Ireland’s national airline Aer Lingus is taking plane food up a notch with a whole new seasonal range throughout the festive period, including ‘classic’ Christmas dinners.
Yes, that’s right: you can get the mother of all Sunday roasts in the sky.
The Irish flight operators and flag carriers are no strangers to pulling out the stops when it comes to convincing people to choose one of their planes the next time they travel, having recently held a huge Black Friday sale on trips to key holiday destinations.
With that in mind, their latest perk certainly got our attention; when have you ever heard of someone eating a Christmas dinner during a flight? Be honest: you haven’t – that’s why it’s such a great idea.
I see roasties and a sweet. Sounds like they understand the Christmas dinners to me (Credit: Aer Lingus).
What’s better than the feeling of knowing you’re on your way to a relaxing getaway? Adding arguably everyone’s favourite meal of the year on top of it for the journey, and that’s exactly what Aer Lingus has done with the new festive menu.
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Starting from Sunday, 8 December, passengers on board long-haul Aer Lingus flights departing from Ireland and down the road at Manchester Airport will be serving up what they’ve dubbed a classic Christmas dinner with all these usual suspects on the plate. Meat, gravy, stuffing, veg – you get the gist.
Those flying across the Atlantic during the holidays to destinations like New York, Orlando and Barbados – three of the airline’s most popular destinations – will actually be able to enjoy food and drink from a choice of more than 50 festive favourites.
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Be it the familiar roast open or the likes of seasonal turkey sandwiches, Irish cream liqueur desserts, cheese boards and special ‘Merry Berry’ champagne cocktails available in business class, with the latter coming as a winter warmer welcome drink (don’t mind if we do), there’s plenty to choose from.
Even if you’re flying economy, there’s still a scrumptious orange chocolate mousse for afters or a special Santa-inspired chocolate treat for the little ones. Provided they’ve eaten all their veggies, of course…
You don’t have to stick with a roast either (Credit: Aer Lingus).
To top it all off, the airline will also be screening plenty of classics to watch whilst you’re enjoying your food, from Home Alone, Elf, The Polar Express and Love Actually, to as well as Christmas TV specials like Friends, Father Ted, The Big Bang Theory, The US Office and more.
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If none of those takes your fancy, there are also plenty of documentaries, kids’ entertainment, podcasts and games as per usual, or you should tilt your head back and enjoy some seasonal music.
Aer Lingus‘ Chief Customer Officer, Susanne Carberry, said: “At Aer Lingus, we take great pride in the role we play in bringing family and friends together to celebrate the special moments, particularly at this time of year. With the holiday season getting underway, we’re doing all we can to ensure that we make every journey count for our customers.
Christmas meals will be available onboard from 8-24 December, so if you’re looking to fly transatlantic during the festive period, you may want to take an airborne Sunday dinner into account.
‘Groundbreaking’ new police team launches on Bee Network to make it one of the safest in the world
Emily Sergeant
A ‘groundbreaking’ new policing model aimed at making the Bee Network one of the safest public transport networks in the world has launched.
Described as being ‘pioneering’, the first-of-its-kind approach – named the Transport Policing and Crime Command (TPACC) – will bring Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) even closer together to tackle crime, antisocial behaviour, and safety issues across the region’s transport network.
So, how will it work then? Well, according to TfGM, the command will ‘effectively establish’ the Bee Network as GMP’s eleventh policing district.
It will bring together up to 300 personnel, including new police officers, who are all involved in keeping the network safe and providing greater reassurance to passengers travelling across the region.
Efforts to keep passengers safe on buses, trams, active travel routes, and roads across Greater Manchester will be ‘strengthened’ through the new team – improving co-ordination in response to incidents, and helping to reassure communities.
A ‘groundbreaking’ new police team has launched on the Bee Network to make it one of the safest in the world / Credit: TfGM
The new team will also incorporate the existing Roads Policing Unit within GMP that includes specialist functions such as the Central Ticket Office, the Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit, the motorbike unit, the Commercial Vehicle Unit, the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, and more.
