Aer Lingus announced a new partnership with NFL team, Pittsburgh Steelers, but oddly Aer Lingus hasn’t added any flights to Steel City yet.
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Pittsburgh Steelers-Aer Lingus Partnership
Aer Lingus and the Pittsburgh Steelers have kicked off a unique four-year partnership that brings a bit of Irish green to the Black and Gold. Announced in early 2025, the deal will make Aer Lingus the Official Airline Partner of the storied NFL franchise, just as the Steelers prepare to “host” the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Ireland later this year . It’s a collaboration that capitalizes on the Steelers’ deep Irish roots and the NFL’s push into global markets, all while positioning Aer Lingus to carry planeloads of Terrible Towel-waving fans across the Atlantic.
Under the agreement, Aer Lingus will assume several official roles with the team :
- Official Airline Partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers (the team’s designated airline
- Founding Partner of Steelers Ireland (the franchise’s Ireland-based fan and youth initiative)
- Official Airline of Steelers Ireland (exclusive carrier for team activities in Ireland)
- Presenting Partner of “Steelers Ireland 2025” (the banner name for the Steelers’ 2025 game at Dublin’s Croke Park)
For the last few years, several college teams including Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Navy for example, have kicked off the NCAA football season in late August in Dublin. This year’s college game will be Big 12 foes Iowa State and Kansas State – both of whom competed in the late stages of the conference title run last season.
After several games abroad in London, the NFL continues to expand its overseas matches including Brazil, Germany, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Spain, Australia, Mexico and just a single game in Ireland in 1997. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Chicago Bears 30-17 in that sole appearance on the Emerald Isle.
Pittsburgh’s Appetite For European Connectivity
As a former hub for US Airways, some international flights to Europe were available. US Airways operated a second hub across the state in Philadelphia with the latter offering more origin-destination traffic and the former, connections to Europe from throughout North America.
Since the hub was shuttered (nearly a decade before the airline merged with American) flights to Europe have been limited. Delta operated a non-stop to Paris Charles De Gaulle five times weekly, British Airways restarted its London Heathrow service and increased it from five times weekly to six this year. WOW flew from Pittsburgh to Iceland before going out of business, Icelandair has taken up seasonal service on a 737 during the summer months. Condor had flown to Frankfurt but that service has also ceased.
British Airways’ success suggests that Pittsburghers have a need for flights to Europe and beyond, but it’s hard to say how much further it can go.
What Would It Take?
In Pittsburgh, Aer Lingus might be able to succeed when others haven’t fared as well due to low taxes and fuel surcharges (when compared with British Airways) and wider connectivity than Iceland Air. Aer Lingus can also operate newer A321 equipment rather than a wide-body, and pushing it past summer operations reduces competition from Iceland Air, but perhaps a subsidy is required to get the wheels in motion.
For Aer Lingus, its recent expansion into Cleveland shows its willingness to pick up subsidies where the carrier doesn’t face significant European competition, but its Minneapolis addition by an A330 would counter that notion.
One would think that the tie-up with the Steelers would have been enough to push it over the edge but it appears that’s not the case, at least not yet. Pittsburgh is set to open its revamped terminal later this year and perhaps it’s a matter of when not if Aer Lingus adds PIT to its route map.
Conclusion
My family had a mediocre experience in Aer Lingus business class on a wide-body from Dublin to New York JFK late last year. However, I’d still prefer more options rather than fewer. Further, the city benefits from more connections and long haul service and a narrow body is the right way to start. If nothing else, it seems that the Irish carrier could make some one-off charters surrounding the Steelers game in Dublin this year, introduce their produce and test the market.
What do you think?
“Iceland Air”?! You’re either lazy or ill-informed.
@Dom – https://blueskypit.com/icelandair-expands-season-on-pittsburgh-reykjavik-route/
Dom’s point was that the airline is called “Icelandair” not “Iceland Air.”
” … wider connectivity than Iceland Air” ( 8th paragraph) .
Maybe , but Icelandair has Never cared about connectivity in Iceland … it merely gets you to the destination , with far more intelligence than say , Aer Lingus . The employees of Icelandair know how to play chess , for example .
I’ve been hoping Aer Lingus would start flying to/from PIT for a while. I’d prefer, though, an A330. Flying for around 6 hours on a single-aisle A321, to me, wouldn’t be very comfortable.
I miss the days when Emirates flew there.