Aer Lingus’s New York route saved by Delta decision

AER Lingus’s Shannon to New York route got a “stay of execution” following the decision by Delta Airlines to cease its service on the route.

Aer Lingus said yesterday that the route will remain under review but it is still for sale and has not been cut.

The airline had been expected to announce yesterday that it was cutting the service but a decision by Delta to cease its service in October after 13 years made the airline rethink its plans.

Aer Lingus director of corporate affairs Enda Corneille said the route however will remain “under close review”.

The state airline is cutting routes between Shannon and Chicago from September 1 and flights between Dublin and Washington and San Francisco from October.

It is battling against a fall in demand in “the rapidly deteriorating economic and operating environment for the airline industry as a whole”.

It said a decision on when the routes would begin again was “subject to review”.

Shannon Airport’s chief executive Martin Moroney said he is confident the Aer Lingus Shannon to New York route is sustainable, particularly following “the regrettable decision” by Delta Airlines to suspend its winter JFK service.

“Last winter Delta carried approximately 30,000 passengers through Shannon and a significant portion of these will now be available to Aer Lingus. Retaining a JFK service is very important to us as it complements the very successful daily Continental Airlines service, which also serves the New York market through the Newark Hub,” he said.

Continental Airlines confirmed its commitment to the Shannon/New York route yesterday.

Bloxham analyst Joe Gill said further action to reduce group costs were “inevitable”.

“We note plans to offer unpaid leave to staff affected by the changes which should also help control unit costs across the business,” he said.

From October, an A320 aircraft will be based at Shannon and Aer Lingus said it hoped to be able to increase the Heathrow service to three times a day, dependent on the availability of slots.

The airline is also removing one of three planes out of Belfast International Airport until the beginning of March 2010.

Flights to Paris, Rome, Milan, Faro and Barcelona will be suspended for the winter.

There will be additional frequencies from Cork to Manchester, Birmingham, Tenerife and Lanzarote from October 25.