National: Irish airline surprises passengers with special gift ahead of Rugby World Cup quarter-final

AN IRISH airline has surprised passengers on their way to the Rugby World Cup quarter-final with a special gift each.

Aer Lingus has gifted passengers sitting in the 16th row on a morning flight from Dublin to Paris Charles de Gaulle with a #16 Irish Rugby jersey each.

The airline wished to celebrate the supporters, affectionately known as the ‘16th Player’, symbolising their role as rugby fans as ‘key components’ on the Irish team.

Following Ireland’s win over Scotland, 1,381 additional seats from Dublin, Cork and Shannon were made available, making a total of 5,902 seat capacity over the weekend for the upcoming match.

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“Irish rugby fans are travelling in their tens of thousands to be part of this special sporting occasion and we are proud to play a part in their rugby world cup experience,” said Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer.

“The flights have been filled with joy, excited anticipation and immense pride for our team, and we look forward to flying thousands of Ireland supporters to Stade de France this weekend to bring #HomeAdvantage of the 16th Player to the Irish team.”

Additional flights have been added to destinations including Nantes, Bordeaux and Paris and given the demand, some flights will be operated by a larger A330 aircraft which would typically fly to North America. 

The airline also recently announced it will be operating flights to Paris from both Shannon and Cork airport from September 22.