Aer Lingus has unveiled a bumper 2023 summer schedule which will see it fly to 53 European destinations from Ireland, including three new exciting summer routes to Kos (Greece), Olbia (Sardinia, Italy) and Brindisi (Italy).

Aer Lingus also has over 2.25 million transatlantic seats on sale, making it the airline’s largest ever North American summer schedule to date. Next summer the airline will operate 15 routes from Ireland, including Cleveland for the first time and the return of Hartford, Connecticut. It will also operate two* direct transatlantic routes from Manchester to JFK and Orlando.

The summer 2023 schedule reflects the huge resurgence in leisure travel and the increasing demand for European sun destinations, particularly the Mediterranean. Aer Lingus is increasing its peak summer capacity to Malaga and Faro from both Cork and Dublin. It is also increasing capacity on other popular European routes including, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Perpignan, Izmir, Bordeaux, and Athens from Dublin.

Tapping into Travel Trends

Industry insights reveal growing travel trends for 2023, with Forbes highlighting two interesting motivations for choice in 2023 – a feeling of familiarity when travelling as well as the quest to follow a path less travelled. Condé Nast Traveller’s fifth annual travel summit also reports very similar travel motivations for 2023, the key trends highlight people seeking experiences rather than destinations; solo travellers joining group trips with strangers; travellers splurging more than ever; and major interest in traveling to learn a new skill. Aer Lingus’ three new summer destinations will allow travellers to tap into these trends as each provides many different types of experiences to be enjoyed by those feeling wanderlust in 2023.

Summer 2023 is set to be a year of continuing resurgence in a post-pandemic world. As the demand for summer travel returned in force last year, as Irish consumers look to the skies after past summers of staycations. 2023 is forecasted to show strong demand for family favourite holiday destinations like Spain and Portugal which offer the comfort and reassurance of the familiar.  Whereas younger generations seek adventure along the paths less travelled, like the streets of beautiful Brindisi and the sandy beaches of Sardinia. Popular booking website, Sky Scanner, also released research for 2023 stating that one in four are considering solo travel this year.

Europe for Summer

Greek Islands

What better destination for a summer experience than a sandy beach and beautiful views? Greek island Kos, new to Aer Lingus’ summer schedule, is steeped in rich culture and surrounded by warm, clear waters and is a perfect holiday destination. Island hoppers can also discover other popular Greek islands such as Corfu and Santorini this summer.

Culture Capitals

According to Glamour Magazine’s 2023 Travel Trends, travellers are also ready to buckle up and head to culture capitals of the world to whet their appetite for change. Aer Lingus is meeting this demand with two cultural destinations that won’t disappoint. Flying into Olbia in Sardinia, a town filled with medieval history and sandy beaches, this destination provides all the culture with a dash of beach escapism, the perfect balance! Taking a flight to Brindisi, a city steeped in history, holidaymakers can take in beautiful scenery of both sea and city views of the Apulia region.

Sun-seekers are encouraged to book early to get the best value and ensure their spot on these highly sought-after flights. Aer Lingus will commence twice weekly flights to the new destinations starting with Kos and Olbia from May and Brindisi from June.

North America Milestone

Looking to North America, Aer Lingus will have a bumper 2.25 million seats on sale for Summer 2023, making it a record schedule in its history of flying across the Atlantic. In peak summer Aer Lingus will deploy its full Airbus A330 fleet and A321neo LR aircraft on the Atlantic, enabling Aer Lingus to offer 20% more seats from Ireland to the North America than 2019.

Key favourites Boston, New York JFK, Chicago and Washington D.C will operate double-daily from Dublin during peak summer; new route Cleveland, Ohio will commence in May; and Hartford, Connecticut will resume in March for the first time since the pandemic. Aer Lingus will operate a total of 15* North American routes from Ireland next summer.

Speaking about the Summer 2023 Schedule, Susanne Carberry, Chief Customer Officer said,

‘’Demand for European sun destinations is at an all-time high post-pandemic, with European sun high on everyone’s wish list, so Aer Lingus is delighted to announce increases across our European schedule to the most sought after, trendsetting European destinations this summer.

We have three very exciting brand-new destinations on offer in Kos (Greece), Olbia (Sardinia, Italy) and Brindisi (Italy), which our customers are sure to love exploring this summer. We’re seeing a big appetite for travel and our ambitious expansion into North America continues with Cleveland and Hartford services beginning, making our summer transatlantic schedule a record breaker with 2.25 million seats on sale.’’

The Aer Lingus Summer Schedule 2023 is now available to book on aerlingus.com