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THE announcement yesterday that Newcastle International Airport will have a daily flight direct to New York is "just fantastic", Alnwick Garden marketing and PR manager Rachel Johnston said.
American Airlines is to operate a new daily, scheduled service to New York’s John F Kennedy Airport starting in May next year. This will be the first non-stop scheduled link between the two cities.
The new service will use a Boeing 757 aircraft offering an all-economy class service with 188 seats.
Mrs Johnston said the announcement had “fantastic implications” for the Garden, which was already popular with the American tourists.
“Strategically, we’re working on hitting the States. They love the idea of the Garden,” she said.
Television crews from the US visit Alnwick Garden regularly, the most recent coming from Chicago two weeks ago to film an entire programme featuring the Garden.
Regional development agency One NorthEast has been working with Newcastle International Airport to help bring forward the New York route, making the case for investment and setting out how the North East can be promoted in the US.
Maria Manion, head of regeneration at Alnwick District Council said: “The new route will provide an enormous opportunity, not just for the North East but for the whole of Northumberland to extend their overseas tourist markets.
“The district council will be working closely with One NorthEast to ensure that opportunities are maximised and visitors are fully aware of what the district has to offer.
“Our coastline, National Park, small villages and historic market towns all offer a quintessential English experience which I know our American visitors always enjoy.”
The new route will provide an important new link for air freight to the US from the North East. The flights will provide shippers across the region with specialist cargo services offering guaranteed delivery for high value of time-critical air freight.
Renouned Alnwick fishing tackle manufacturers House of Hardy Ltd is a business which may benefit from the new freighting opportunity.
Iain McGeary, who works in marketing for Hardy’s said the company had a number of international orders and the service could make things easier.
Although the Alnwick store didn’t get a huge amount of US visitors, Hardy products are very popular with US customers.
Mr McGeary said the company could possibly explore more avenues of export in accordance with the announcement.
American Airlines is the world’s largest airline. John Parkin, chief executive of Newcastle International, said: “It is a credit to the North East and a huge coup for Newcastle International to be able to compete for and win this landmark new route with such a major airline.”
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