Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) has celebrated the return of Aer Lingus Regional services between Liverpool and Dublin, which offer onward connections to the US, with a surprise visitor on hand to welcome some of the first passengers to arrive on the new service.
Former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland international John Aldridge helped with the celebrations at the airport, giving a surprise welcome for arriving passengers on flight EI 3192 from Dublin, many of whom were coming over for Sunday’s Liverpool match against Tottenham.
Flights are operated by Emerald Airlines, the exclusive operator of Aer Lingus Regional Services. A total of 11 weekly departures are now operational, including a double-daily service on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays using their fleet of 72-seat ATR 72-600 aircraft.
Passengers can now seamlessly connect onto Aer Lingus flights to North America via Dublin Airport, one of only a few airports outside North America that offers a US Preclearance facility. This allows US-bound passengers to undertake all US immigration and customs inspections at Dublin Airport prior to departure. It results in passengers arriving in the US as domestic arrivals, allowing them to avoid immigration queues upon arrival and pick up their bags quick and swiftly.
This new route will also help to attract more international visitors to the Liverpool City Region, with the value to grow the numbers of visitors from the US.
Passengers can now book flights at www.aerlingus.com to Dublin, along with Boston, Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Washington DC.
John Aldridge commented:
“Ireland is close to my heart both in terms of my family and having had the privilege of representing the Republic of Ireland during my playing career, so to see Aer Lingus back operating from my home city is great news for me.”
Paul Winfield, Director of Aviation Development for Liverpool John Lennon Airport, commented:
“It’s great to see the increased connectivity to North America that these new Aer Lingus flights bring. Well timed connections via Dublin to New York JFK, Washington, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia plus transfer times on outbound and return journeys averaging 2 hours, means that the region’s travellers can take advantage of even more opportunities of flying to the US from Liverpool.”
Ciarán Smith, Head of Commercial at Emerald Airlines commented:
“Not only will this new service provide convenient travel options between Liverpool and Dublin, but it also opens a gateway to North America on the wider Aer Lingus network. With the added convenience of pre-clearance in Dublin, this allows passengers to enjoy a seamless onward journey to the US. We look forward to working alongside our partners at Liverpool Airport to make this route a success!”
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