Aer Lingus is celebrating two years of flying direct from Manchester Airport across the  Atlantic, having flown up to half a million passengers since it launched services in October 2021.

The direct flights were introduced by the Irish carrier in response to increased customer demand and  over the last two years have increased in capacity as Aer Lingus has captured more of the market.

Those travelling from Greater Manchester and the North of England have benefitted from a great  selection of fares, destinations and an attractive onboard product.

This has seen Aer Lingus increase seat capacity by 63,000 additional seats in April of this year, by  switching the single aisle A321LR to a second widebody Airbus A330 on its Manchester fleet. When Aer  Lingus first began operations from Manchester, it did so operating with a single A330 and one Airbus  A321LR.

The two A330 aircraft serve direct daily flights to New York’s JFK and operate four times a week to  Orlando, Florida from the end of October. The carrier’s winter schedule will be boosted by the return of  Caribbean flights direct to Barbados, with the seasonal service starting on 1 November, operating three  times a week.

Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer, said: “We’re proud to have increased choice for  consumers in the North of England, who can now travel directly to destinations as diverse as New York,  Orlando and Barbados, in addition to the eleven flights a day operated by Aer Lingus from Manchester  to Dublin and Belfast.

“We look forward to developing our offering and providing great value for our customers, combined  with great service and a warm Irish welcome.”

Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said: We’re proud to serve the people of the North by  connecting them to the places they want to go with a route network unrivalled outside London.

“Few places epitomise the glamour, excitement and fun of international travel quite like New York and  Orlando and it’s great to think that over half a million people in the last two years will have experienced  them through our partnership with Aer Lingus.

“Passengers in the North are able to fly directly from Manchester to destinations as varied as America,  Barbados and, of course, Dublin with Aer Lingus. This partnership helps us connect the North with the  world and we’re looking forward to continuing and building on this in the years to come.”

The success of Aer Lingus’ Manchester based long-haul operations has contributed towards its  ambitious network expansion to North American destinations, offering yet more choice to its customers.

In August, the airline announced a new direct service to Denver, Colorado and revealed the re-launch of  the Minneapolis-St. Paul route from Dublin as part of its summer 2024 programme.

Flights to Minneapolis-St Paul launch on April 29, 2024, increasing from four-times weekly to a daily  year-round service from next October, served by the carrier’s newest aircraft, the A321XLR from Winter 2024. Flights to Denver from Dublin will also operate four times a week, starting from May 17, 2024.

Customers travelling with Aer Lingus can expect a warm and friendly Irish welcome on the airline’s three  direct transatlantic services from Manchester, as well as enjoying in-flight dining and free access to a  world of entertainment, thanks to its state-of-the-art inflight entertainment service.

Aer Lingus has great value winter fares from Manchester’s three direct transatlantic destinations. Fly to  New York from £349 return, to Orlando from £379 return from 1^st November to Barbados from £498  return including all taxes and charges.*