Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus from Chicago to London Heathrow via Dublin having flown on the outbound flight in December. All flights were comfortable, on time and the service on the ground and in the air was pretty good. The check in at Chicago had no queue and staff were friendly and polite. Plenty of drinks served (all alcoholic beverages are chargeable which makes them appear more of a budget airline). Planes in good condition and seat space was good. -Inflight entertainment was limited. There was a limited collection of movies (some new releases) and screen size was quite small. However good headphones provided and good music. A330's have wifi which was a decent connection, but costs a fair bit and severely limits the data you have available. The online check in is useless. There were three of us flying. It showed no availability for seats (other than once available for upgrade). We booked through expedia but individuals booking through Aer Lingus can select the seats and all others have to wait until check in. As a result, on the outbound leg, we didn't all sit together. They mucked up our meals on the inbound leg from Chicago to Dublin. We requested vegetarian meals on the return leg. However none were available. The crew instead gave a small basket of fruits as a substitute that was wholly inadequate. So if you have a meal request, make sure you are travelling with some food (or confirm at check in). In general however, food was of average quality on the way out. The flight was fairly well priced for the time of the year though so can't complain too much.

Gatwick to San Francisco via Dublin and Aer Lingus are the worst airline I've flown. From a shoddy website and customer contact numbers pre-flight (no way to check in) to having a bassinet seat for our baby on the plane, which once in place meant we couldn't get in or out of the seats or access our tray tables or TV. Food on the flight that could only be described as disgusting and a non existent drinks service (on a 11 hour flight!). Rude check in staff at London Gatwick and to top it all off, losing all the luggage from passengers connecting through Dublin back to London Gatwick (and apparently the Manchester flight too) from SFO. The lost baggage took over 2 hours in the airport to sort out (took an hour to find someone to help us). We were never contacted with reference numbers to track our baggage and the Aer Lingus duty manager at Gatwick was rude with no clear explanations of what was happening or what the process was to get our baggage back. We are still waiting for information as to when our luggage will be reunited to us.

Dublin to Lisbon. I usually fly based on the cheapest ticket price and that usually is not Aer Lingus - but on this trip they were the only choice so I was looking forward to the experience. Big mistake. Aircraft on outbound flight had not been cleaned. Dirt and leftovers in seat pocket. Seat needed replacement. Staff like a group of teenagers (and believe me they were not) catching up with the latest gossip. Badly groomed and tired looking. Inflight food mediocre and pricey. Return flight much the same. Tray table dirty. Staff like a group of giggling teenagers with each other, and a pack of defensive sourpusses when dealing with customers. Unexplained delay at Dublin waiting for the airbridge and when it did arrive no announcement to that effect. Passengers standing in aisle, overhead bins emptied, heat increasing, babies crying - you get the picture? Staff seemed oblivious. Although not their fault, at least interact with their customer and keep them updated. I'll avoid Aer Lingus at all costs in the future.

Aer Lingus are never proactive with complaints as they live in the past of customer service market thinking they can do No wrong! So do not expect to get a reply or remedy! Yesterday, 26th December, started off with rude check in staff accusing me of jumping the line. I had lined up as requested and was sent to this ticket agent and had to argue why I was at this desk. Finally the agent conceded to check me in. I had only carry on luggage. Terminal 2 was busy and there was restaurant trash piled up everywhere, which is very unhygienic. Gate agents were unfriendly and when asked questions about customs in Toronto were unable to answer these questions, although on the Toronto route service. The aircraft had a musty urine smell which had to be endured for 7 hours. Toilets were poorly maintained which probably added to the problem. Meal service was poor with 30 to 40 mins between a drink and meal. The flight attendant forgot to give us a meal and eventually we got leftover trays without full content of meal on tray. The meal was in poor condition to be serviced. Very poor. A sandwich would have been more welcome. Cabin crew were junior and had a careless attitude. Valet hand luggage got checked with "check-in" luggage. This messed up my travel plans. I was told that my bag would be at the gate at time of disembarkation but instead I had to go to the baggage claim to retrieve my luggage. I am a seasoned traveler and have decades of travel under my belt both for business and pleasure. But this flight experience was an all time low. Delta will be getting my business fron now on.

