Orlando International Airport (MCO) is our primary airport, and despite its flaws, we appreciate having access to a major airport close to home. Given Orlando’s popularity as a travel destination, it’s convenient to find flights to anywhere in the world. Additionally, we have multiple airlines to choose from, often with several carriers flying to the same destination.
Orlando Airport serves a wide range of airlines and offers flights to various international destinations, including The Caribbean, Europe, and Central and South America. It’s always interesting to see unusual airline combinations, like Icelandair and Avelo planes, parked together at the airport.
However, I recently discovered a unique flight to MCO that I wasn’t aware of. What’s more, it’s the airport’s only fifth freedom route. (update – I’ve been told this is not a fifth-freedom, but a seventh-freedom route because the flight operates between two cities. It’s also not an issue because the UK subsidiary of Aer Lingus operates the flight)
Manchester – Orlando on Aer Lingus
I know that Aer Lingus flies to Orlando. In fact, we flew business class with them from Orlando to Dublin in 2016.
I didn’t know that the airline has flown from Orlando to Manchester (UK) since 2022. Aer Lingus is the flag carrier of Ireland and operates most of its flights from Dublin and Shannon. But they also fly a handful of transatlantic flights from Manchester, which seems to be a strange expansion.
Why Manchester (UK)?
The number one US destination from Manchester is Orlando, FL. Before the pandemic, Virgin Atlantic, Thomas Cook and TUI flew the route. Thomas Cook went bankrupt, and TUI moved its flight to Melbourne, leaving Virgin Atlantic as the only airline serving the city pair.
Aer Lingus saw an opportunity and announced four international routes from Manchester, including Orlando, New York (JFK), Boston and Barbados. The Boston route never happened, but the other three cities are still served non-stop from Manchester, with Barbados dropping to seasonal flights.
Increased Capacity For The Holidays
Aer Lingus typically offers three weekly flights between Orlando and Manchester, but during the winter holiday season (December 18, 2024 to January 5, 2025), the service will increase to four times per week.
Final Thought
Until I learned about this Aer Lingus flight to Manchester (UK), I didn’t think there were any fifth freedom routes to Orlando. Once two of the three airlines flying the route were gone, someone had to fill the void in capacity. With no US or UK airlines willing to jump in, it left an opportunity for the Irish carrier to add direct service to US cities they already served from their Dublin hub.
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