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.

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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.