aer Lingus will open a transatlantic base at Manchester in the future, although it is later than originally planned. The airline will begin flying to Barbados in October 2021. New York and Orlando are planned for December 2021. Boston is expected to follow the summer of 2022.
Due to the United States' border restrictions, this service was delayed for several months. The new service is being offered in conjunction with Aer Lingus's joining of the oneworld transatlantic joint venture. This will allow the airline to enjoy greater pricing power and better connectivity.
We will be able to learn more about the elite and mileage reciprocity that Aer Lingus can expect with other transatlantic joint venture airlines like American. Given the goal of creating as much metal neutrality possible, it should be possible to redeem American AAdvantage points for these flights.
Although it seems odd to launch transatlantic leisure flights in December, I think Orlando could be a good option for Brits who want to escape the cold, provided that restrictions are removed.
What do you think of Aer Lingus' new Manchester transatlantic service, Aer Lingus?
