I think Aerlingus are one of if not the best airlines in the world.

TheUsual

Dwork wrote: »

Err, no, I don't stay there. It's for lads doing work over there. I.E, not me.

I believe you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyZspqjtG2k

dm09

kjl wrote: »

I work as a traveling consultant so I take at least 50-100 flights a year. I have been on all the major airlines and I honestly think they are the best.

As someone who flies regular, I find your experience strange. AL are far from the worst but I'd only describe them as average at best. I've noticed over the last couple of years they've introduced a lot of "no-frill esque" rules such as 1 piece of hand luggage per passenger (strictly enforced), paying for seat selection or "premium seats" and no complimentary inflight food/alcohol is fairly stingy considering you get complimentary food/beverages on most intra-European carriers (excluding no frills carriers) - Air France, KLM, BA, Lufthansa.

I wasn't very impressed with their long haul product either in comparison to other services - Poor selection of in-flight entertainment, plastic cutlery, bland food.
Again I've found the long haul products of Etihad, Emirates, KLM and BA to be far superior! Little touches like complimentary hot towels, mood lighting and real cutlery can make a big difference! Also Aer Lingus are the only long-haul carrier I've flown with not to offer complimentary alcohol which can make a big difference on an 8+ hour flight.

Capt'n Midnight

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

one of the safest as well

<cough> Ryanair </cough>

hyperborean wrote: »

Please find me a flight on AL( to anywere) which is cheaper than a similiar ryanair offering...

If you include the costs of transport to the airport ... and from Heathrow you can just hop on the tube

kjl

dm09 wrote: »

As someone who flies regular, I find your experience strange. AL are far from the worst but I'd only describe them as average at best. I've noticed over the last couple of years they've introduced a lot of "no-frill esque" rules such as 1 piece of hand luggage per passenger (strictly enforced), paying for seat selection or "premium seats" and no complimentary inflight food/alcohol is fairly stingy considering you get complimentary food/beverages on most intra-European carriers (excluding no frills carriers) - Air France, KLM, BA, Lufthansa.

I wasn't very impressed with their long haul product either in comparison to other services - Poor selection of in-flight entertainment, plastic cutlery, bland food.
Again I've found the long haul products of Etihad, Emirates, KLM and BA to be far superior! Little touches like complimentary hot towels, mood lighting and real cutlery can make a big difference! Also Aer Lingus are the only long-haul carrier I've flown with not to offer complimentary alcohol which can make a big difference on an 8+ hour flight.

I don't know about that, I flew BA to ZA a couple of times, never again. I couldn't even pick a seat 3 weeks before the flight because I was not a gold member. Ended up sitting in the middle which for a 6f5 guy is not the best.

I like Virgin believe it or not for long haul, generally because so few people book them you usually get three seats to yourself. I normally nick a few extra blankets and pillows from the cabin crew and make a little fort for myself

Also Aerlingus would really be more of a short haul airline anyway, The don't have too many destinations in the USA. Plus the gold circle club is really fantastic. And it takes so long to get them with any other airline.

Cienciano

dm09 wrote: »

As someone who flies regular, I find your experience strange. AL are far from the worst but I'd only describe them as average at best. I've noticed over the last couple of years they've introduced a lot of "no-frill esque" rules such as 1 piece of hand luggage per passenger (strictly enforced), paying for seat selection or "premium seats" and no complimentary inflight food/alcohol is fairly stingy considering you get complimentary food/beverages on most intra-European carriers (excluding no frills carriers) - Air France, KLM, BA, Lufthansa.

I wasn't very impressed with their long haul product either in comparison to other services - Poor selection of in-flight entertainment, plastic cutlery, bland food.
Again I've found the long haul products of Etihad, Emirates, KLM and BA to be far superior! Little touches like complimentary hot towels, mood lighting and real cutlery can make a big difference! Also Aer Lingus are the only long-haul carrier I've flown with not to offer complimentary alcohol which can make a big difference on an 8+ hour flight.

That really sums them up. Average at best imho. If ryanair bring in some charge, aer lingus will have it the next year.

