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Aer Lingus Partnership With United Airlines
Signs Codeshare Agreement With Leading U.S. Carrier
| Source: Aer Lingus
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - April 8, 2008) - Aer Lingus and United Airlines have today
announced that they will commence a codeshare agreement that will enable
seamless booking on each other's flights from November 1, 2008. The
agreement was signed by Aer Lingus CEO Dermot Mannion and United Airlines
CEO Glenn Tilton in Chicago.
The codeshare agreement will cover all seven of Aer Lingus' U.S. gateways
resulting in significant benefits for Aer Lingus customers, by providing
access to over 200 additional destinations in the U.S. market on the United
Airlines network. U.S. customers will also benefit from greater access to
destinations in Ireland and, through Aer Lingus' extensive short-haul
network, to destinations in the UK and Continental Europe. The United
Airlines flight code will be placed on all Aer Lingus transatlantic flights
to and from Shannon and Dublin.
The codeshare will also result in simplified reservations, ticketing,
through check-in and coordinated baggage handling for passengers. Members
of the Aer Lingus "Gold Circle" Club and United Airline's "Mileage Plus®"
program will also be able to redeem frequent flyer points across the
airlines' networks.
Dermot Mannion, Aer Lingus CEO, said: "This relationship further builds on
our growing U.S. route network and will provide customers with seamless
travel options to over 200 destinations served by United Airlines in the
U.S. Greater accessibility to further U.S. destinations will allow Aer
Lingus to fully leverage the opportunities that exist following the opening
of our new gateways. We believe that this agreement will strengthen our
position in the U.S. market as we capitalize on the scale and the strength
of the United Airlines network."
"Chicago and Ireland have a rich history, and our relationship with Aer
Lingus will give our customers more non-stop destinations across the
Atlantic," added Michael Whitaker, United Airline's senior vice president
-- Alliances, International and Regulatory Affairs.
"Partnering with the national carrier of Ireland offers our customers a
convenient, comfortable service to the Emerald Isle and supports our
strategy of international growth."
Passengers will be able to book connecting flights to United Airlines
destinations from September 2008 for travel from November 2008. The
agreement between the two carriers is pending U.S. government approval.
Notes to Editor:
About United Airlines
United Airlines (NASDAQ : UAUA ) operates more than 3,300* flights a day on
United, United Express and Ted 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 897 destinations in 160 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 Feb. 12, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2008.