Aer Lingus executives have been expressing curiosity in flying to Las Vegas since at the least 2017, if not earlier. This route will lastly turn into a actuality as of this fall, as flagged by @IshrionA.
Aer Lingus will add Las Vegas route in October 2024
As of October 25, 2024, Aer Lingus will launch a brand new 3x weekly year-round flight between Dublin (DUB) and Las Vegas (LAS). The service will function with the next schedule:
EI51 Dublin to Las Vegas departing 3:20PM arriving 5:50PM
EI50 Las Vegas to Dublin departing 7:35PM arriving 1:10PM (+1 day)
The 4,954-mile flight is blocked at 10hr30min westbound and 9hr35min eastbound. Flights will function on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, in each instructions. Aer Lingus will use an Airbus A330-300 for the route, that includes just below 300 seats, together with 30 enterprise class seats. Whereas not leading edge, I fairly like Aer Lingus’ passenger expertise in enterprise class, and discover the meals to be respectable, and crews pleasant.
This new path to Nevada enhances Aer Lingus’ current flights from Dublin (DUB) to the USA, together with to Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Cleveland (CLE), Denver (DEN), Hartford (BDL), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis (MSP), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), Orlando (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Washington (IAD).
I’m undecided I perceive Aer Lingus’ route planning
I’ve gotta be sincere, I can’t actually make sense of how Aer Lingus chooses locations at this level, particularly when you think about how transatlantic leisure demand has advanced, and in addition when you think about that Aer Lingus is now within the oneworld transatlantic three way partnership, and has ended its codeshare partnership with United.
Given how joint ventures usually work, there’s a component of income sharing between airways, and airways additionally coordinate schedules and fares. But Aer Lingus’ route community appears fairly random.
For instance, the airline has largely been including service to hubs of competing alliances, like Denver and Minneapolis. You may assume “oh, that’s in all probability sensible.” Properly, no.
Only a few weeks in the past, Aer Lingus launched a brand new path to Minneapolis, and that appears to principally be useless instantly. The route was initially speculated to function year-round, whereas the airline has already eliminated it from the schedule for each the upcoming winter season, in addition to the 2025 summer season season.
Now, admittedly when Aer Lingus introduced its route, Delta matched, which in all probability contributed to this subject. However is Aer Lingus actually shocked that Delta would defend itself at a fortress hub? I imply, I feel all of us noticed that coming.
On this case, I’m a bit shocked to see year-round flights to Las Vegas. I can admire the European demand for Las Vegas in winter, however is that this actually the very best allocation of a airplane in summer season? Wouldn’t or not it’s smarter for Aer Lingus to feed extra into oneworld hubs, whether or not it’s a flight to Charlotte (CLT), or Dallas (DFW), or Phoenix (PHX)? And even Miami (MIA), which is barely served seasonally 3x weekly, when it looks like there’s a number of room for progress there?
I do know Aer Lingus is basically focusing on cities with decently sized Irish populations, however I’m undecided that’s essentially an important route planning technique these days.
The alternatives are all of the extra puzzling when you think about that Aer Lingus doesn’t actually have room to develop for the time being. Not solely is Dublin Airport dealing with passenger caps, however Aer Lingus administration and pilots are at present in a dispute, and in consequence, the airline is deferring Airbus A321XLR deliveries.
Backside line
As of October 2024, Aer Lingus is launching a brand new 3x weekly, year-round flight between Dublin and Las Vegas. It’s definitely cool to see extra transatlantic service to Las Vegas, although I nonetheless discover this to be a wierd alternative. It looks like Aer Lingus is in a little bit of a rut with regards to route planning, on condition that the provider seems to be canceling its new Minneapolis flight proper out of the gate.
What do you make of Aer Lingus launching Dublin to Las Vegas flights?
