Aer Lingus

✅ Verified Review | Dublin to Alicante. To start I decided to bring my wife on a short break of 5 nights to Alicante for our upcoming 10 year wedding anniversary.I thought that I would book a holiday with 2 of our friends and without the kids which is the first time ever. We booked flights to Alicante flying from and back to Belfast for the 21-26 Sept 17 only to be emailed that due to operational commitments that the flights are cancelled. We got compensated and sorted things out, no big deal. We book for Dublin and arrive that day nearly 4 hours early only to be told that due to technical faults our flight was delayed by nearly 2 hours give or take. We got over that as going on a holiday even though we knew that because of their delay we were going to miss out on a full night in our apartment. The real mess started when we boarded the plane. To start we were on the same row 13 with 2 of us on each side. The group of people sitting behind us were drunk when they were allowed on board and they sat directly behind our rows about 3 to 4 rows on each side and the worst was sitting right behind my seat. She was in her mid 40’s and I couldn’t believe the filthy language coming out of her mouth in such a small enclosed area. She was making constant burping noises, cursing, everything that she had to say was shouted or screamed and constant sexual remarks to the male passengers across and behind her. The head flight attendant knew these people were full of drink because before the flight even took off they were shouting and roaring so she comes down a row in front of us and starts telling them that she can take anyone she wants off now who are acting to loud or she has the power to divert the plane at any stage if she feels fit and then disappeared straight away and left the customers to listen to the filth for the rest of the flight (Unbelievable). Just before take off another flight attendant asked me was I ok and I turned around and said to her was she kidding me and with that also disappeared. Again same thing happened during the flight. So we keep there the whole flight listening to this when 10 mins before landing the head flight attendant comes down to me and says are we ok which I really couldn’t believe just 10 mins to go so I tell her everything and said that it was a disgrace and she then says that people who were sitting 2 rows up from us that she moved them to the front of the plane because of the noise and brutal language. This I couldn’t believe as we were directly in front of the noise which I let her know. During all this my wife starts to cry infront of this attendant because of how upset she was that we were left there for the flight listening to all that was going on. In getting off the plane I also let the captain know and told him that it was a joke that he let them on the plane in the first place. I pointed out that if we had reported the noise to the flight attendant (Which she knew was going on) that next thing we would meet this group in the terminal or at our resort and end up getting harassed or worse.

✅ Verified Review | Dublin to Brussels. As said elsewhere a no frills airline pretending to be more. No business class to Europe but they will sell premium tickets for front seats (six across as economy) priority lane security and lounge access. The lounge is just OK with limited choice of food. Aer Lingus is the most delayed and highest cancelled flights airline I have flown, to the point I have stopped using them unless they are the only option. On my flights to Brussels from Dublin both legs were late, for Brussels you are emailed a pass for the BA lounge before your flight but unless you ask at check in your boarding pass won't be stamped for the priority security lane. As our flight was delayed and the lounge is that of IAG partner BA we were thrown out after the last BA flight left. The only upside was that the flight crew and Dublin ground staff to their credit are for the most part professional and pleasant. But Aer Lingus agents abroad can be rude - that I was told by their agents in TLS since (on a flight my daughter was taking) "we don't do customer service if you have a problem with that complain to the police". I'll stick to Air France and change flights in CDG on EU short haul routes in future, at least they have customer service and know what it means.

✅ Verified Review | Toronto to Gatwick return via Dublin. My lasting impression is that this is a no-frills airline trying to put on a show like they aren't a no-frills airline. Everything was pretty much lack lustre, but they did get us from A to B to C and back again, on time. Positives: The four planes we travelled on were clean, tidy and comfortable. Cabin crew were very friendly and professional. They've got some good and experienced people working for them. We travelled in peak season so the flights weren't cheap, but outside of that time, they are one of the cheaper long haul airlines. Terms and conditions were made very clear during booking and check in. Connection through Dublin was easy and clear if a bit convoluted. Negatives: Pre-flight customer service was poor. Booking and online check in allowed for no seat selections to be made. At no point in the booking/check in process were we able to select seats, which was important to us due to the age and health of the travellers. Only through extended negotiation with contracted check-in staff at airport, who could see our needs, were we able to secure appropriate seats. Which left for a nerve-wracking build up to travelling. Special meal selections were inaccurate from booking - luckily we called up in advance to confirm. Food on outbound leg was good, but they ran out of the chicken option very quickly. Food on the way home was terrible. Entertainment selection is okay. The technology is poor, though. Had to reset my or my companions' screens at least once on each leg. Several functions did not work. Baggage handling is poor. Had a 2.5 hour wait at Toronto for baggage to come through. One lost bag. Despite which party was at fault, it was very poor customer service from Aer Lingus from that point on, with nobody to speak to at the company, and given telephone numbers cutting out upon connection. Seemingly there is no customer service department. Very few representatives on the ground. Would travel with them again given the cost, but with low expectations.

