Aer Lingus’ new Dublin service takes off from LJLA with links to the US

Aer Lingus returned to Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) this afternoon, with the arrival of their first service from Dublin. Celebrations took place both inside and outside the Airport terminal with special Irish and US themed promotions for passengers in the departure lounge and a traditional arch of water aircraft ‘baptism’ outside, performed by the Airport’s Rescue and Fire Fighting Service.

Aer Lingus now operate 15 flights per week between Liverpool and Dublin on a 174 seat Airbus A320 aircraft, with flight times throughout the working week ideal for those passengers wanting to conduct a day’s ’business in Dublin.
However, it is the ability for customers travelling from Liverpool to seamlessly connect onto Aer Lingus’ flights to North America at Dublin Airport that is also expected to prove popular. This brings the added benefit of being able to clear US immigration and customs at Dublin Airport before departing to the US.

Ireland is the only European country to offer this facility and means that customers travelling to the US via Ireland are seen as domestic arriving passengers. Described by Aer Lingus as ‘you can arrive before you depart’, this enables a speedy exit after arriving on the airline’s long haul flights and avoids often lengthy arrivals processing queues.Earlier this week Aer Lingus announced a number of new transatlantic services from Dublin, which passengers flying from Liverpool can connect on to. Onward flights are now available to destinations including New York – JFK, Newark – New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Orlando, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hartford, Connecticut and Toronto.

This new service will enhance LJLA’s reputation as a convenient hassle free alternative for business travellers in particular looking to do business both in Dublin or onward to the US.
Andrew Cornish, CEO of Liverpool John Lennon Airport who was on hand to celebrate the airline’s first departure from Liverpool, commented, “Aer Lingus have an excellent short haul and long haul airline product with very competitive air fares.

Passengers from across the Liverpool City Region now have the opportunity to fly to Dublin and on to the US with all the convenience of departing from their local airport, safe in the knowledge that on arrival in the US, they will be able to avoid the often lengthy immigration queues that can add an hour or more to the total journey time.”
Aer Lingus have historical links with the Airport and were one of the first airlines to operate from Liverpool almost 80 years ago, having first established air links with the Irish capital in 1936.

Aer Lingus Chief Commercial Officer Keith Butler said, “We are delighted to begin flights from Liverpool to Dublin. We believe that we can offer the region both great value flights to Dublin and also access to the fastest growing transatlantic gateway in Europe. Aer Lingus offers convenient and seamless transfers options and with ten direct routes from Dublin to North America and onward connections with partner airlines to over 100 U.S & Canadian cities. We look forward to welcoming guests on board our new service”.