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

gramar

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

For flying, I just want 3 things:

1. The plane to take off when it's meant to.
2. To land at its destination, and in the manner you would expect a plane to land.
3. Free complimentary sex with stunning air hostesses.

I still haven't found an airline I'm happy with.

It's number 1 we all have problems with.

jackal

Agree with OP all the way. Ryanair is usually cheaper on paper, and sometimes is simply cheaper. But cheaper does not always mean better.

In my 20's I was Ryanair all the way, but now in my 30's I just cannot be doing with the hassle that comes with Ryanair.

• Flying out of their cattleshed in T1, a good 20 minute walk from the security gates.
• The carry-on-bag Nazi's.
• The 2-hour coach journey (which people forget to factor in terms of cost and time) to get to your *actual* destination. On a weekend break or business trip this really eats into your time.
• The Mexican stand-off at the gate.. passengers eyeing each other up... who will be the first to crack... departure is 1.5 hours away and yet suddenly somebody decides its time to start queuing and now you are standing in line pointlessly for an hour.
• The "another flight on time" trumpet.
• The padding they do to their flight times so they can claim to be on time.
• The never ending sales patter (though Aer Lingus are guilty here also and are only marginally better).
• The staff who stand back and let chaos reign when people start trying to shove bags in to the overhead lockers.
• The booking process, the extras you have to avoid (car hire, buying suitcases, insurance, priority boarding, extra baggage).
• Various fees on top of your booking

Yeah its not for me any more, and if there is an alternative flight with another carrier (generally Aer Lingus) available in the same ballpark I am taking it.

old hippy

Most of the time, heading home, it's with Aer Lingus. Miles ahead of Ryanair. As for best in the world? I can't say, I've flown a fair few airlines but not every last one of them.

Best inflight entertainment, I find, is Virgin Atlantic. Very important for the long haul flights...

ScumLord

jackal wrote: »

Yeah its not for me any more, and if there is an alternative flight with another carrier (generally Aer Lingus) available in the same ballpark I am taking it.

I think that's the bottom line for me, when you take into account all the hassles,hidden costs and additional travel often required it's as easy and often as cheap to use one of the more expensive airlines.

The lure of cheap is often a warning bell to me these days. Things are cheap for a reason and value doesn't always equal cheap.

gramar

ScumLord wrote: »

I think that's the bottom line for me, when you take into account all the hassles,hidden costs and additional travel often required it's as easy and often as cheap to use one of the more expensive airlines.

The lure of cheap is often a warning bell to me these days. Things are cheap for a reason and value doesn't always equal cheap.

I've flown Ryanair twice in the last two weeks and they've been fine. Decent fare, ontime and no messing. However if Aer Lingus can give me a similar fare on the same route then I'll go with them as is the case next month.

Duggys Housemate

jackal wrote: »

Agree with OP all the way. Ryanair is usually cheaper on paper, and sometimes is simply cheaper. But cheaper does not always mean better.

In my 20's I was Ryanair all the way, but now in my 30's I just cannot be doing with the hassle that comes with Ryanair.

[*]Flying out of their cattleshed in T1, a good 20 minute walk from the security gates.

Hardly the fault of RyanAir.

[*]The carry-on-bag Nazi's.

Never noticed in all my 30 times flying RyanAir that anybody was penalized. but if they are - the passenger got it wrong.

[*]The 2-hour coach journey (which people forget to factor in terms of cost and time) to get to your *actual* destination. On a weekend break or business trip this really eats into your time..

A myth for most destinations.

[*]The Mexican stand-off at the gate.. passengers eyeing each other up... who will be the first to crack... departure is 1.5 hours away and yet suddenly somebody decides its time to start queuing and now you are standing in line pointlessly for an hour.

I agree but...Priority Q.

[*]The "another flight on time" trumpet.

Ture, but minor quibble.

[*]The padding they do to their flight times so they can claim to be on time.

