Aer Lingus is planning to probably end its transatlantic flights out of the United Kingdom, though the airline is taking an unusual approach in announcing this…
Aer Lingus maybe 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, and that’s now more or less confirmed. Aer Lingus has announced that it has stopped accepting bookings on these routes for travel as of March 31, 2026, as the airline is “currently undergoing a period of uncertainty.” Here’s how this is described:
We are currently undergoing a period of uncertainty on transatlantic services at our Manchester base.
To minimise customer disruption in the event of a closure of the Manchester base, which operates transatlantic flights from Manchester to New York, Orlando and Barbados, Aer Lingus is no longer selling transatlantic flights to/from Manchester for travel from 31 March 2026.
There is no impact on Aer Lingus or Aer Lingus Regional flights between Manchester and Ireland.
As you can see, the airline isn’t going so far as to say that these flights are being axed, but if you stop accepting bookings, that makes it pretty clear that this is the intention.
Why is Aer Lingus maybe 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 are demanding bigger raises and improved conditions, claiming the raises being offered don’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 has 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 it’s hard to know what exactly to make of this. It’s one thing to threaten employees with the possibility of essentially closing a base, while it takes matters to the next level to remove the flights from sale, since that has serious financial consequences. Is Aer Lingus serious about this, and actually intending to cancel these flights? Or is this a bargaining technique on management’s part, to basically say “take our deal, or you’ll lose your job?”
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 a bargaining technique with Aer Lingus pilots.
I will say this — if Aer Lingus plans to shutter its Manchester base, doing so with less than three months notice, and ahead of the summer season, seems a little odd. Would Aer Lingus instead launch some last minute routes out of Dublin, or…?
Bottom line
Aer Lingus has stopped accepting bookings on transatlantic flights from Manchester as of late March 2026, meaning the airline may cut flights to Bridgetown, New York, and Orlando. The routes aren’t officially canceled, but instead, the airline is framing it as a period of uncertainty.
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, though who really knows what’s going on here.
What do you make of Aer Lingus potentially cutting Manchester long haul flying?
