Today saw flights to Charlotte, North Carolina take off from Manchester Airport as the inaugural flight with American Airlines (operated by US Airways) arrived and departed from Terminal Three.
The new daily route will be a huge asset to both the business and leisure market as Charlotte is a key tourist and commercial city in North Carolina. Return fares start from £656.
The inaugural flight was met with a customary aviation welcome including a water cannon salute and cake for passengers. Welcome speeches were undertaken by Manchester Airports Group (MAG) COO Andrew Cowan and American Airlines’ MD of Airports UK & Ireland Clive Cook.
Andrew Cowan (pictured left) said: “It is not only great news for Manchester Airport to welcome this important new route, but for the entire region. The introduction of the daily Charlotte route will further strengthen connections from Manchester to North America, with a wealth of onward connectivity. The route also sees another direct long haul service added to our ever increasing network of routes, which is testament to the success of our Fly Manchester campaign.”
Clive Cook said: “Manchester has been a hugely important city for American Airlines for many years and we are thrilled to add this flight to Charlotte, complementing our existing services to Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.
“Charlotte is one of the major airport hubs in the US with 39 million annual passengers where we have close to 630 daily departures to almost 150 destinations, travelers from Manchester will have excellent opportunities to connect onwards across the US or enjoy this historical city and its surroundings.”
For more information see www.manchesterairport.co.uk or www.americanairlines.co.uk