No more than anywhere else.

[*]The never ending sales patter (though Aer Lingus are guilty here also and are only marginally better).

No more than anywhere else.

[*]The staff who stand back and let chaos reign when people start trying to shove bags in to the overhead lockers.

The point about the bag checks is to avoid that - it therefore happens less on RyanAir than anywhere else.

[*]The booking process, the extras you have to avoid (car hire, buying suitcases, insurance, priority boarding, extra baggage).
[*]Various fees on top of your booking

Ack if you travelled more than once and paid insurance you need to maybe reconsider flying anywhere. And all companies add fees - they are per airport.

I think the anti-Ryanair stuff is groupthink, largely. I used to fly to Bristol via both RyanAir and Aer Lingus were materially worse. Smaller plane, slower, more likely to delay.

ScumLord

gramar wrote: »

I've flown Ryanair twice in the last two weeks and they've been fine. Decent fare, ontime and no messing. However if Aer Lingus can give me a similar fare on the same route then I'll go with them as is the case next month.

Same as that, I've never really had that many problems with Ryanair. I don't mind any of the restrictions on their service and I find the planes fairly comfortable and reassuredly new. I've only been caught once or twice with family holidays were we made a mistake with baggage and I ended up paying €50 to check a bag. When stuff like that happens the unexpected charges are high and annoying but could be avoided with better planning.

I don't avoid Ryanair, I just prefer Aer Lingus.

jackal

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

Hardly the fault of RyanAir.

Never noticed in all my 30 times flying RyanAir that anybody was penalized. but if they are - the passenger got it wrong.

A myth for most destinations.

I agree but...Priority Q.

The point about the bag checks is to avoid that - it therefore happens less on RyanAir than anywhere else.

I think the anti-Ryanair stuff is groupthink, largely. I used to fly to Bristol via both RyanAir and Aer Lingus were materially worse. Smaller plane, slower, more likely to delay.

Look don't get me wrong, I will fly Ryanair if they are significantly cheaper. I just find them a pain in the hole. My flight arriving on time or 10 minutes early or late does not make or break my holiday. For all ryanairs touting of being on time, what does it matter if you are actually in a different city or country than your destination?

I have seen the bag-nazi's at it plenty of times, every Ryanair flight I have gotten, somebody ahead was pulled aside and arguing. They send people out to walk up and down the queues sure.

You are correct about the passenger getting it wrong on most occasions, but the "everything" and we mean "EVERYTHING" must go in the one bag rule is daft - and includes duty free.

I am sorry... while not always the case, the bus thing is far from a myth.

• Paris Beauvais Airport is located approximately 85 Km from the centre of Paris.
• Barcelona Reus Airport is located 100 Km from the centre of Barcelona.
• Frankfurt-Hahn is located approximately 124 km from the city of Frankfurt.
• Hamburg Lübeck Airport is located just 65 Km from Hamburg.
• Milan Orio al Serio is located approximately 45 Km from the city of Milan.
• Venice Treviso Airport is situated 40 Km from Venice.
• Oslo Torp Airport is approximately 110 Km from the city of Oslo.
• Girona Airport is located just 90km from Barcelona.
• Stockholm (Skavsta) Airport is situated 100 KM south of Stockholm.
• Stockholm/Västerås Airport is located approximately 120 Km from Stockholm.
• Glasgow Prestwick International Airport is located 51 Km from Glasgow.
• Leipzig Altenburg 75 km from Leipzig.
• Dusseldorf Weeze 78 km from Dusseldorf.
• Pisa Florence 80 km from Florence.
• Memmingen (formerly Munich West), located 110km from Munich.
• Paris Vatry Disney, 180km from Disneyland Paris.

Add in priority Q and the cost of the bus transfer and often the difference between Ryanair and Aer Lingus has evaporated.

