Ryanair offers £9 'rescue fares' to passengers after Aer Lingus drops flights from Liverpool

The no-frills airline sees off a challenge from the Irish flag carrier

The special fares are available on bookings made before 3 November (Simon Calder)

Aer Lingus launched the route last October in competition against Ryanair, but the latter responded by cutting fares drastically — with thousands of seats on offer at as little as £9 each way, less than the £13 Air Passenger Duty the airline must hand over for each traveller carried.

The Irish flag-carrier will offer refunds to booked passengers, and Ryanair is offering a flat fare of £9.99 to all those with a cancelled Aer Lingus booking, if they buy before 3 November. The airline’s spokesperson, Robin Kiely said: “Customers should book quickly, as just like Aer Lingus’ service, they’ll be gone soon.”

More route news

A new domestic route has been launched between Cornwall and West Yorkshire, with Flybe connecting Newquay with Leeds Bradford. The first flight arrived 15 minutes early, covering the 275 miles between the two airports in just over an hour. The road journey takes around six hours. The link is subsidised by the government through the Regional Connectivity Fund, and The Independent understands that forward bookings are encouraging.

British Airways has announced it will go head-to-head with the low-cost airline Norwegian between Gatwick and Fort Lauderdale in Florida. From next July, it will operate up to four times weekly. The new link will also serve as a cut-price gateway to Miami, which is 25 miles south of Fort Lauderdale airport, with a reasonable train link. A test booking made for the first Saturday in August shows a fare of £835 return on the new service, compared with £1,250 between Heathrow and Miami.

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