Aer Arann to operate all flights from Ireland as Aer Lingus Regional
(Wednesday, 14th March 2012) Aer Arann and Aer Lingus today announced that under an expansion of their existing franchise relationship Aer Arann will operate all of its services between Ireland and the UK, France and the Isle of Man under the Aer Lingus Regional brand from 25th March 2012.
The Waterford routes transitioning to the Aer Lingus Regional brand include those between Waterford and London Southend, Manchester and London Luton.
Passengers with Aer Arann bookings for travel after 25th March will be contacted by the airline with updated booking information. While flight numbers will change, there will be no change to existing flight times.
Flights from Waterford with Aer Lingus Regional for travel after 25th March will be available for booking from Thursday 15th March on
Aer Lingus- cheap flights, gift vouchers, hotels, car hire, & travel insurance.
“We are absolutely delighted to strengthen our partnership with Aer Lingus and this move represents a major strategic development for Aer Arann. Operating under one renowned brand will enable us to streamline our services, resulting in an overall improved experience for our customers”, said Aer Arann Interim CEO, Sean Brogan.
Welcoming the improved agreement, Aer Lingus Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Kavanagh said, “This expansion of Aer Lingus Regional’s service offers more choice and value to the travelling public. I welcome Aer Arann’s confidence in the Regional franchise model and wish them continued success.”
Also welcoming the announcement today was Waterford Airport CEO Graham Doyle, "We're thrilled to have Aer Lingus Regional at Waterford Airport. The airline's routes to key UK cities are hugely important for business people and the people of Southeast. For visitors to the region to be able to book on aerlingus.com will be a huge boost for tourism here. We hope everyone in the Southeast will see the potential that this development offers and we very much look forward to working with the team at the airline."
Additional routes transitioning to the Aer Lingus Regional brand on 25th March include those between Dublin to the Isle of Man and to Kerry.
Combined with the existing 21 Aer Lingus Regional routes available from Dublin, Cork and Shannon, which are operated by Aer Arann, the move significantly increases Aer Lingus’ presence in the Ireland-UK market.
Aer Arann will continue to assume full operational and commercial responsibility for the services covered by the franchise agreement, with Aer Lingus receiving a franchise fee in recognition for providing its brand and product suite to Aer Arann.
All Aer Lingus Regional services will be operated using Aer Arann ATR72 and ATR42 aircraft and crew and will be sold and distributed through
Aer Lingus- cheap flights, gift vouchers, hotels, car hire, & travel insurance.
From 25th March the following routes will be operated by Aer Arann under the “Aer Lingus Regional” brand:
1. Dublin – Isle of Man
2. Dublin – Kerry
3. Waterford – London Luton
4. Waterford – London Southend
5. Waterford - Manchester