Manchester Airport lands new US route for Summer 2018

Manchester Airport has become the only UK airport outside London with a direct route to Seattle.

Thomas Cook Airlines today (July 19) announced the new service to the biggest city in the USA’s Pacific Northwest region as part of its Summer 2018 long-haul programme at Manchester.

The flights to Seattle, taking off from May 27, follow the recent introduction of routes to San Francisco and New York.

Christoph Debus, CEO of Thomas Cook Group Airline, said: “We are proud to be continuing our expansion to the USA by launching Seattle as a new destination next year.

“Our German Condor operation has served Seattle for many years and the year-round service has been really popular with our passengers.”

He added: “We work closely with partner airlines, allowing us to connect customers to 90 destinations within the USA. Alaska Airlines, based in Seattle is an important partner offering our customers even more choice to the likes of British Columbia, Alberta, Alaska and Hawaii.”

Thomas Cook Airlines is Manchester Airport’s biggest long-haul carrier, with eight Airbus A330s serving more non-stop long-haul routes than any other airline at the UK’s third-busiest airport.

Manchester Airport’s interim managing director, Collette Roche, commented: “To secure a direct route to Seattle is further testament to the role Manchester Airport plays in the North and UK as a whole.

“We now offer more than a dozen direct destinations to the USA, meaning we have grown the number of seats on sale to US destinations at a greater rate than any other UK airport this year.”

She continued: “This is hugely positive news for the 22m passengers in our catchment area – which spans from Scotland to the Midlands and Merseyside to Yorkshire, and the millions of people a year who connect to our long haul network from locations across the UK and Europe.”