A hop across the pond is easier than you think!

Hi, I’m Steve Rush, CEO of Improov Consulting and Author of Leadership Cake. I coach and train executives all over the world, but as a Cardiff lad, I have been left frustrated over recent years to because I’ve  been forced to travel from Heathrow to meet my international clients, even more frustrating when I have to literally drive past Cardiff Airport.

Well all that changed for me in November, when I made an earth shattering discovery. Aer Lingus introduced daily routes to the US via Dublin, as intrigued as I was; I booked to visit some clients in New York.

My trip started with a short morning trip to Dublin from Cardiff, which is also a daily route. I checked my bags in at Cardiff and didn’t see them again until New York.

When in Dublin, I followed signs saying “This way to the US”. The airport has ingenuously partnered with the US Government Immigration and as part of any connecting flight, you can clear immigration in Dublin. These guys are absolutely geared up for it, over a dozen entry points with US marshals at hand, a quick, “Hi, how are you? What are your plans? and is this your bag” conversation and I had cleared US immigration. All that was left for me to do was to grab a coffee and breakfast and an hour later I was airborne to Stateside.

For those who after a long flight fear the US immigration processes the other end, this is a dream! No sooner as you have passed this checkpoint then you’re technically on US soil and therefore from here in you are on a domestic flight.  As soon as you land, you grab your bags and go! I have since learned that Aer Lingus from Dublin fly twice a day to New York, Florida, Washington, Chicago and California.

I am already booked to fly to New York in February and San Francisco in March. Given that these tickets were also under £700 (economy) the flight itself is cheaper than the London carriers but you also remove the hassle and the cost of travel to London as well as saving time. Most importantly after a long flight, I’m nearly home. I’m converted!

So why not discover what I’ve learnt and use Aer Lingus from the ‘Diff (Cardiff – sorry) when looking to hop across the pond to the land that gave us Bagels, the Superbowl, Budweiser, George Clooney, Starbucks, Amazon, Billy Joel, Baseball Caps, Skyscrapers  and so on.

Have a nice day !

Steve