Shannon - Heathrow route reinstated

In a widely welcomed announcement today, Aer Lingus has announced that the Shannon - Heathow route will be reinstated from the end of March 2009. The decision follows the recent agreements with staff to opt for alternative cost saving measures including work practice changes and new work agreements at Shannon, Cork and Dublin. These changes combined with a new deal on charges from the Shannon Airport Authority, and the recent reduction in the price of fuel, have made the resumption of the service a reality. Commenting on the development, Dermot Mannion, Chief Executive of Aer Lingus said, "We are very pleased to be in a position to recommence the Shannon Heathrow service and I want to acknowledge the huge contribution of our staff and Shannon Airport Authority, in making this a reality." Welcoming the announcement, Pat Shanahan, Chairman, Shannon Airport Authority said, "This is a very positive development for Shannon airport, our customer base and the entire region. We are delighted that Aer Lingus has made the decision to recommence its short haul services, demonstrating its commitment to Shannon. The Shannon Heathrow link will result in increased passenger traffic through the airport and we look forward to other short haul opportunities that may arise from Shannon in the future." From April next, two weekday services will operate. The morning flight will depart LHR at 06:40, arriving in SNN at 08:00 and departing Shannon again at 08.45. The evening flight will depart LHR at 19:10, arriving in SNN at 20:30 and departing for LHR again at 21:10. At the weekend, Saturday has the morning only service and Sunday has the evening only service. Welcoming today's news, Fine Gael Deputy Spokesman on Foreign Affairs and TD for Clare, Pat Breen said that "While today’s news is a huge boost to this region, particularly in the current economic climate the reality is that this service should never have been withdrawn in the first place. This was a profitable route carrying over 360,000 passengers annually, 60,000 of which were American tourists back tracking into this region. Nothing has changed to convince me that this decision was made for anything other than politically expedient reasons and it could have been avoided if the political will was there to do so."