US operator scraps charter flight programme

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.