The airport being away from a city sometimes makes a difference but there's plenty of times when they use the same crappy airport that the rest of the airlines do. When there's 90 quid difference in the price but an extra 30 minutes and €5 for the transfer with Ryanair it's worth saving the money for me.

hotmail.com

jackal wrote: »

Look don't get me wrong, I will fly Ryanair if they are significantly cheaper. I just find them a pain in the hole. My flight arriving on time or 10 minutes early or late does not make or break my holiday. For all ryanairs touting of being on time, what does it matter if you are actually in a different city or country than your destination?

I have seen the bag-nazi's at it plenty of times, every Ryanair flight I have gotten, somebody ahead was pulled aside and arguing. They send people out to walk up and down the queues sure.

You are correct about the passenger getting it wrong on most occasions, but the "everything" and we mean "EVERYTHING" must go in the one bag rule is daft - and includes duty free.

I am sorry... while not always the case, the bus thing is far from a myth.

• Paris Beauvais Airport is located approximately 85 Km from the centre of Paris.
• Barcelona Reus Airport is located 100 Km from the centre of Barcelona.
• Frankfurt-Hahn is located approximately 124 km from the city of Frankfurt.
• Hamburg Lübeck Airport is located just 65 Km from Hamburg.
• Milan Orio al Serio is located approximately 45 Km from the city of Milan.
• Venice Treviso Airport is situated 40 Km from Venice.
• Oslo Torp Airport is approximately 110 Km from the city of Oslo.
• Girona Airport is located just 90km from Barcelona.
• Stockholm (Skavsta) Airport is situated 100 KM south of Stockholm.
• Stockholm/Västerås Airport is located approximately 120 Km from Stockholm.
• Glasgow Prestwick International Airport is located 51 Km from Glasgow.
• Leipzig Altenburg 75 km from Leipzig.
• Dusseldorf Weeze 78 km from Dusseldorf.
• Pisa Florence 80 km from Florence.
• Memmingen (formerly Munich West), located 110km from Munich.
• Paris Vatry Disney, 180km from Disneyland Paris.

Add in priority Q and the cost of the bus transfer and often the difference between Ryanair and Aer Lingus has evaporated.

The difference in price between the two makes Ryanair irresistible! Now that you're in 30s, you wish to pay more. Good for you! I'll stick with Ryanair or whichever is the cheapest.

It's true they fly into the further away airport for some cities, but not all.

SV

ScumLord wrote: »

I've only flew to Amsterdam with Aer Lingus and it's never cost me more than €120 return. There could be a number of reasons for the high price, late booking, time of the year, Amsterdam is also known for having big exhibitions, I once arrived in Amsterdam during one of these exhibitions and there wasn't a hotel room left in the city.

Dunno how you managed that one, I was just messing around there and booked one for Feb of next year, mid week and it still came back at €130 return.

I've no idea why it was so high either, the only big exhibition that was on at the time was the Van Gogh 3D Experience and American Indian, Neither which were exactly booming from what I could see.

Yamanoto

SV wrote: »

Dunno how you managed that one, I was just messing around there and booked one for Feb of next year, mid week and it still came back at €130 return.

I've no idea why it was so high either, the only big exhibition that was on at the time was the Van Gogh 3D Experience and American Indian, Neither which were exactly booming from what I could see.

We booked a trip yesterday DUB-AMS return - €86pp May 14th to 18th.

I regularly go through Schipol for work & if booked a month or so in advance, the fare typically comes in at €120 or under. It's been that way for the last couple of years. If you paid €680, did you book it very close to your date of travel?

SV

Yamanoto wrote: »

We booked a trip yesterday DUB-AMS return - €86pp May 14th to 18th.

I regularly go through Schipol for work & if booked a month or so in advance, the fare typically comes in at €120 or under. It's been that way for the last couple of years. If you paid €680, did you book it very close to your date of travel?

Just checked that and got the same results, so not quite sure what was going on. And nope, it was about a month beforehand!
Never paid it btw, that was just the quoted price!

