A fares war from Gatwick is in prospect as Aer Lingus cut fares on new routes to under £10.
The £9.99 one-way rates including taxes and charges apply to five new destinations being served by the Irish carrier from April.
The destinations include Knock, Munich, Nice, Vienna and Zurich for travel between April 6 and July 15.
The move follows EasyJet launching competing flights on a number of the new Aer Lingus routes (see previous TravelMole story).
Aer Lingus corporate affairs director Enda Corneille said: “These are tough times for everyone and we want to get everyone moving.
“We have thousands of seats available at this fantastic price so there’s no excuse for anyone who wants to escape the recession and the weather and treat themselves to a short break.
“We’re relishing the competitive challenge at Gatwick and are prepared to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to securing our low cost position at the airport.”
An EasyJet spokesman said: “This is clearly a desperate sign of panic from Aer Lingus, particularly surprising given the fact that they expect to loose 20 million euros in 2008”
by Phil Davies
