Aer Arann and Aer Lingus have announced that under an expansion of their existing franchise relationship Aer Arann will operate all of its services between Ireland and the UK, France and the Isle of Man under the Aer Lingus Regional brand from 25th March 2012.

Passengers with Aer Arann bookings from London Luton to Waterford for travel after 25th March will be contacted by the airline with updated booking information. While flight numbers will change, there will be no change to existing flight times.

Flights from London Luton to Waterford with Aer Lingus Regional for travel after 25th March will be available for booking from Thursday 15th March on www.aerlingus.com.

“We are absolutely delighted to strengthen our partnership with Aer Lingus and this move represents a major strategic development for Aer Arann. Operating under one renowned brand will enable us to streamline our services, resulting in an overall improved experience for our customers”, said Aer Arann Interim CEO, Sean Brogan.

Welcoming the improved agreement, Aer Lingus Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Kavanagh said, “This expansion of Aer Lingus Regional’s service offers more choice and value to the travelling public. I welcome Aer Arann’s confidence in the Regional franchise model and wish them continued success.”

Airline Development Manager, Simon Harley, said “The Aer Arann service has been successfully operating at London Luton for many years now. The move to operating under the respected Aer Lingus Regional brand can only help to further enhance the awareness. With convenient flight times, quality onboard service and competitive fares we are sure the Waterford flights will continue to be a great success.”

Additional routes transitioning to the Aer Lingus Regional brand include those from Waterford to London Southend and Manchester and those between Dublin and the Isle of Man and Kerry.

Combined with the existing 21 Aer Lingus Regional routes available from Dublin, Cork and Shannon, which are operated by Aer Arann, the move significantly increases Aer Lingus’ presence in the Ireland-UK market.

Aer Arann will continue to assume full operational and commercial responsibility for the services covered by the franchise agreement, with Aer Lingus receiving a franchise fee in recognition for providing its brand and product suite to Aer Arann.