Aer Lingus gives Cleveland its 1st Europe route in 4 years with flights to Dublin
Cleveland will soon be reconnected with Europe.
Aer Lingus, the Irish flag carrier, will launch service next May between its hub at Dublin Airport (DUB) and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE). The service, which begins on May 19, will operate four times a week using the carrier's Airbus A321LR aircraft, a longer-range variant of the A321neo.
"This is a significant announcement for Aer Lingus as we deliver on our ambition to grow our transatlantic network," Aer Lingus chief strategy & planning officer Reid Moody said in a statement. "The commencement of a new route, accompanied with further network connectivity, is an exciting milestone for the airline during a critical time of recovery for our business. The new service to Cleveland not only provides a direct connection to Ireland but connections to over 20 popular European destinations via our Dublin Hub."
To lure Aer Lingus to Cleveland, local government and business groups joined together to offer the carrier an incentive package worth $2.4 million, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. Such packages are common — especially for long-haul air service to smaller markets. For example, a coalition of local civic and business leaders joined together in St. Louis to lure the German flag carrier Lufthansa, which began its service this past June. That deal is worth up to $5 million, paid out over three years.
Aer Lingus' flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Flight EI86 departs Cleveland at 8:20 p.m. and arrives in Dublin the next morning at 8:50 a.m., all times local. The return flight, EI87, departs Dublin at 3:30 p.m. and arrives in Cleveland at at 6:50 p.m.
For round trips departing Cleveland, introductory economy-class fares are as low as $459 round-trip. For the same itinerary, business-class fares are pricing around $3,264 round trip.
Aer Lingus' A321LR seats 16 passengers in lie-flat business class and 168 in economy class. When TPG's Nicky Kelvin flew this business class product, he called the experience "brilliant" and the onboard experience "fresh and comfortable."
Review: Aer Lingus business class on the A321neo, Dublin to Philadelphia
When launched, Aer Lingus' flight will be the city's first service to Europe since the summer of 2018, when both Icelandair and now-defunct Wow Air served Cleveland from Keflavik Airport (KEF), according to Cirium schedule data. The last scheduled full transatlantic crossing was in 2009, when Continental Airlines ended service between Cleveland and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Soon after, Continental merged with United Airlines, and United later closed its Cleveland hub.
Aer Lingus itself is not a stranger to serving secondary markets in the U.S.: it served Bradley International Airport (BDL) near Hartford, Connecticut from 2016 to 2019.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month