Tag Archives: transatlantic

MORE than 80 jobs were shed at Shannon Airport in May of last year, when Aer Lingus closed its cabin crew base. The job losses were hugely controversial as the airline were major beneficiaries of State supports, but speaking at the relaunch of its transatlantic services, Aer Lingus Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Donal Moriarty was unrepentant. “You don’t need me to remind you how challenging it has been over the last two years for the aviation sector and all of us who work in it. In Aer Lingus we had to take some difficult decisions, including the closure of our cabin crew base here in Shannon Airport. That was unfortunately necessary, it meant we had the right structure and cost base to reinstate our transatlantic services, starting today with Boston.” Shannon-New York was due to restart the following day, and Mr Moriarty said that there is going to be a very good level of connectivity to America. “Both routes will …

WORKING as a guidance counsellor Fiona Christie is used to supporting students as they navigate their way through life’s journey. However, the Ennis woman took on a navigation of a very different kind recently when she set sail across the Atlantic ocean. A keen sailor Fiona had long hoped to take part in the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) race from Gran Canaria to St Lucia, however with work keeping her busy she didn’t have the time. Finding herself between positions last August she decided to listen to that little voice inside her telling her to go for it, and she is delighted she did. Now returned from her travels and working with students in St Caimin’s Community School in Shannon, Fiona tells us, “I always thought I’d love to do the race some day, but being a guidance counsellor in a secondary school I was always working in November when the race is on. It was something I thought …

The CEO of Norwegian Airlines, Bjørn Kjos met Ireland South MEP and member of the EU Transport Committee, Deirdre Clune in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss transatlantic flights from Cork and Shannon to the US. Kjos, a Norwegian aviator, lawyer, and business magnate is best known as the founder and CEO of Norwegian Air. He agreed to meet MEP Clune in the European Parliament, as the approval process for Norwegians transatlantic license continues. Ms Clune described it as a constructive meeting. “I invited Mr Kjos to the European Parliament to discuss Norwegians flights from Shannon and Cork. He has told me that the process of granting a licence will take time and that there is a procedure to be followed. Ultimately, he wants to begin flying from Cork to the US from August 1 and has also reaffirmed his committemnt to flying from Shannon to the US, but did not give me a specific date on those flights. “The US …

WITH the Government this evening announcing the sale of the State’s stake in Aer Lingus, a Fine Gael source this evening told the Clare Champion that Shannon-US services will be enhanced as a result of the transaction. It is understood that British Airways (which is owned by IAG) will continue to use Shannon’s US  Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance facilities, and in the future it may actually pick up passengers at Shannon, effectively extending the range of US services from Shannon, something that would be welcomed by local business interests. While IAG CEO Willie Walsh had previously ruled out increasing a five year commitment to maintaining Shannon-Heathrow connectivity, this will be increased to seven years. It is understood the assurances have calmed at least some political nerves in Clare, but the issue is still set to provoke local and national debate in the coming days. The chairman of Shannon Group plc, Rose Hynes, has  welcomed the proposed IAG takeover of …

UNITED Airlines have announced they will run services between Shannon and Chicago again next year but there will be 88% more capacity on the route in 2014. They started a Shannon-Chicago service this summer, after a number of years without any link to the Windy City, and this week a spokesman said things had gone very well, leading to the decision to increase the amount of capacity next year. The majority of those using the service are Americans and the decision to renew and extend the route will provide a boost to Clare tourism interests. On Wednesday, United managing director sales for Britain and Ireland, Bob Schumacher lauded the 2013 performance. “We are not only returning but returning with a lot more seats on the market and we’re extending the season from mid-May to mid-September. That’s all systems go. We’re very pleased with how it’s performed this year and looking forward to something similar next year.” While declining to give …