Tuesday 24 January 2017 9:33 am

Jet2 launches New York trips from Birmingham and Belfast among its winter schedule

Jet2 is taking another bite of the Big Apple, after it announced plans to launch New York flights from Birmingham and Belfast International.

The low-cost airline will now offer 30 direct trips to New York, up from 24, from seven airports.

It is lining the trips up to coincide with Black Friday, the sales bonanza day, as well as Thanksgiving, and ahead of Christmas.

The Leeds-based airline also announced six different trips are planned from Newcastle Airport between October and December this year.

It comes after US airline United announced it was stopping the only direct flight between Northern Ireland and the US at the end of last year, because of the route's poor financial performance.

Steve Heapy, Jet2's chief executive, said: “Our New York trips have enjoyed phenomenal demand this winter, with sell out trips and load factors exceeding all expectations.

"It’s clear how much our customers love our New York breaks, so we’re adding more trips from more bases, giving customers more chance than ever to grab their own slice of the Big Apple.”

All breaks on offer are for four nights – apart from a five-night Thanksgiving trip from Glasgow.

Packages with Jet2CityBreaks start from £699 per person, while flight only options are available from £359 per person including taxes.