Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ryanair offers £9 'rescue fares' to passengers after Aer Lingus drops flights from Liverpool

The no-frills airline sees off a challenge from the Irish flag carrier

Simon Calder
Travel Correspondent
Friday 28 October 2016 13:40 EDT
Comments
The special fares are available on bookings made before 3 November
The special fares are available on bookings made before 3 November (Simon Calder)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Aer Lingus launched the route last October in competition against Ryanair, but the latter responded by cutting fares drastically — with thousands of seats on offer at as little as £9 each way, less than the £13 Air Passenger Duty the airline must hand over for each traveller carried.

The Irish flag-carrier will offer refunds to booked passengers, and Ryanair is offering a flat fare of £9.99 to all those with a cancelled Aer Lingus booking, if they buy before 3 November. The airline’s spokesperson, Robin Kiely said: “Customers should book quickly, as just like Aer Lingus’ service, they’ll be gone soon.”

More route news

A new domestic route has been launched between Cornwall and West Yorkshire, with Flybe connecting Newquay with Leeds Bradford. The first flight arrived 15 minutes early, covering the 275 miles between the two airports in just over an hour. The road journey takes around six hours. The link is subsidised by the government through the Regional Connectivity Fund, and The Independent understands that forward bookings are encouraging.

British Airways has announced it will go head-to-head with the low-cost airline Norwegian between Gatwick and Fort Lauderdale in Florida. From next July, it will operate up to four times weekly. The new link will also serve as a cut-price gateway to Miami, which is 25 miles south of Fort Lauderdale airport, with a reasonable train link. A test booking made for the first Saturday in August shows a fare of £835 return on the new service, compared with £1,250 between Heathrow and Miami.

Click here to view the latest travel offers, with Independent Holidays.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in