Aer Lingus to start DC flights next year

Irish carrier Aer Lingus will start a seasonal service between Dublin and Washington DC from next May, as well as ramping up frequencies on other transatlantic routes.

The Dublin-DC service will operate four times a week from May 1, 2015.

Included in the newly released summer schedule will be a daily service from Dublin to San Francisco, increased from five times a week and the addition of a third flight a day from Dublin to New York from June through August.

Aer Lingus said it will also increase capacity by 20% on the Shannon to Boston route.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland welcomed the extra flights.

"Today’s announcement by Aer Lingus is really great news for Irish tourism for 2015. The new flight from Washington DC and the increased capacity on other transatlantic routes will certainly help boost both leisure and business travel from the United States to Ireland," Gibbons said.