Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
operator for United Airlines.
Now, Voyager
(
&
800/255-6951;
www.nowvoyager.com) is a well-known San Francisco-based gay-
owned and operated travel service.
7 Getting There
BY PLANE
About half of all visitors from North America arrive in Dublin on
direct transatlantic flights to Dublin Airport. The other half fly first
into Britain or Europe, then “backtrack” into Ireland by air or sea.
In the Republic, there are seven smaller regional airports, all of
which (except Knock) offer service to Dublin and several of which
receive some European traffic. They are Cork, Donegal, Galway,
Kerry, Knock, Sligo, and Waterford. Services and schedules are
always subject to change, so be sure to consult your preferred airline
or travel agent as soon as you begin to sketch your itinerary. The
routes and carriers listed below are provided to suggest the range of
possibilities for air travel to Ireland.
FROM THE UNITED STATES
The Irish national carrier,
Aer Lingus
(
&
800/474-7424;
www.
aerlingus.com) is the traditional leader in providing transatlantic
flights to Ireland, with scheduled, nonstop flights from New York
(JFK), Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Baltimore to Dublin.
From there, you can connect to Ireland's regional airports.
Note:
Aer
Lingus offers a wide range of excellent-value packages that bundle
your flight with a rental car and/or accommodations. These aren't
tours—you still travel independently once you get to Ireland—but
by booking all the elements at once rather than separately, your sav-
ings can be significant. As you'd expect, the discounts are deepest in
the winter months.
American Airlines
(
&
800/433-7300;
www.aa.com) flies directly
from New York (JFK) and Chicago to Dublin.
Delta Airlines
(
&
800/241-4141;
www.delta.com) flies directly from Atlanta to
Dublin.
Continental Airlines
(
&
800/231-0856;
www.continental.
com) offers nonstop service to Dublin from its Newark hub.
It's possible to save big by booking your air tickets through a con-
solidator (aka bucket shop) who works with the airlines to sell off
their unsold air tickets at a cut price. But note that the savings gen-
erally range from miniscule in the high season to substantial in the
off season.
Ireland Consolidated
(
&
888/577-2900;
www.ireland
consolidated.com) sells tickets to Ireland on regular Delta, British
Airways, and Continental flights.