✅ Verified Review | Our flight from Berlin to Dublin was diverted to Belfast due to fog. We then were delayed for 5 hours in Belfast (partly stuck on plane, partly in airport) with no information from Aer Lingus. When we finally did get information at approx 6.00 am (7 hours after planned arrival time) we were offered the choice to wait for buses to Dublin which would take two hours or pay to make our own travel arrangements and be reimbursed, we were told to keep all receipts due to this. Myself and my partner opted to get a taxi as we both had work the next morning at 9.00 am. We arrived to Dublin at 8.00 (8 hours delay). I started to try seek reimbursement as promised from Aer Lingus the next week, they have not provided me with this reimbursement and will not respond to me. They said they will not reimburse us despite the agreement that was made on the day. Unfortunately I cannot recommend an airlane that makes false promises and has no customer service team.

✅ Verified Review | Dublin to Verona for the annual summer holiday 2 adults, 3 children. It had been some time since I had travelled Aer Lingus as normally they are out of budget for me. I booked the tickets in December. I was shocked to see that we had to pay 8 euro a head to be assured of sitting next to one another. This is significantly dearer than Ryanair. In the end it worked out ok. I think 30 hours to allocate seats is a bit too short notice. On arrival DUB T2 was mental and the automatic bag drop was brilliant and really user friendly. Boarding was done in a very relaxed manner by courteous staff and the flight itself was lovely. Really friendly staff with a bit of banter thrown in and plenty of updates from the flight deck. I would love to travel again with Aer Lingus especially with the children. It was a good product and the company should be very proud of its staff but the seat selection price and the 30 hour window really does put me off.

✅ Verified Review | Dublin - Lisbon. Evening flight out of Dublin (18.50) on 13th July delayed by over an hour due to late arrival of aircraft from Verona, Italy thus it was almost 8pm before EI486 took off. Crew apologetic. Boarding was well-organised despite a long queue forming before flight was ready. There was no surge of passengers rushing towards the gate as can happen with other airlines. Gate staff segmented passengers with priority and zonal boarding. Flight otherwise was pretty uneventful. Staff service onboard was swift and crew friendly. Despite the very late departure flight landed into Lisbon only a half hour behind schedule at 22.10 however relatively long wait for baggage arrival at belt after paying €35 to checkin the bag.

✅ Verified Review | Santiago De Compostela to Dublin with Air Lingus. Crew utterly professional and friendly from the word go. They engaged with passengers and freely struck up conversation with travellers, most of whom had been there to complete the Camino de Santiago. Boarding was well organised and swift, even with only one Iberia gate agent. There was a huge amount of cabin baggage, some of which exceeded the allowance, but the air stewards did their utmost to accommodate all bags and therefore avoided bags having to be placed in the hold and ultimately delay the flight. Flight left and arrived on time. Pilots provided flight information on a couple of occasions. I always enjoy flying Aer Lingus and the crew are a credit to our national carrier.

✅ Verified Review | Washington to Dublin via Boston. Aer Lingus partners with JetBlue for connecting flights in the US. Unfortunately if there are problems with the flights they both point fingers at the other and neither wants to step up and provide compensation. Our JetBlue flight was an hour late departing because they were "servicing" the plane causing us to miss our flight to Dublin. Three of us stood and watched the Aer Lingus flight in a queue, though apparently sitting in the queue was more important than waiting to board their three missing passengers (we were at the gate at departure time). Aer Lingus was unable to book my husband and me on another flight until the next evening causing us to lose a day of our vacation. The third gentleman didn't get out until much later. I have asked both airlines to provide some type of compensation. Both have refused and we don't qualify for compensation through the European rules because we used Aer Lingus's partner. So, beware of "partners." This arrangement seems to allow each to avoid responsibility.

✅ Verified Review | I fly between Dublin and Manchester most weeks. With Aer Lingus, the flight is usually reasonably comfortable - the arrival process is often a nightmare. Arriving at Dublin late at night, the aircraft usually parks away from Terminal 2 and there is a long long walk through a labyrinth of internal corridors. As noted by another reviewer, if it is an Aer Lingus regional flight, a compulsory bus tour of Dublin Airport is added to the experience. Arriving at Manchester on Aer Lingus also involves being bussed around that airport. Last Monday, the ground crew decided to economise on the number of buses. Our bus took an age to get to Arrivals. A hot day and severe overcrowding on the bus caused some passengers to panic. Not a pleasant experience. Aer Lingus does not speak to passengers. I could not find a phone number and I am told that Customer Services doesn't have a phone. Very good for cost control and efficiency, I am sure. Not so good if they want repeat business. Aer Lingus advertises itself as Ireland's only four star airline and I think it likes to portray itself as a traditional full service airline. Where UK/European flights are concerned, I think it's definitely a no frills offering.

✅ Verified Review | Excellent flying experience from Dublin to New York return. Aircraft was nearly new, usb socket at seat, great IFE, decent leg room and recline. What stood out most was the exceptional crew, so friendly and helpful. A passenger behind me was feeling poorly and I overheard a flight attendant offering to make this passenger hot water, honey and lemon. That speaks volumes. The only issue was lost baggage which does happen frequently I believe but even still I rate the flight and airline 10/10.