Aer Lingus Regional has announced plans allowing its Bristol-based passengers to fast track their journey to the United States through Dublin.
As part of the new transatlantic strategy, starting May 1, 2015 passengers flying out of Bristol Airport will be able to travel by Aer Lingus to Washington-Dulles Airport via the Dublin Airport transatlantic hub.
With the new pre-clearance at Dublin Airport, operated by US Customs and Border staff, Bristol passengers travelling to North America via Aer Lingus Regional can save up to two hours at security checks as they will be treated similarly to domestic passengers. Aer Lingus Regional is operated by Stobart Air.
Simon Fagan, Chief Commercial Officer at Stobart Air, said: ‘We are very pleased to continue facilitating our Bristol-based customers with alternative routes to the United States. This service is designed to save passengers from Bristol time on their transatlantic travel. Now local business and leisure passengers can travel to the American capital of Washington with greater speed and ease.’
Shaun Browne, Aviation Director at Bristol Airport, said: ‘We are delighted with this announcement. Washington is mentioned time and time again by passengers as a required destination to be added to the Bristol Airport route network. This is great news, particularly for defence-related industries in the region and the benefits of US pre-clearance via the Dublin transatlantic hub, saving passengers time on arrival in America.’
Across Europe, Ireland is the only country to offer passport and customs pre-clearance to destinations in the United States. The Dublin-Washington route will operate four times weekly. Passengers will be able to fly in the airline’s newly launched Business Class, featuring reclining sleeper seats.
Effective from summer 2015, Aer Lingus will also operate daily flights from Dublin to San Francisco and four weekly flights from Dublin to Orlando, offering increased flexibility for passengers travelling from Bristol.
