Aer Lingus is to stop selling transatlantic flights to or from Manchester for travel from 31 March, leaving agents unsure what will happen to passengers booked to travel over the next six weeks.
The carrier said in mid-November it was considering closing its base at Manchester and was undergoing consultation with staff.
It hasn’t yet confirmed the base is closing, but transatlantic flights have regularly been cancelled over the past few weeks, causing chaos for agents.
Last night (8 January), it told passengers: “We are currently undergoing a period of uncertainty on transatlantic services at our Manchester base.
“To minimise customer disruption in the event of a closure of the Manchester base, which operates transatlantic flights from Manchester to New York, Orlando and Barbados, Aer Lingus is no longer selling transatlantic flights to/from Manchester for travel from 31 March 2026.”
Agents have complained about a lack of communication from Aer Lingus and say they’re now unsure whether flights between now and 31 March will go ahead, or be cancelled at the last minute.
Manchester-based agent Emma Goodyear has Aer Lingus flights booked before 31 March for travel to New York to celebrate her son’s 21st birthday and her 20th wedding anniversary.
She said: “Everyone booked after 31 March will get the option to refund or change, whereas those booked before are expected to run the gauntlet and just see what happens or pay to change to a different flight.
“The way they are handling this is awful. As a consumer it is causing me so much anxiety in the run up to what should be a huge celebration for our family, as an agent I thankfully haven’t personally been affected with any of my clients but feel so much for those that do have bookings.
“It’s just the not knowing that’s the pain, because I don’t want to waste even more money on booking stuff in case we don’t get there or end up a few days late.”
Aer Lingus didn’t respond to Travel Gossip’s request for comment about flights over the next six weeks, but said: “Following a series of consultation meetings over November and December regarding the future of the Manchester base operated by Aer Lingus’s UK subsidiary (Aer Lingus UK), staff at Manchester were informed today that the process will now enter a phase of consultation for the purpose of mitigating job losses which would occur in the event of a base closure. While consideration of proposals for avoiding and/or reducing redundancies will continue, it is important to also address contingencies in the event that the base closes.
“We acknowledge that this is an uncertain and difficult time for our colleagues in Manchester and we will seek to ensure that colleagues are kept informed and supported.
“We are also taking commercial steps to minimise customer disruption in the event of a closure of the Manchester base from which Aer Lingus UK operates transatlantic flights from Manchester to New York, Orlando and Barbados. As part of this, Aer Lingus is no longer selling transatlantic flights to/from Manchester for travel from 31 March 2026.
“Customers already booked on Aer Lingus UK transatlantic services (New York, Orlando and Barbados) from Manchester from 31 March onwards and who are concerned about their travel arrangements will be offered a refund or re-accommodation options in due course. We appreciate our customers’ patience and cooperation during this time and we will be contacting customers directly regarding their flights.”
Andy Riley, Senior Sales Consultant at Pillinger World Travel based in Preston, Lancashire said customers in the Manchester area now have few options when flying to the US.
He said: “Direct routes to the US have become increasingly limited since the disappearance of Aer Lingus, leaving Manchester reliant on Virgin Atlantic’s four direct US destinations.
“In contrast, there are multiple daily scheduled services to the Middle and Far East, with a wide choice of airlines that generally operate on time and reliably.
“It’s no wonder that so many of our northern customers are choosing to fly east rather than west.”
Meanwhile, operators have told agents they are ready to rebook package customers on alternative flights.
Gold Medal and sister brands Cruise Plus, Pure Luxury and Incredible Journeys said: “The implications of this communication are clear and our thoughts are with all those Aer Lingus employees impacted.
“In anticipation of this outcome, we have a team ready to re-protect our package holiday customers onto alternative flights, aiming to keep disruption to a minimum.
“Our teams are working through affected bookings in departure date order as quickly as possible, and we will be in touch with you by email or phone as soon as we have an update and options to discuss.”
It said further updates will be posted on its social pages and the Gold Medal website and asked agents with a ‘time-critical question’ related to Aer Lingus to contact customer services, not the sales team.
Ocean Florida told agents: “We want to reassure you that we are actively managing the situation.
“Our teams are already reviewing all affected bookings in order of departure date. We have a dedicated team working diligently to assess options and will be in contact with you as soon as we have specific updates relevant to your customers’ bookings.
“Rest assured, no booking will be overlooked, and you will be contacted once information is available.”
It told agents to monitor the Ocean4Agents Facebook group for the latest updates.
