US
TOUR operator Evergreen Holidays has cancelled its charter flight programme to
Ireland because of the foot and mouth crisis.
The
Boston-based company planned to operate 30 flights with North American Airlines
into Shannon and Cork.
The
decision is a blow to the Irish Tourist Board which is mounting a promotional
campaign in the US to drum up new
business.
Aer
Lingus and Delta Airlines, the main transatlantic operators into Ireland, are
expecting a 20% drop in business this summer.
Aer
Lingus has blamed losses of £8 million
on the crisis, and is planning to reduce flights from New York, Boston, Chicago
and Los Angeles to
minimise
further losses.
Irish
bookings are down by over 60pc in some US cities because of the crisis, which
is mostly affecting Ireland’s neighbour, the United Kingdom.