Idbatterim

correct me if im wrong, but their long haul dont even have the entertainment units in the back of the seats or do they?

dm09

Dwork wrote: »

Aerlingus seem to have a better grasp of the term "Destination" as well. Going to Paris? Sure Belgiums only a hop, skip and a jump. I'm surprised RA havn't managed to launch their "Dublin cork airport" initiative yet.

Yes Ryanair (and most no-frills carriers) fly to a lot of de-centralised airports but they also fly to a lot of major airports.

Madrid Barajas
Birmingham International
Malaga
Dublin
Manchester

and to be fair, Paris (Beauvais) is hardly Belgium! In some instance the smaller airport they fly to can actually be closer than the major airport. For example they fly to Gothenburg City airport which is about 5 miles from city centre, whereas the main airport (landvetter) is about 30miles from the city.
At the end of the day price/convenience is king evident in that they flew almost 80 million passengers last year and are one of the largest airlines in the world!

Ilik Urgee

I wouldn't use an AL ticket to wipe my arse, fuckers held me and half the country's emigrants to ransom back before Ryanair ever came on the scene.

Cienciano

dm09 wrote: »

Yes Ryanair (and most no-frills carriers) fly to a lot of de-centralised airports but they also fly to a lot of major airports.

Madrid Barajas
Birmingham International
Malaga
Dublin
Manchester

and to be fair, Paris (Beauvais) is hardly Belgium! In some instance the smaller airport they fly to can actually be closer than the major airport. For example they fly to Gothenburg City airport which is about 5 miles from city centre, whereas the main airport (landvetter) is about 30miles from the city.
At the end of the day price/convenience is king evident in that they flew almost 80 million passengers last year and are one of the largest airlines in the world!

And paying £200 to get to london with aer lingus was normal before Ryanair came along.

dm09

cronin_j wrote: »

I flew over 100 flights with Aerlingus in the last year, great airline. Agree about the gold circle lounge too.. many a time ive been half cut getting on a plane with the free booze.

The trick with the Gold Circle lounge is to load up your rucksack with few cans before you board.. and then make them magically appear in-flight!

BidillyBo

I went to America during the summer with aer lingus it was great got a few meals extra a little tv to myself to watch whatever I wanted or play games and free drinks, granted its the only long flight I've been on except for back with qantas where I didn't have my own tv and had to watch some ****e about an old folks retirement home in India

markpb

Personally I prefer Ryanair for work flights (generally to the UK or France) because they board promptly and land on time. I carry so little and I know the drill so it's hassle free.

For family holidays, I've flown both and would lean towards Aer Lingus but I couldn't fault Ryanair at all - they were every bit as accommodating and helpful as Aer Lingus (with an seven month old baby).

For long haul, I flew Aer Lingus once and didn't enjoy it (though I'm sure it's better now). I've always liked Virgin and rarely fly with anyone else.

Meh. I really don't like Aer Lingus much at all. Perhaps I've been unlucky.

- They are very often late.

- Their ground staff at Heathrow (not direct employees but still...) are incredibly rude.

- I've had to check my cabin sized suitcase into the hold more than once because there wasn't enough room for it in the overhead bins by the time I boarded. And they didn't even ask/tell me nicely. Perhaps if they'd actually made all the oul wans with oversized cabin bags check them in and been stricter with Duty Free bags, laptops and whatever else people bring, I'd have been able to take my bag on board with me like most of the other passengers got to do.

- They let passengers seated at the back of the plane take up the overhead bins above the seats at the front. Countless times, I've boarded and had nowhere to put my bag and/or watched people brazenly get on, put their bag up and proceed to the back of the plane. They should tell people not to do this, it's part of the job!

- They don't deal with unexpected events particularly well. I was on a flight which was diverted due to snow. Not their fault, obviously. They kept us waiting for ages on the tarmac after we landed, and said they'd let us know when we could get off. I was waiting for over half an hour before I asked how much longer it would be. The air hostess asked if I had a checked bag and when I said no, she said 'oh you can get off now, then'. Why the fck didn't they say that in the first place? Everyone was raging! Sitting there like plebs for half an hour for no reason. This caused us to miss the replacement buses and we had to wait around for over an hour in the freezing cold and snow.