2Mad2BeMad

if ryanair didnt have this first come first serve idea for getting on a plane well then i would be happy to use them

i do be nearly tempted to pay the extra cost just so i can get on the flight first
id rather they just give everyone assigned seats, so their is no pulling and pushing to get on the plane first ( im always last to get on so most of the time im stuck with kids around me )
havnt been on a ryanair plane in 2 years and will never again just for that reason

but i suppose their cheap for a reason
id rather pay the extra cost for a more cosy flight (im 6ft 5) and ryanairs seats then to be like dublin bus seats, their really close together id need to just to fit into it

ScumLord

SV wrote: »

Dunno how you managed that one, I was just messing around there and booked one for Feb of next year, mid week and it still came back at €130 return.

I usually travel off peak and during the middle of the week if possible.

rainbow kirby

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

if ryanair didnt have this first come first serve idea for getting on a plane well then i would be happy to use them

This is probably the single thing I hate the most about flying Ryanair. Brings out the absolute worst in people. Reserved seating is so much less stressful.

gramar

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

if ryanair didnt have this first come first serve idea for getting on a plane well then i would be happy to use them

i do be nearly tempted to pay the extra cost just so i can get on the flight first
id rather they just give everyone assigned seats, so their is no pulling and pushing to get on the plane first ( im always last to get on so most of the time im stuck with kids around me )
havnt been on a ryanair plane in 2 years and will never again just for that reason

but i suppose their cheap for a reason
id rather pay the extra cost for a more cosy flight (im 6ft 5) and ryanairs seats then to be like dublin bus seats, their really close together id need to just to fit into it

I don't see the big deal in paying a couple of quid extra for a seat if you need extra leg-room or you just want to avoid the boarding queue etc. The point I'm trying to make is that if a flight costs say 60-80eur return and you're a tall person or simply don't want to be involved in the stampede then 20eur to sit where you want isn't a huge amount to pay for a little bit of extra comfort and less hassle.

Eathrin

Sorry to take the thread slightly OT but would Ryanair reject a carry on bag that has to be squeezed to fit the dimensions requirement?
Are they that bad for it

red sean

Eathrin wrote: »

Sorry to take the thread slightly OT but would Ryanair reject a carry on bag that has to be squeezed to fit the dimensions requirement?
Are they that bad for it

Yes. Yes.

JustAThought

Aer Lingus staff on board behave like louts. They seem to forget that their transatlantic passengers are paying for a professional service and expect that. The 3 times I have had the misfortune to fly Aer Lingus " recently" I was frankly appalled by them; they are a rude, patronising, consistently jaded and uncivil set of lumps.

On my last longhaul back from Cambodia I made it with other airlines with perfect timing back to the UK. -exhausted but only a 2 hour wait & one final flight home with Aer Lingus -NO. Aer Lingus cancelled the flight - no apology no explanation -six hours more to endure. Same when I came back from Australia- got to Heathrow - Scheduled Aer Mingus flight cancelled .

As someone who used to travel back & fro to the UK every 10 days I found Aer Mingus constantly unreliable, & often late, delayed or worse cancelled . I would never rely on them - particularly for business trips or outgoing connecting flights. It's happened to me personally too many times to trust their flabby service & unpredictable take-offs anymore.

With respect to the "I'm paid by Aer Lingus" thread OP the fabulous Singapore Air & Thai Air seem to not have yet been part if your experiences - what a shame - they have an exceptional & world class service which is a joy to be part of. If you fly Singapore Airlines or with them via Singapore , Singapore Air fast track you out through their own " commuter in-transit customs" coach you from the airport to the city to shop, sightsee or visit the zoo, , provide free & visa unrestricted boat & coach tours of the city if you have time while in layover or between connections; showing your boarding card gives you discounts all I er town and in the restaurants in the airport ; as we as fabulous 4&5 star deals in city hotels & resorts . No I don't work for them, or get paid by them but do I ever LOVE flying with them : )

And no Aer Mingus louts patronising me, giving dismissive service, hammering their trollers into my legs as they shout & clatter at their mates while slapping trays of mystery " food" at people.

