If you were planning on heading across the pond to visit the Emerald Isle this fall, you'll now have one less direct way to do it if you're flying out of Minnesota.
Minnesota Has Deep Irish Roots—and Plenty of Travelers
Ireland is one of those 'bucket list' places for many of us here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I'm guessing that's because parts of Minnesota have a significant Irish heritage. The old saying might be that 'everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day,' but according to this CBS-Minnesota story, roughly 10 percent of Minnesotans report Irish ancestry.
And in some parts of the Gopher State, like in Wabasha and Le Sueur counties, Irish heritage rates top 15 percent, according to CSB-Minnesota. Meanwhile, Hennepin County has a slightly lower percentage but is home to the largest number of Minnesotans with Irish ancestry. Either way, Ireland is popular in Minnesota-- my wife and I traveled there two years ago and can't wait to go back.
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Aer Lingus Is Ending Its Nonstop MSP-to-Dublin Route
But if you're looking to head to Ireland on a direct flight from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, you'll soon have one less choice. That's because Irish airline Aer Lingus just announced that it will be discontinuing its direct service from Dublin (DUB) to MSP later this fall. Travel site Thrifty Traveler reported that Aer Lingus is cutting its service to Minnesota in October, along with getting rid of direct flights to Denver (which are ending in late September) and Las Vegas, which are set to end in December.
That Aer Lingus route from MSP to DUB has only been back for a little over two years. In a story I wrote in August 2023, I explained that Aer Lingus was excited to resume its direct service to Minnesota in spring 2024 after it had been axed during the pandemic.
Why Aer Lingus Is Leaving the MSP-Dublin Market
So why is it now going away? Kyle Potter of Thrifty Traveler notes that there has been internal pressure to cut costs at Aer Lingus. However, the story also notes that Delta Air Lines, which began offering its own direct flights from MSP to DUB in direct competition with Aer Lingus, was likely also responsible for helping Aer Lingus decide to cut bait with Minnesota.
So if you are planning to head to Ireland later this year, the good news is that you'll still be able to catch a direct flight from MSP to DUB. But it will likely only be on Delta Air Lines, not Aer Lingus. And since there won't be any competition on that route, it's not unlikely that prices could be set to increase.
