Aer Lingus cuts back on BFS - LHR flights for summer 2009

Aer Lingus today announced nine new routes for summer 2009. The routes are Dublin to Catania, Newcastle and Sofia, Cork to Lanzarote, Lisbon and Rennes and from Belfast to Milan, Munich and Lanzarote.

In addition the airline announced that it is increasing frequency on seventeen routes, including Paris, Faro, Edinburgh, Barcelona and Malaga.

Since the Belfast base is approaching it's first year in operation it would appear that the opportunity is being taken to tweak the schedule.

Checking the Aer Lingus on line timetable for next summer and comparing to the current schedule and schedule to year end the following changes are worth noting for summer 2009

Belfast - Amsterdam drops from a full daily service to 4 days per week. 

Belfast - Rome goes from four days per week to three.  

Belfast - Lanzarote drops from three days per week to twice weekly.

Belfast - Heathrow which would drop from four flights per day on the summer schedule to three flights for the winter period stays at three flights per day from March which represents a 25% cut back on the Heathrow route for summer 2009.

Belfast - Malaga goes from 4 days per week to five.