North East travellers now able to buy combined rail and air ticket to fly to three US cities

The North East travelling public could find it easier to make a trip to three destinations in the United States due to a new initiative between rail operator TransPennine Express and US airline Delta.

Delta's Air+Rail programme will connect cities across the north of England and Scotland to the US via Manchester Airport, including Newcastle. The agreement provides one booking covering both train and flights for customers travelling from Central Station to Manchester, where they can continue onward to Atlanta, New York and Orlando.

Other cities which travellers can also start their journey from include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lancaster, Oxenholme (Lake District), Preston, Sheffield and York. Customers looking to book can add train travel to their Delta booking to connect with services offered by Virgin Atlantic, and those travelling in Virgin's Upper Class cabin will be entitled to first class rail tickets.

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Darren Higgins, Commercial Director for TransPennine Express, said: "We are thrilled to have launched this new partnership with Delta which will provide a valuable link between cities across the North of England and into Scotland with the U.S. The combined air and rail ticket will make it easier and more convenient for customers, who will be able to organise their trip in a single booking."

Alain Bellemare, Delta's President - International, said: "Building more Air+Rail connections into our schedule provides makes travel easier for customers on both sides of the Atlantic as we expand our U.K. footprint to many cities not currently served by flights operated by Delta or our European partners."

TransPennine Express services have been affected both by rail strikes and short notice timetable amendments in recent months, seeing several trains cancelled or delayed. However, should disruptions occur, passengers will be able to travel on the next available train or flight.

Would you book an all in one travel ticket to the US from Newcastle Central Station? Let us know!

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