The iconic Aer Lingus “shamrock” livery has been flying across the Atlantic for well over 20 years and that’s not changing any time soon, but it’s now received a fresh makeover for 2019. Not only that: you’ll be seeing a lot more of them in years to come, too. AerLingus unveiled a minty fresh new update which debuts in the skies over New York and Dublin today but that’s hardly all there is to the story. While many airlines retreat from transatlantic expansion, Aer Lingus plans to nearly doubling theirs.
Aer Lingus has unveiled their new livery, just in time for its debut in the bright lights of New York City on flight Aer Lingus flight 105 from Dublin today, Friday January 18th, 2019. The shiny new paint job as seen on the Airbus A330 plays homage to the classic shamrock and spirit of Ireland, with a slightly more clean and more modern feel. It’s an attractive plane, without doubt.
A321LR Fleet Expansion
Cosmetics are one thing, but Aer Lingus is enhancing the nuts and bolts of their transatlantic operation with quite a few new planes as well. Aer Lingus has pegged the Airbus A321LR as the aircraft best suited to join the Airbus A330 on US flight operations, bolstering popular existing routes while opening up new frontiers. The single aisle A321LR aircraft allows airlines to expand without quite as much initial route pressure, due to the smaller aircraft size. They’re far easier to fill and with greater fuel efficiency, cheaper to fly.
By 2023, Aer Lingus will jump from 17 aircraft operating across the atlantic to 30. That may be the most aggressive transatlantic expansion of any major airline. Aer Lingus will acquire 14 Airbus A321LR single aisle aircraft which will be purposed on a variety of routes both across Europe and the USA. Dublin to Montreal is set to launch in August and the route presents unique opportunity for points enthusiasts.
Point To Point Future
Despite improving airport facilities and friendly stopover policies, travelers continue to prefer direct flights over virtually any other option. Aer Lingus’ bold transatlantic expansion to Montreal and Minneapolis plans could proven very rewarding as it seeks to gain incremental business from contentious North American destinations. These new flights build upon the existing USA flight network including Boston, New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami, Toronto, San Francisco and sunny Los Angeles.
