Delta vs Aer Lingus (Dublin to NYC)

tinkerbell

Hi everyone,

Would really appreciate people's comments on this - if you had to choose, which would you fly with?

Are there tv screens on the back of the seats on either Delta or Aer Lingus, is the legroom different, etc? Delta is working out slightly cheaper (about €80) than Aer Lingus.

Have never gone to the states before, so really don't have a clue.

Thanks!

lord lucan

my own personal preference would be for continental,service is excellent,tv screens in headrests,always found them to be excellent. i try not to use aer lingus unless they are seriously undercutting everyone else(thats rare seeing as they are still applying a €40 each way fuel surcharge which continental don't,not sure about delta),their trans atlantic service is poor compared to what it once was,the smiles on the crew were non existant,what they gave you was curtailed considerably compared to the last time i flew with them,they still use the airbuses with the screens overhead with crappy picture. i was dissapointed when i flew with them in november from jfk to dublin. basically what i'm trying to say is that the american carriers still put some effort in to their trans atlantic service while AL is becoming like a longhaul ryanair.

Saruman

Do you not have to stop over somewhere with delta? I have never found any of the US airlines to be even close to as cheap as AL but then maybe its just when i am booking.

lord lucan

most of deltas flights go via atlanta but they introduced a direct dublin-new york service,probably on the assumption that the open-skies deal would have been done by now.

tinkerbell

Prices incl. taxes:
Aer Lingus €525
Delta €469
Continental €485

So would Continental be better, do they have the tv screens at the back of the seats and bigger legroom?? All are direct, except for Delta on the way back which stops over at shannon for an hour.

lord lucan

continental have the tv screens in the back of the headrests,i find the leg room on the 767/777's that continental use better than AL's airbus'. i'm not a pr guy for continental by the way,just my opinion from using different airlines going to and from the states. another plus with continental is that they fly into newark which is less chaotic than jfk and you can get a train direct into manhattan for half the price of a taxi from jfk to manhattan.

Ruu_Old

It depends on the day whether or not you get the tellehs in the headrests, at least my experience with Aer Lingus, Dublin to/from Chicago. You could try American Airlines if you wanted to stop over in Heathrow.

LundiMardi

I went to and from NYC on Aer Lingus and neither had tv's in the headrests. Plus the bar is not free like on most trans atlantic flights.

datk

Flew Delta before Christmas - seats were comfortable, service very good - food was good for airline food. Staff were nice. I think plane is slightly smaller - seat config was 2-3-2 - Aer Lingus seems to be 2-4-2. Although no screens in headrests - the screens out of the ceiling were good enough. We had a stop in Shannon going over - none on the way back. The Delta terminal was a nightmare - were were there over three house before departure and we got to the gate just as the plane was boarding - although it was Christmas time but friends travelled Aer Lingus and they didn't have a problem.

ScouseMouse

Unless it has changed recently, the previous info on continental is wrong.

I have been with them twice to NY (newark) most recently on November the 6th and they do not have screens in the seats. Also they do not have 767 and 777s on the dublin routes, they have 757s taken from internal US routes as they are reassigning aircraft as they have over capacity.

I travelled on the Aer Lingus airbus 330 to JFK in Nov 2005 and think it had a little more personal space but continental was way ahead in the general package offered.

lord lucan

last time i flew with continental was the end of august so maybe they have changed their aircraft assigned to the dub-ny route,apologies if i've miss-informed you. last flight back from the states was november with AL,unfortunately it was part of a package and nothing i could do about it:( .pity if they have changed,it was something to look forward to on their flights having your own tv screen,its the little differences like that which make it for me.

tea

Unfortunately I think Superscouse is right - Continental appear to use 757s these days for DUB-New York which aren't great for transatlantic travel (no seatback TVs etc.). They're still miles ahead of Aer Lingus though, despite this, so even if Aer Lingus are less expensive than Continental (which they almost never are), I'd go for Continental any day.

Its also worth considering that if you're going anywhere other than New York, it can be expensive to add on a connecting flight with Aer Lingus, but with Continental, it is usually pretty good value (I added a connection to Washington DC last time I flew for an extra €20 each way)

tinkerbell

Heya

Thanks everyone for all the replies, I really appreciate it In what ways are Continental miles better than Aer Lingus? Is it like more legroom, better service, etc?

