Low-cost no-frills flights will soon be linking the UK and US, according to airlines on both sides of the Atlantic.

This week saw Irish carrier Aer Lingus re-invent itself as a "small-frills" airline, adopting the tactics of budget rivals Ryanair and easyJet - and offering fares from Britain to America at a quarter of the price of full-service airlines.

Meanwhile, budget carriers in the US are expanding into international routes and considering the UK as a primary target.

Aer Lingus has already stripped out "frills" such as complimentary food and drink, and is now copying budget airlines by removing Saturday-night-stay restrictions and selling one-way tickets - from as little as £78 from Shannon to New York (plus £9 from Heathrow to Shannon, plus taxes).

Brian Murphy, the airline's vice-president of sales and marketing for North America, said: "We plan to be recognised as the pioneering, profitable, low-fare, long-haul carrier on the Atlantic."

Particularly strong from regional airports, Lingus is offer-ing through-fares from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Liverpool to six US destinations from around £100 one-way plus taxes. The company insists "fares will get lower", but they already represent substantial savings. For a midweek break in January, we found a Glasgow-New York JFK return at £289.60 including taxes; the equivalent fare on British Airways was £1,097.90.

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