Aer Lingus returns to Minneapolis-St Paul

Aer Lingus has resumed its route from Dublin to Minneapolis-St Paul, four years after its suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The reintroduction of the route marks the airline’s full restoration of its pre-pandemic North American network.

The service was initially only active for eight months, launching in July 2019 and paused in March 2020. Now, the airline is resuming the route due to a “noticeable demand” from passengers.

The four-times-weekly service is operated by the airline’s A330 aircraft, with flights taking place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and one-way fares starting from £279. This will switch to a single-aisle A321XLR aircraft from October, though tickets for the winter season are not currently on sale.

This comes ahead of Delta’s new five-times-weekly service between Minneapolis and Dublin, which launches on 9 May.

Passengers flying in Aer Lingus’ business class on this route will benefit from the airline’s new dining menu, enhanced wifi speeds and expanded IFE library.

 

Customers will also be able to use the US pre-clearance facilities at Dublin Airport, allowing them to complete all the necessary immigration and customs checks prior to departure.

 

Reid Moody, Aer Lingus chief strategy and planning officer, said:

“Minneapolis-St Paul is a significant business destination within the US and we look forward to once again facilitating corporate links and connectivity between Europe and North America, through our Dublin Hub.”

The airline described the ‘Twin Cities’ of Minneapolis-St Paul as having a “thriving business scene” with “strong ties to Ireland, particularly in the biomedical and healthcare sectors”.

The airline added that almost half of passengers booked on flights from Minneapolis St Paul to Dublin plan to connect onto destinations including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona, and Berlin.

Next month, Aer Lingus will also launch a route from Dublin to Denver:

Aer Lingus to launch Dublin-Denver route

aerlingus.com