Aer Lingus Offers Limited Shannon Sale

Aer Lingus has a limited sale for travel between New York or Boston and Shannon, with fares from $199 each way, plus taxes and fees. The sale covers a wide range of travel dates, from November 13 through March 31.

The nice thing about the sale is that there doesn’t appear to be any blackout dates. Sounds great, until you search for fares and see that while perhaps there are no stated blackout dates, there are also very few $199 fares. On the Boston-Shannon route, there are four $199 outbound flights in November, but only two $199 return flights (both of which come too early in the month to be paired with a $199 outgoing flight). In December, there are two $199 outgoing flights and four $199 return flights. The majority of fares in these months range between $214 and $319 one-way, though fares around the holidays are very expensive.

The situation improves in January, February, and, to a lesser degree, March—winter in Ireland.

This is neither a good sale nor a bad sale, but rather the sort of sale that seems pointless. $199 to Ireland is a decent fare, but certainly not spectacular, especially for the time of year included in the sale. And the fact that $199 fares are scarce during November and December, easily the more appealing months included in the offer, is disappointing to say the least.

To book, click on “Special Deals” in the top right corner of Aer Lingus’ homepage, then click “Shannon on Sale.”