Flights now open for sale for travel from 1 November 2008 CHICAGO, Oct. 8
CHICAGO, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aer Lingus and United Airlines
have begun a codesharing agreement enabling United customers to book
connecting flights on Aer Lingus' network for travel from Nov. 1, 2008. The
new partnership provides customers with a seamless booking process,
coordinated baggage handling, and simplified reservations, ticketing and
check-in. From April 2009 Aer Lingus will place its code on United Airlines
domestic flights, giving customers access to United's entire North American
network.
The codeshare agreement will cover all six of Aer Lingus' U.S. gateways,
including New York-JFK, Boston, Orlando, Chicago-O'Hare, San Francisco, and
Washington. Aer Lingus customers will have access to nearly 200 additional
destinations in the U.S. through United's hubs in Chicago, San Francisco, and
Washington. United customers will also benefit from greater access to
destinations in Ireland and to destinations in the UK and Continental Europe
through Aer Lingus' extensive short-haul network.
Dermot Mannion, Aer Lingus CEO said, "The relationship with United
Airlines extends our offering to both our Irish and North American customer
base, with seamless travel options and access to more than 200 destinations
served by United Airlines in the US. We believe that this agreement will
strengthen and consolidate our position in the US market as we capitalise on
the scale and the strength of the United Airlines network."
The United Airlines flight code is now available on all Aer Lingus
transatlantic flights to and from Ireland and on flights between Ireland and
both London Heathrow and London Gatwick.
"We are pleased to partner with Aer Lingus and provide our customers in
the United States with the most direct service to Ireland on the country's
national carrier," says Glenn Tilton, chairman, president and CEO of United.
"Our customers will now enjoy more choices and benefits during their travels
to Ireland and the rest of Europe."
On November 1, members of the United Airline's Mileage Plus(R) program
will be able to earn miles on the codeshare routes and may redeem Mileage Plus
miles across the Aer Lingus network. Aer Lingus frequent flyers will be able
to earn points on trans-Atlantic flights operated by United and redeem points
for travel across the United network. Aer Lingus customers will also be able
to earn points on select United domestic flights, beginning in April 2009.
About United
United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAUA) operates more than 3,200* flights a day on
United and United Express to more than 200 U.S. domestic and international
destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and
Washington, D.C. With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe
and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based
in the United States. United also is a founding member of Star Alliance, which
provides connections for our customers to 975 destinations in 162 countries
worldwide. United's 55,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many
countries around the world. News releases and other information about United
can be found at the company's Web site at united.com.
* Based on the flight schedule between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2008.
SOURCE United Airlines