- A lot of the cabin crew are rude and condescending. I almost always end up feeling patronised by the way Aer Lingus crew speak to me, as if I'm a child or an idiot! Never had this issue with any other airline.

TheOldHand

Not a big fan. They've been backed by the state for decades and the only reason they give any kind of value now is Ryanair. I'll stick with them.

kjl

Ashlyn Important Waste wrote: »

Meh. I really don't like Aer Lingus much at all. Perhaps I've been unlucky.

- They are very often late.

- Their ground staff at Heathrow (not direct employees but still...) are incredibly rude.

- I've had to check my cabin sized suitcase into the hold more than once because there wasn't enough room for it in the overhead bins by the time I boarded. And they didn't even ask/tell me nicely. Perhaps if they'd actually made all the oul wans with oversized cabin bags check them in and been stricter with Duty Free bags, laptops and whatever else people bring, I'd have been able to take my bag on board with me like most of the other passengers got to do.

- They let passengers seated at the back of the plane take up the overhead bins above the seats at the front. Countless times, I've boarded and had nowhere to put my bag and/or watched people brazenly get on, put their bag up and proceed to the back of the plane. They should tell people not to do this, it's part of the job!

- They don't deal with unexpected events particularly well. I was on a flight which was diverted due to snow. Not their fault, obviously. They kept us waiting for ages on the tarmac after we landed, and said they'd let us know when we could get off. I was waiting for over half an hour before I asked how much longer it would be. The air hostess asked if I had a checked bag and when I said no, she said 'oh you can get off now, then'. Why the fck didn't they say that in the first place? Everyone was raging! Sitting there like plebs for half an hour for no reason. This caused us to miss the replacement buses and we had to wait around for over an hour in the freezing cold and snow.

- A lot of the cabin crew are rude and condescending. I almost always end up feeling patronised by the way Aer Lingus crew speak to me, as if I'm a child or an idiot! Never had this issue with any other airline.

board the plane a bit earlier then. Sounds like you've been unlucky.

Dwork

TheUsual wrote: »

I believe you.

I care.

dirtyden

I fly to the UK a lot with work. I would take Ryanair over Aer lingus every time for the simple reason that they tend to get there in time much more often. For whatever reason Aer Lingus flights tend to get delayed more often. The service on a UK route is much of a muchness.

kjl

kjl wrote: »

board the plane a bit earlier then. Sounds like you've been unlucky.

I can't, that's another complaint. They board in groups, usually starting with the back of the plane. So they make you wait ages to get on and then when you get on, all the overhead bins are full. Really annoying. I much prefer the Ryanair 'free for all'. It's fairer.

murpho999

Cienciano wrote: »

Flying Aer Lingus around europe is pretty much ryanair, but more expensive.
My last trans atlantic with aer lingus was a disaster. I'd avoid them if I could.

A disaster,wow?

Please tell me about this Aer Lingus Trans Atlantic Crash that didn't make any news but you survived?

hairyprincess

For long haul, I'm a Delta fan, I wouldn't dream of flying with anyone else. Yummy food, real cutlery, all the free booze you want and pizza and ice cream before touchdown!

andym1

7ofBrian wrote: »

Thinly veiled /iworkforAerLingus thread

Paranoid, Pick holes in everything poster etc

WoollyRedHat

Well it comes down to the panini for me.. who has the nicer one, Ryanair, lovely. I don't even think Aer Lingus serve paninis actually, which has got to be against the law somewhere.

rainbow kirby

Unless the Ryanair flight is so cheap it can't be ignored then I'd have a very strong preference for flying Aer Lingus. Just a much nicer experience altogether. At least their Gatwick staff don't go around verbally abusing people...

rainbow kirby

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Unless the Ryanair flight is so cheap it can't be ignored then I'd have a very strong preference for flying Aer Lingus. Just a much nicer experience altogether. At least their Gatwick staff don't go around verbally abusing people...

But their Heathrow staff do

Fizman

Virgin are awesome for long haul. Comfy, your own personal media centre with a load of new films and tv shows. Have had 4 8+ hour flights with them over the last 2 years and they've been a pleasure.

