DESTINATIONS AVIATION |SMALL PLANES
WHICH AIRLINES FLY WHICH AIRCRAFT?
Direct transatlantic flights from the UK to North America
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Aer Lingus A321neo LR; Air Transat A321neo LR; JetBlue A321LR PICTURES: Airbus SAS; JetBlue
fuel-efficient, quieter and with a longer flying range than the 787 and the 777, the A350 well and truly knocked the big boys (747 and A380) out of the way. As well as being more
fuel-efficient, smaller aircraft have another huge benefit: their size means they’re better suited to flying from regional airports. This cuts costs for airlines, with regional airports charging lower landing fees, while offering travellers more flexibility too. The value of regional flying was underlined by the International Air Transport Association’s 2022 Global Passenger Survey. It found that flying from a nearby airport was passengers’ main priority when choosing a flight, with 75% of respondents rating airport location as more important than the airfare. Maggi Smit, managing director of America As You Like It, agrees that offering regional flights is helpful for clients. “Flying from a regional airport offers travellers plenty of benefits,” she says. “Choosing an airport that’s close to home can save both time and
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money, as there are less travel costs involved with the home-to-airport journey, and in some instances taxes are less when flying from a regional airport. Those flying via Dublin can clear US customs and immigration at Dublin airport, providing a smooth and stress-free arrival to the US.”
STRAIGHT AND NARROW Clients flying from numerous regional UK airports via Ireland can cross the Atlantic on an A321neo Long Range – the leader in a new generation of single-aisle, narrow-bodied aircraft that’s giving the 787, 777 and A350 a run for their money. The A321neo LR can fly up to 4,000 miles, and Aer Lingus has added the planes on routes from Dublin to Washington DC, New York Newark and Hartford, Connecticut, and from Shannon to Boston. An Aer Lingus spokesperson
said: “The aircraft is ideally positioned in the Aer Lingus fleet to serve both transatlantic and European routes. The A321LR has 16 seats in Business Class and
33The heart of the transatlantic market [in aircraft size] is 180-200 seats
168 seats in Economy. What is the difference between the A321 and the A321neo? It’s hard to ‘see’ the difference, but the narrow-bodied A321neo planes are 20% more fuel-efficient than the A321ceo.” JetBlue is also operating A321LR
aircraft on all its services form Heathrow and Gatwick to New York and Boston, while Air Transat uses A321neo LR aircraft for its regional flights such as Glasgow and Manchester to Montreal and Toronto, and on many of its services from Gatwick. And although not direct,
low-cost Icelandic airline Play also operates the A321neo on UK flights from Stansted and Liverpool’s John Lennon airport to Iceland, with connecting flights to New York, Boston and Baltimore/Washington.
Airbus A380: British Airways Airbus A350: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-300 / A330- 200 / A330neo: Aer Lingus, Virgin Atlantic Airbus A321neo/LR: Aer Lingus, JetBlue, Play, Air Transat Boeing 787-9: Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-8: Tui Airways Boeing 757:
Jet2.com Boeing 777: British Airways Boeing 737 Max: WestJet, Icelandair
The Boeing 737 Max, another
single-aisle twin engine jet, also flies transatlantic, operated by airlines including Icelandair and Canada-headquartered WestJet. The current dollar exchange rate will no doubt provide a challenge when it comes to demand for transatlantic routes, but with the future of aircraft design focused on fuel efficiency paired with optimum flying range, smaller planes are set to show up on more Atlantic routes.
IN THE WINGS
Airbus is planning to launch the single-aisle, 220-passenger A321XLR in 2024. An extra-long- range version of the A321neo, it will be able to fly 4,700 miles – 700 miles farther than the A321LR. Boeing has more 737 Max model types palnned too, including the Max 7 and Max 9, with a spokesperson for the manufacturer commenting that “the heart of the market is around 180-200 seats”. The future of transatlantic flight, it seems, may just be single-aisle.
TW
travelweekly.co.uk
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