Press release -
American Airlines launches New York to Edinburgh service
Initially running until September, the new daily service will offer access to New York via the preferred business airport – John F. Kennedy International – and onto the network of the world’s largest airline.
The route will be operated with a Boeing 757-200 with 16 Business Class seats. From JFK American offers easy international connections to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Montréal and Toronto in Canada and Cancún in Mexico.
Passengers can also connect onto popular US leisure destinations such as Las Vegas and Orlando, while business passengers will delight at the luxurious interiors of the A321 ‘Transcon’ – with fully lie-flat seats in First and Business Class – that connects New York to San Francisco and Los Angeles hourly.
Flights from Edinburgh will depart at 9.15 a.m., arriving at JFK at 11:45 a.m.
Flights leave JFK at 7.10p.m. daily, arriving in Edinburgh at 7:15 a.m. (the following day).
David Thomas, American Airlines Sales Director UK and Ireland said:
"The market in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas has a really nice mix. There is an entrepreneurial spirit so a lot of SME companies that are travelling to New York and then on to Los Angeles and San Francisco. We are excited to launch this service and we are confident it will be very popular.”
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said:
“American Airlines share our commitment to delivering the best for our customers and we’re delighted to welcome them into the Edinburgh Airport family. This new daily service to JFK offers excellent flight times and will no doubt be a very popular choice for passengers travelling for both business and leisure and for the fantastic options for onward connectivity to destinations in North and South America and Canada.”
“New York is one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world and we’re very excited to be able to offer Scottish passengers yet more choice of how they can travel there from Edinburgh. This new service will also make it easier for American visitors to visit Scotland this summer and experience all our fantastic country has to offer.”
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said:
“The launch of this new daily service from New York to Edinburgh is incredible news for Scotland’s tourism industry. Our strategy is to develop Scotland’s direct air connectivity by working with global airlines. In 2014 we welcomed the world to The Ryder Cup, and we now look forward to welcoming more of our American friends from New York and beyond to discover Scotland, the Home of Golf, for themselves.
“The USA is also a key diaspora stronghold. As one of our most important markets for ancestral visitors, and with the incredible success of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander in print and on TV, we hope this new route will encourage more and more people to come and experience the magic of the land that inspired her world.”
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Categories
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Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
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- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
Year of Food and Drink 2015
- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
