Ryanair Is Coming Stateside — and Bringing $15 Flights to Europe With It
3/23 Update: Since posting, Ryanair has backtracked on any current transatlantic plans. The airline released a statement on its site, “In the light of recent press coverage, the Board of Ryanair Holdings Plc wishes to clarify that it has not considered or approved any transatlantic project and does not intend to do so.” Additionally, Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, told The New York Times the news was “a miscommunication” and the company “screwed up.” Our cheap transatlantic travel plans were fun while they lasted. Read the original article below.
No need to pinch yourself, because this is the real deal. Reportedly the board at Ryanair has approved outline plans that would kickstart cheap transatlantic flights between 14 US + European cities. With a rollout plan of four to five years, the popular budget-friendly airline our European friends (and your study abroad friends) use for cheap travel would be taking off + landing from cities like New York, Chicago, Miami and Boston to Dublin, Berlin, London and more with fares beginning at $15. Clearly the company forgot about the West Coast. But even with a ticket from California to New York, you’d still have more than enough money for a lot of activities once your feet hit the pavement in Europe with rates that low.
While still in the initial stages — the company has to actually buy the aircrafts for those long hauls first — the initiative looks promising. The airline reported that it has been in talks with manufacturers regarding purchasing the planes needed for treks across the Atlantic and back. According to a Ryanair spokesperson: “European consumers want lower-cost travel to the USA and the same for Americans coming to Europe. We see it as a logical development in the European market.”
Our bags are packed.
Where would you travel first on this budget-friendly airline? Let us know in the comments.
(h/t The Guardian, photos via Ian Waldie/Getty + Ryanair)