I flew with Virgin in Australia a few years back ( economy) & their crew were fabulous - professional & lovely. The opposite of Aer L in fact but the kind of service one expects.

Solair

hardCopy wrote: »

Wouldn't fly Aer Lingus if there was a Ryanair alternative, especially not for a business flight. Like the OP, I've been a traveling consultant, flew over 50 times in 2011.
.

The delays are usually caused because Aer Lingus fly into busier, major airports while Ryanair tend to fly to low-cost hubs with less fuss.

It's a toss up between landing in LHR or CDG and having very rapid access to city centres or some airport out in the sticks somewhere and landing on time but needing a coach / very long trail trip to where you need to be.

If you're connecting onwards, Aer Lingus are also more likely to bring you to a useful hub airport.

JustAThought

JustAThought wrote: »

Aer Lingus staff on board behave like louts. They seem to forget that their transatlantic passengers are paying for a professional service and expect that. The 3 times I have had the misfortune to fly Aer Lingus " recently" I was frankly appalled by them; they are a rude, patronising, consistently jaded and uncivil set of lumps.

On my last longhaul back from Cambodia I made it with other airlines with perfect timing back to the UK. -exhausted but only a 2 hour wait & one final flight home with Aer Lingus -NO. Aer Lingus cancelled the flight - no apology no explanation -six hours more to endure. Same when I came back from Australia- got to Heathrow - Scheduled Aer Mingus flight cancelled .

As someone who used to travel back & fro to the UK every 10 days I found Aer Mingus constantly unreliable, & often late, delayed or worse cancelled . I would never rely on them - particularly for business trips or outgoing connecting flights. It's happened to me personally too many times to trust their flabby service & unpredictable take-offs anymore.

With respect to the "I'm paid by Aer Lingus" thread OP the fabulous Singapore Air & Thai Air seem to not have yet been part if your experiences - what a shame - they have an exceptional & world class service which is a joy to be part of. If you fly Singapore Airlines or with them via Singapore , Singapore Air fast track you out through their own " commuter in-transit customs" coach you from the airport to the city to shop, sightsee or visit the zoo, , provide free & visa unrestricted boat & coach tours of the city if you have time while in layover or between connections; showing your boarding card gives you discounts all I er town and in the restaurants in the airport ; as we as fabulous 4&5 star deals in city hotels & resorts . No I don't work for them, or get paid by them but do I ever LOVE flying with them : )

And no Aer Mingus louts patronising me, giving dismissive service, hammering their trollers into my legs as they shout & clatter at their mates while slapping trays of mystery " food" at people.

I flew with Virgin in Australia a few years back ( economy) & their crew were fabulous - professional & lovely. The opposite of Aer L in fact but the kind of service one expects.

Aer L - badly behaved staff; poor customer service; unreliable flights, frequent delays, IME frequent cancelled flights, jaded Aer hostesses who seem to never have been told that a " host" is supposed to at minimum be mannerly, treat their paying guests with courtesy & at minimum prefessionalism.

Singapore Airlines - wonderful flying experience.

Virgin - professional , courteous, friendly .
Thai Airlines - highly recommended flying experience - think 5 star service for 3 star prices.

Aer France - great positive experiences.

I seem to remember getting free Icecreams ( Magnums!) from a German airline a few years back - they gave you a bag & sent you into a cafe to pick what refreshments you wanted to bring on your flight free of charge!!! Coffee, Sandwiches, fruit, pasteries & the unexpected icrecream!!! Internsl flight. Wish I could remember who the company was!!!!

biko

I've flown with many different airlines and AL definitely rank in the good section.
As opposed to JustAThought I've never had a problem with the staff but maybe that's just me. Some passengers/staff are worse than others.

