Strong business bookings for the new Aer Lingus non-stop service between Shannon and Dublin and Los Angeles, which was inaugurated yesterday, indicates that the route will prove profitable for the airline.
US and Irish business executives prepared to avail of the special premier rate of £3,000 return fare are, according to a company spokesman, foremost in the 20,000 advance bookings. The lead fare is £448 return.
"It is clear that we are winning back from the London market Irish and American business traffic, which has been using that route to the west coast of the United States for some time".
Mr Bernie Cahill, Aer Lingus chairman, said: "Direct links with the west coast and its concentration of modern high-tech industries centred around the Silicon Valley will greatly aid the inward investment programme that has been of such benefit to the resurgence of the Irish economy".
The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, who initiated the service and travelled from Shannon to Dublin, said: "These are exciting times for Aer Lingus, with increased profitability over the past few years, new aircraft and the development of new routes".
The new long-range £90 million (€114 million) Airbus 330-200, with 180 passengers, took on board 69 tonnes of fuel for the 6,000-mile flight. The trip was due to take 10 hours 32 minutes. The aircraft began its journey at Shannon, where the Airbus fleet is based, and then flew direct to Los Angeles from Dublin.
For the first time, there were three pilots on board, the senior pilot being Capt Donal Foley, who is chief pilot and general manager technical. The new long-range aircraft, which will operate three days a week, burns five-and-a-half tonnes of fuel per hour.
