British European (BE, 08705 676 676, www.british-european ) competes strongly to Belfast City, while other players include BMI British Midland (BMI, 0870 60 70 555, www.fly-bmi ) which flies to Belfast International and Ryanair (08701 569 569, www.ryanair ) to City of Derry. Northern IrelandThe biggest bargains to Northern Ireland are to Belfast International Aldergrove airport, about 15 miles west of the city. You can fly from Aberdeen (BA), Birmingham (BA), Cardiff (BA), East Midlands (BMI), Edinburgh (BA, Go), Glasgow (BA, Go), Jersey (BMI), Liverpool (easyJet), London Gatwick, London Heathrow (BA, BMI), London Stansted (Go), Luton (easyJet), and Manchester (BA). Fares begin at around £70 return.To Belfast City (just a couple of miles from the city centre) the options are Birmingham (BE), Blackpool (BE, Saturdays only), Bristol (BE), Edinburgh (BA), Exeter (BE), Glasgow (BA), Isle of Man (BE), Leeds/Bradford (BE), Liverpool (BA), London City (BE), London Gatwick (BE), Manchester (BA), Sheffield (BA) and Southampton (BA).City of Derry airport is served from Glasgow and Manchester by British Airways, and from London Stansted by Ryanair. Republic Of IrelandRyanair is very strong to the Republic of Ireland, as is Aer Lingus (0645 737 747, www.aerlingus.ie) and BA. Some Aer Lingus/BA flights are "code-share", meaning either airline can issue tickets for them. The main destination, of course, is Dublin, but many regional airports are also served.
Fares are fiercely competitive, though weekends (out Friday/back Sunday) see prices rise. Gill Airways (0191 214 6666, www.gill-airways ) flies from Newcastle, while Aer Arran (00 353 1 814 1058) has a service from Sheffield. The latest player, implausible as it may seem, is the Luxembourg airline Luxair (01293 596 633), which flies from Manchester to the Irish capital for a reasonable £62 return.Flight Options: Dublin from Birmingham (Aer Lingus, BA, Ryanair), Bristol (BA, Ryanair), Cardiff (BA, Ryanair), East Midlands (BMI), Edinburgh (Aer Lingus, BA), Exeter (BE), Glasgow (Aer Lingus), Isle of Man (BE), Leeds/Bradford (BA, Ryanair), Liverpool (Ryanair), London City (Aer Lingus), London Gatwick (Aer Lingus, BA, Ryanair), London Heathrow (Aer Lingus, BMI), London Stansted (Ryanair), Luton (Ryanair), Manchester (Aer Lingus, Luxair, Ryanair), Newcastle (Gill), Prestwick (Ryanair), Sheffield (Aer Arran) and Southampton (BA).More regional airports in the Republic than ever are served direct from the UK: Cork from Birmingham (Aer Lingus, BE), Glasgow (BA), London Gatwick (BA), London Heathrow (Aer Lingus), London Stansted (Aer Lingus, Ryanair), Manchester (BA), Newcastle (BA) and Plymouth (BA); Kerry and Knock from London Stansted (Ryanair); Shannon from Birmingham (BE), London Gatwick (BA), London Heathrow (Aer Lingus), London Stansted (Ryanair) and Manchester (BA); and Waterford from Luton (Euroceltic Airlines, 0870 040 0100). By Sea The new Ulysses, flagship of Irish Ferries (08705 17 17 17), is the biggest car ferry in the world.
It competes against Stena HSS ferries, and a host of conventional and high-speed vessels across the Irish Sea. For a snapshot of options and prices, we asked for fares on selected services and dates: a weekend for two people, travelling with a car, in mid-June; and a fortnight in July for a family of four, again with a car. * Cairnryan-Larne on P&O Irish Ferries (0870 242 4777) Weekend: £141, off-peak hours; £175, peak hours. Fortnight: £218, off-peak hours; £238, peak hours (both these are Apex fare, and must be booked four weeks in advance)* Stranraer-Belfast on Stena Line (08705 70 70 70) Weekend: £154. Fortnight: £234 (Apex fare, must be booked 14 days in advance) * Troon-Belfast on Sea Containers (08705 523 523); Weekend: £178. Fortnight: £280 * Heysham-Belfast on Sea Containers (08705 523 523); Weekend: £204. Fortnight: £310 * Liverpool-Belfast on Norse Merchant Ferries (0870 600 4321) Weekend: £215.