Singapore Airlines or SAS tops my list, BA great too.

I flew Aeroflot back before the wall came down, quite an experience. Ryanair is the closest thing we have to that now.

poisonated

Aer Lingus wouldn't be my favourite airline. In fact, if there was a direct flight from Dublin to the US with Aer lingus and a flight with a good airline that had a layover in London, I would choose the latter.

Duggys Housemate

JustAThought wrote: »

Aer L - badly behaved staff; poor customer service; unreliable flights, frequent delays, IME frequent cancelled flights, jaded Aer hostesses who seem to never have been told that a " host" is supposed to at minimum be mannerly, treat their paying guests with courtesy & at minimum prefessionalism.

Singapore Airlines - wonderful flying experience.

Virgin - professional , courteous, friendly .
Thai Airlines - highly recommended flying experience - think 5 star service for 3 star prices.

Aer France - great positive experiences.

I seem to remember getting free Icecreams ( Magnums!) from a German airline a few years back - they gave you a bag & sent you into a cafe to pick what refreshments you wanted to bring on your flight free of charge!!! Coffee, Sandwiches, fruit, pasteries & the unexpected icrecream!!! Internsl flight. Wish I could remember who the company was!!!!

you replying to yourself?

IzzyWizzy

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

if ryanair didnt have this first come first serve idea for getting on a plane well then i would be happy to use them

i do be nearly tempted to pay the extra cost just so i can get on the flight first
id rather they just give everyone assigned seats, so their is no pulling and pushing to get on the plane first ( im always last to get on so most of the time im stuck with kids around me )
havnt been on a ryanair plane in 2 years and will never again just for that reason

but i suppose their cheap for a reason
id rather pay the extra cost for a more cosy flight (im 6ft 5) and ryanairs seats then to be like dublin bus seats, their really close together id need to just to fit into it

Why don't you just get there earlier then? I like the unassigned seating. It means that if you get there early, you're guaranteed a place for your suitcase in the overhead locker. With Aer Lingus, by the time you get on the plane, the overhead things are full and you either have to put your bag in the hold or sit with it under your feet. Way more annoying.

Ryanair also now fly into plenty of 'major' airports including Barcelona El Prat and Valencia and a lot of the time, the smaller airports they fly into are handier. I go to Salamanca, Spain regularly and prefer to use Ryanair to fly into Valladolid than Aer Lingus to fly into Madrid, which is further away and more hassle.

rainbow kirby

IzzyWizzy wrote: »

With Aer Lingus, by the time you get on the plane, the overhead things are full and you either have to put your bag in the hold or sit with it under your feet. Way more annoying.

Pick row 20 - board first, and never any problems stashing my bag.

Eathrin

Eathrin wrote: »

Sorry to take the thread slightly OT but would Ryanair reject a carry on bag that has to be squeezed to fit the dimensions requirement?
Are they that bad for it

I would say it depends on the attendants. I've seen people almost standing on a bag to get it in the frame and having to let the frame for checking your bag down on its side to force out their bag and they were still let on the flight with it.

One tip I tell every one if it is a suit case on wheels is make sure you turn the bag upside down when putting it in the frame, all these bags are a that bit wider at the bottom because of the wheels if you flip them over they fit better and dont get stuck as easily in the frame.

donvito99

JustAThought wrote: »

Aer France - great positive experiences.

...when you're not crashing into a hotel after take off, crashing into the atlantic, or over-running a runway at Montreal only to find the plane on fire.

The Hill Billy

I've flown with a lot of airlines down through the years & I now fly with Aer Lingus every week. I can honestly say that they are the mutt's nuts. The staff are super, & as I know a lot of them at this stage - it is nice when I get a "Hi [real name], how was your week?" when I'm boarding.

If you're ever on a Dublin/Zürich flight on Sunday or Zürich/Dublin on Friday - say "Hi!" to the dude in 2F - that's usually me.