A few weeks ago, I covered how Aer Lingus announced that it might end transatlantic flying out of the United Kingdom, which was an unusual announcement (airlines usually announce what they’re going to do, not what they might do). Well, there’s now an update, and the decision has been finalized, and this is officially happening.
Aer Lingus cuts long haul Manchester flying
In late 2021, Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus commenced transatlantic flying out of Manchester (MAN), including to Bridgetown (BGI), New York (JFK), and Orlando (MCO).
The airline was looking for growth opportunities, and the idea was that Manchester was an underserved transatlantic market on a year-round basis (or something). With Aer Lingus being in the oneworld transatlantic joint venture (without actually being in the oneworld alliance), the airline saw an opportunity there.
For quite some time, there have been rumors that Aer Lingus would be ending long haul service out of Manchester. A few weeks back, the airline announced that it was “undergoing a period of uncertainty” in deciding whether to cut these flights. There’s now an official update, which is that these flights are ending. Here’s the announcement:
A decision has been taken to cease Aer Lingus’ Manchester transatlantic operations as of and from 31st March 2026. Manchester–New York operations will cease from 23rd February 2026 and Aer Lingus plans to operate a service from Dublin to Barbados (subject to receipt of necessary approvals) during the months of April and May to reaccommodate affected customers.
We do not expect there to be any impact to operations before these dates.
There is no impact to Aer Lingus or Aer Lingus Regional (Emerald Airlines) flights between Manchester and Ireland.
We understand that this is disappointing news and apologise for the disruption to our customers.
All impacted customers are being informed of the cancellation of flights directly and provided with reaccommodation and refund options.
Why is Aer Lingus ending Manchester flights?
Over the past several months, Aer Lingus has been in contract negotiations with the roughly 200 flight attendants based in Manchester. The company offered a 9% pay increase, but employees demanded bigger raises and improved conditions, claiming the raises being offered didn’t cover the increased cost of living.
We’ve seen Manchester-based flight attendants go on strike for extended periods, and it means that Aer Lingus’ Manchester operations have sort of been a mess in recent times.
Perhaps not so coincidentally, the company also claimed that the financial performance of Manchester flights “significantly lagged” the performance of flights out of Ireland, including from Dublin (DUB) and Shannon (SNN). Okay, aircraft are resources that have to be maximized, so it’s important to always send them where they can make the most money.
So at first, it was hard to know what to make of this. One wondered if the airline actually planned to follow through on those plans, or if the airline was simply making a threat as a bargaining technique. After all, Aer Lingus is an IAG company, which isn’t exactly known for its positive approach to labor. Just last year, we saw IAG shift around A321XLR orders, as leverage with Aer Lingus pilots.
But it seems that the company was serious about Manchester threats, as these flights are being ended. It is interesting that these changes are being made with just weeks of notice. Will Aer Lingus now instead launch some last minute routes out of Dublin, or…? I guess with the World Cup in the United States this year, filling flights from anywhere won’t be too difficult.
Bottom line
Aer Lingus has announced that it’s cutting all transatlantic flights from Manchester as of the spring of 2026, meaning the airline is ending flights to Bridgetown, New York, and Orlando. A few weeks ago the airline announced it might cut these flights, and now it’s following through on this.
This comes as the airline is having labor issues with Manchester flight attendants, who have been on strike in recent times. The airline claims the financial performance of these flights lags those out of Ireland, in which case it’s logical enough to shift around planes, assuming they can be flown more profitably from elsewhere.
What do you make of Aer Lingus cutting Manchester long haul flying?