Irish Steve

Back when flying was fun, (pre 9/11), I used to do a lot of trips around Europe, and used pretty much most of the carriers, both full service and low cost, and in those days, it was often possible to get a seat at the sharp end, which was good news for me as I was working on a commercial license.

In terms of passenger services, Aer Lingus were always very good, but for me, the more impressive factor was being able to spend significant time up front, and in that area, I have to say that there is not an airline to beat Aer Lingus.

Not because other airlines are less professional, but because Aer Lingus are every bit as professional as any other airline you care to name, but they were 100% more relaxed in the way they did what they did. That was no accident, I asked some of the people on the training side about that, and they said that it was very much a part of the culture that they sought to work into the way that the flight deck worked.

The vast majority of passengers probably wouldn't care about that side of the operation, due to where I'd been and the route I was taking at the time, I did, and watched very carefully how the crews of the different airlines interacted, and it was very different.

So, for me, simply because of the way that they work at it, I have to say that the Aer Lingus methods of making sure the crew at the sharp end are really working together is very impressive, and it is definitely a factor in the excellent safety record that they have.

Changing the subject completely now,

Someone mentioned a number of messages back the very positive landings (burials) that are regular on the Ryanair 737-800's. A few weeks ago, I discovered why that is. The 800 is the longest of the 737 family, so it has a much higher risk of a tail strike during landing. For all the 737's there is a recommended speed for landing, and you deviate from that speed at your peril. Due to the extra length, the 800 series is at risk of "floating" and a tail strike if the speed drops by only 10 Knots from the recommended speed, which is very easy to do if you spend too long flaring and trying to get a smooth touchdown, and the "spare speed" window for the 800 is significantly smaller than for the other 737s.

So, the recommended procedure is to fly it to the flare height, flare and reduce the engine power, and then accept whatever vertical speed it's doing, and NOT to try and baby it on to the runway, to avoid the risk of losing too much speed and over rotating, and striking the tail, which does damage.

A finessed landing on the 800 takes experience and lots of practice to get it absolutely right. Also, if it's wet, then the wheels need to land firmly to make sure they don't aquaplane, so another reason for a positive arrival.

Grimreaper666

Aerlingus sandwiches used to be lovely, always looked forward to the chicken and stuffing ones,:) I think they were made by Freshways iirc. Last time i was on board ordered my sambos as usual, only to find to my horror, they were replaced by these horrible tasteless things, very dissapointed so I was, pack my own now so I do.

dissed doc

kjl wrote: »

Also the seats are very comfortable, honestly one of the most comfortable around.

Agree completely with this, I am a big fan of the foldable headrests that allow you to sleep with a supported head sideways. I have never seen these on any other aircraft seats.

dm09

hairyprincess wrote: »

For long haul, I'm a Delta fan, I wouldn't dream of flying with anyone else. Yummy food, real cutlery, all the free booze you want and pizza and ice cream before touchdown!

I must admit I found their service excellent on a recent flight to Atlanta . However, what I wasn't impressed with was their 30yr old battered single aisle aircraft with only 4 analogue screens in the centre shared between 200 passengers repeating the same crap for 9 hrs!!!

Merkin

I've done an awful lot of long hauls and I'd still choose BA at every opportunity, especially the Frequent Flyer Plus seats which are really comfortable.I also find the staff really professional and helpful.You're guaranteed to be well fed and watered as well and they've retained the old school courtesy that so many lack in now.

Emirates also worth a mention.

Aer Lingus I fly with maybe ten times a year for UK/Irish flights and they're fine.I think they still like to try and give a courteous service which is preferable to the bright orange harridans on Ryanair.I find their planes dirty and don't like being shouted at to buy stuff like I'm on Moore Street.

hairyprincess wrote: »

For long haul, I'm a Delta fan, I wouldn't dream of flying with anyone else. Yummy food, real cutlery, all the free booze you want and pizza and ice cream before touchdown!

Flew with these over the summer to NYC as part of a honeymoon roadtrip and they upgraded us as well as giving us a bottle of really good champagne as we left the plane to wish us well, a lovely touch!