Aer Lingus has announced that it will open a new route connecting Hartford, Connecticut's Bradley International Airport (BDL), with Dublin, Ireland's Dublin Airport (DUB). The reopened route will be a part of the airline's transatlantic expansion plans. The route will begin service on March 26th, 2023, giving BDL its only direct service to Europe. The service will add another connection point where Aer Lingus passengers may utilize the existing codeshare agreement with JetBlue.

Transoceanic route

The service will be offered daily, with one flight per day from DUB to BDL and a return trip from BDL to DUB. Passengers traveling from the UK to BDL will be able to connect to Dublin from 11 airports across the island country. The airports include Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Exeter, Leeds Bradford, Southampton, London Gatwick, and London Heathrow. These passengers flying to the US may undergo US immigration pre-clearance in Dublin, allowing them to arrive at BDL like domestic passengers. This will save passengers considerable time as they will not need to go through immigration services once in the US.

Transatlantic expansion

This new route is the latest in the company's plans for transatlantic expansion. The airline has been looking to add services connecting North America and Europe in recent years. It is currently in a codeshare agreement with JetBlue. Together the airlines have managed to provide passengers with convenient access to destinations across both continents. With this codeshare agreement, Aer Lingus passengers traveling to BDL will be able to connect to hundreds of destinations across North America through JetBlue's network upon arrival in Hartford.

The airline has shared its excitement and ambitions for this new route. It anticipates that it will see steady demand for the route year-round from passengers looking to travel to Hartford and those wishing to connect to further destinations through JetBlue. Aer Lingus's CEO Lynne Embleton stated,

"We are opening up key cities and regions in the United States to Irish, UK and European customers, by adding new transatlantic routes to the Aer Lingus schedule. Daily flights to Hartford will bring travellers into the centre of Connecticut, home to global businesses, Yale University and renowned tourist attractions.

"Aer Lingus is forging ahead with its North American expansion plans, growing the number of transatlantic routes from its Dublin hub. The restart of the daily flight into Bradley International Airport, is the only direct service to Europe, reflecting Aer Lingus' ability to connect UK and European customers with North America."

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Aircraft selection

The long-haul flight will be flown on one of the airline's most fuel-efficient aircraft, the Airbus A321neo. The aircraft offers economy and business class cabins allowing the airline to offer various fares. It burns 20% less fuel than the previous A321 model cutting CO2 emissions significantly. It also has a 50% smaller noise footprint than the previous model. The reduced operating costs will substantially increase the profit margins for this long-haul route.

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