Overall, the key focus of TPACC is to:
Increase public confidence on safety across the transport network
Reduce violence, antisocial behaviour and criminality across the transport network
Increase the number of users of the Bee Network across Greater Manchester
The launch of TPACC is said to represents ‘the next phase’ of Greater Manchester’s commitment to creating a ‘safer, more secure, and more welcoming’ transport network for everyone who lives, works, and travels across the region.
“I want a world-class Bee Network where everyone feels safe,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“Our new dedicated transport policing command will bring together more than 300 police and safety officers, with high-profile patrols across our roads and the Bee Network. It means a stronger presence in our communities and faster action when people need help.
“TPACC will also crack down on dangerous driving to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads, which have devastating consequences for families and communities.”
Featured Image – TfGM
Travel & Tourism
First 14 Greater Manchester train stations set to join Bee Network this year revealed
Emily Sergeant
The first 14 train stations in Greater Manchester that are set to join Bee Network before the end of the year have been revealed.
In case you need bringing up to speed, back in December of last year, Andy Burnham – who was then Greater Manchester Mayor, at the time – announced a step-by-step plan for bringing the region’s rail lines into the Bee Network, all with the aim of creating the first truly integrated public transport system outside London.
Eight commuter rail lines will be brought onto the Bee Network in phases through to 2028, with the final additions expected by 2030, so passengers can enjoy all the benefits of joined up buses, trams, trains and active travel.
And now it’s been revealed which stations are set to be the first to join.
The first two lines – which will connect Manchester to Glossop and Stalybridge – will become part of the Bee Network from December 2026, with contactless ‘tap in, tap out’ ticketing also rolled out across 14 stations at the same time.
Here’s everything you need to know.
The first 14 Greater Manchester train stations set to join the Bee Network this year have been revealed / Credit: TfGM
The 14 Greater Manchester stations joining the Bee Network in December 2026
Ardwick
Ashburys
Broadbottom
Dinting
Fairfield
Flowery Field
Glossop
Godley
Gorton
Guide Bridge
Hadfield
Hattersley
Manchester Piccadilly
Newton for Hyde
The 15 stations planned to join the Bee Network in March 2027
Ashton-under-Lyne
Belle Vue
Bredbury
Brinnington
Hyde Central
Hyde North
Manchester Victoria
Marple
Reddish North
Romiley
Rose Hill Marple
Ryder Brow
Stalybridge
Strines
Woodley
The 43 stations planned to join the Bee Network by December 2028
Appley Bridge
Atherton
Bolton
Burnage
Castleton
Cheadle Hulme
Clifton
Daisy Hill
Davenport
Deansgate
East Didsbury
Eccles
Farnworth
Gathurst
Gatley
Hag Fold
Hazel Grove
Heald Green
Heaton Chapel
Hindley
Ince
Kearsley
Levenshulme
Manchester Airport
Manchester Oxford Road
Mauldeth Road
Middlewood
Mills Hill
Moorside
Moses Gate
Moston
Patricroft
Rochdale
Salford Central
Salford Crescent
Stockport
Swinton
Walkden
Westhoughton
Wigan North Western
Wigan Wallgate
Woodsmoor
The remaining 25 stations planned to join the Bee Network by 2030
Altrincham
Blackrod
Bramhall
Bromley Cross
Bryn
Chassen Road
Denton
Flixton
Glazebrook
Greenfield
Hale
Hall-i’-th’-Wood
Horwich Parkway
Humphrey Park
Irlam
Littleborough
Lostock Parkway
Mossley
Navigation Road
Orrell
Pemberton
Reddish South
Smithy Bridge
Trafford Park
Urmston
This means that contactless ‘tap and go’ payments with capped fares will be brought in across bus, tram and train services from 2030.
All timings are subject to ongoing work between Greater Manchester leaders and the Department for Transport (DfT), Network Rail, Shadow Great British Railways, and Train Operating Companies.
Danny Jones -
5th December 2024 