Flew Aer Lingus from Dublin to Zurich. Reasonable fare, booked many months ahead, but charged for baggage and food. Check-In was fast in Dublin but a bit chaotic in Zurich. Both flights on time and fairly comfortable. Snacks reasonably priced. The experience was professional, competent and unhurried.

Check-in at EDI was a bit of a hassle, since there was only one person assigned to check in a flight full of holiday passengers with holiday luggage. Our regional flight from Edinburgh to Dublin was delayed, which caused us inexplicably, given our itinerary and the time we arrived to the airport in the first instance, to nearly miss our long haul to O'Hare. Security and US Pre-Clearance in Dublin were a horror show (not the airline's fault), which is all to say that we were already quite flustered by the time we boarded. This airline used to provide quality service and decent in flight amenities, but they've cancelled their complimentary bar service on international flights (and all complimentary beverage service on regional flights), and the food was markedly poorer than in the past. We received about a quarter of a cup of water with our meal, and tea service was impossibly bad. Entertainment was mediocre. Add to this the fact that cabin crew was also noticeably stressed and you have a recipe for an all-around poor flight experience. I overheard one cabin attendant say that he was looking forward to a day off, and I don't blame him. The cabin of the plane (A330) was filthy and poorly maintained. My son's seat came apart during the flight, and the lavatory looked and smelled as though it hadn't been cleaned properly. We fly from Edinburgh to the States with some frequency, and we've always chosen, if possible, an Aer Lingus flight on this route, which used to be consistently friendly, efficient, and pleasant. My understanding is that the IAG (British Airways, etc) acquired Aer Lingus - well, they've absolutely trashed it.

Recently booked a return trip from Shannon to Boston for a short visit to the US, Aer Lingus was the best priced and the benefit of a direct service. Check in was quick and efficient (there was only one person ahead of me); security at Shannon was quiet and I was through security within 15 minutes, another benefit was the US pre clearance which saves time and hassle on arrival. The flight was on a Boeing 757-200 in a 3x3 configuration, seats were comfortable and a decent choice of movies and shows. Soon after takeoff a drinks service was offered (they charge for alcoholic drinks), followed by the meal. I upgraded my meal on the way out, which is worth the extra money as you are served first, the meal was served on china and included a bottle of wine. Tea and Coffee is served in paper cups, which is a big improvement over the light plastic cups they used to use. Prior to landing a snack was served, which again has improved since I last used this route. The cabin crew were polite and friendly and made passes through the cabin throughout the flight. Arrival was ahead of time into Boston, however the new arrival process (which looks and I hope is temporary) is a bit of a maze through the terminal. Overall a very good experience with Aer Lingus.

Recently flew from BOS to SNN rountrip economy class. Excellent flight with fantastic cabin attendants, always ready to be of help. Throughout the flight the attendants constantly moved up and down the aisle checking on their passengers. Food was very good and seats quite comfortable. I'm not a great fan of the Boeing 757, but the configuration used by Aer Lingus was very spacious. Aer Lingus is always my first choice when crossing the Atlantic.

Dublin to New York JFK with Aer Lingus. The seat is comfy when reclined, and is good for relaxing, but when you have the seat in the take off and landing position, it rocks a bit and almost feels unsecure which did not make me at ease. There was free wifi and the flight crew were very polite but lacked character and seemed to be more focused on being efficient and not engaging in a proper chat. The inflight entertainment was dire. The annoying thing was that on the way back there was a much better selection of films, but as a night flight I had to sleep. Food was not too fancy but it tasted great, they were lacking a bit on drinks, specifically champagne. I would have liked a wider seat and larger duvets, as I found them to be too small. Overall Aer Lingus offers an amazing business class product if prices are taken into consideration.

Gatwick to Chicago via Dublin. As a regular flier to Chicago from London, Aer Lingus is a great option. Short flight to Dublin was fine. Easy connection and pre-clearance at Dublin. A330 has very comfortable lie flat seats in 1-2-1 configuration. Lots of personal space and cabin less crowded than the equivalent BA club product. IFE very good, but movie choice a bit limited. Cabin crew very friendly, attentive and provided excellent service. Food and wine excellent. Difficult to fault and the fares are generally much cheaper than BA. And in flight wifi too, enabling me to post this review from somewhere over Canada! Aer Lingus and its Dublin hub deserve to succeed. Great way to travel to the US.