Taoiseach Enda Kenny is this morning travelling to the US for a week-long St Patrick's Day visit, writes Fiachra O Cionnaith of the Irish Examiner.

The head of one of Europe’s largest low-fares airlines has promised to shake up the Irish transatlantic market after launching 17 ultra- low-fares flights from Ireland to the US — including the first direct transatlantic route from Cork Airport.

Eoin English looks at why it was such a struggle to convince some of the stakeholders that transatlantic flights to and from Cork would be a good deal all round.

Details of the first direct transatlantic flights from Cork to the US will be unveiled today, with special one-way introductory offers of €69 expected, writes Eoin English of the Irish Examiner.

Details of the first direct transatlantic flights from Cork to the US will be unveiled today, with special one-way introductory offers of €69 expected.

Details of the first direct flights from Cork to the US could be announced within days after US authorities sanctioned the airline’s final piece of operational paperwork over the weekend.

Details of the first transatlantic flights from Cork Airport could be announced within days after US authorities sanctioned the airline's final operational paperwork last night.

Flights from Cork to the US will provide a huge opportunity to attract business tourists to the south-west region, according to Fáilte Ireland.

Budget airline Norwegian is expected to announce low-fares US flights from four Irish airports within weeks.

Tourism chiefs will aggressively market the Cork and wider region to American and Canadian cities in order to capitalise on the first transatlantic flights this summer.

The airline poised to launch low-cost flights from Ireland to America next summer has confirmed it is considering landing at secondary US airports — each up to 100km from Boston and New York, respectively — to keep costs down.