Also, I noticed when I was checking out the Delta site, you could book your seat online (also with Aer Lingus), but you can't seem to with Continental. Do you just get your seat when you check in??

Thanks again

EDIT: sorry, it looks like you can actually book your seats with Continental too, yay! And exit seats are available ... huge legroom I assume??

lord lucan

the standard of service is the main difference between AL and continental/delta etc.,certainly on continental they come around quite regularly with the drinks trolley which is always a bonus compared to AL who usually ask you to buy your drinks at the pre-dinner trolly service and thats it until an hour away from landing. american do a couple of runs and if you want coke/water outside of that you just have to go to the galley and ask,tried this on AL in november and the look on the stewardess' face was priceless:D if you can get seats at the exits go for it,way more leg room.

Ruu_Old

I don't think you are going to notice a huge amount of difference in legroom between AL and Continental or Delta aside from getting the seat at the exit rows. Grab them quick. Continental as far as I can see let you select which seats you want on their website.

ScouseMouse

It is hard to put my finger on why continental is better than EI. CO use a smaller plane which only has one aisle down the middle but the attendants seemed to be much more friendly. EI as i recall have two aisles so maybe there is slightly more room. Continental flys to EWR NEWARK which is linked directly to the train station NY PENN. I think it was about 12 dollars single. EI flys to JFK which is a taxi flat fee of 45 dollars plus tolls and tips. Works out about 60 dollars. That price is to any destination in manhattan and is non neg. The city set it to stop drivers taking the mickey out of visitors. However, it is open price from Manhattan to JFK!!

EI have become very lax with customer service and it shows with the attendants. On my Nov flight back from ny newark with CO, the attendant was very friendly and helpful like an aunty and was lovely. CO have a hub in Newark and they have more planes there than EI has in its entire fleet (or so it seemed).

Given a choice, CO is my number one choice, but money is important, the less you pay for the flight - the more you have to spend.

ONE LAST THING MOST PEOPLE FORGET !

If you are going to do major shopping like me and the wife (2500 euro in 5 days HA HA), watch out for the baggage allowances. EI give you 36Kg free between two bags, CO give you 46 Kg free between two bags, anything over that - you pay extra boy. No bag is to way more than 32Kg as the loaders can do themselves any injury lifting it.

Any more questions, post them.

killbillvol2

I always enjoy flying with Delta. The stewardesses have that southern charm and actually make you think they give a sh1t if you fly with them again. The Aer Lingus variety, on the other hand, make it perfectly obvious that you're nothing but a nuisance.

hunnymonster

I've been following this thread. I've got big trip to the states in September (rather than my usual jaunts to Boston or NY). Delta are working out over 1000 euro cheaper for the transatlantic & internal flights so it's great to see them being reviewed favourably.

BuffyBot

Legroom will be similar on all 3. Service - well it all depends. A good crew makes or breaks the trip, and that applies to all 3. I've had good and bad experiences on Aer Lingus. Last NY trip I did with them, both crews were fantastic. Could fly tomorrow, and get a terrible crew.

IFE - again, it depends on the aircraft in question. Though to be honest, I prefer a good book most of the time.

FlutterinBantam

Agree with you there Buffy,depends on the crew,or if you want to take it a step further,the senior person in charge of the cabin crew. If he/she is passenger oriented the remaining crew will take their lead from that.On the other hand if the senior person is a "dog" the rest of the crew will probably be dogs too.

By the way,for the benefit of the OP,as you pointed out CO operate narrow body 757s as opposed to the other two who operate widebodies...can make a difference if you like a feeling of space.

LundiMardi

superscouse wrote:

EI flys to JFK which is a taxi flat fee of 45 dollars plus tolls and tips. Works out about 60 dollars. That price is to any destination in manhattan and is non neg. The city set it to stop drivers taking the mickey out of visitors. However, it is open price from Manhattan to JFK!!

Or you could get a bus into manhatten for $15, or alternatively go to www.supershuttle.com and pay $19 for a shuttle to bring you directly to your hostel/hotel.