Aer Lingus Cabin Baggage

Anbocmorrua

Hi there,

I'm travelling from London to Dublin on Aer Lingus soon and as I haven't used them for a while I am wondering how zealous they are these days on checking cabin baggage. I don't intend to try an smuggle a fridge on board but my usual case is probably a bit marginal for most airlines these days. Some airlines/airports don't seem to care and some are very picky. I'd just like to know what I can expect.

Thanks

Boc

coylemj

They're reasonably accommodating but if the flight is full like it's a red eye to Heathrow then you may have the bag taken from you at the gate if it's very big, not as punishment mind, just that the overhead bins fill up with overnight bags and laptop bags so sometimes there just isn't room and they confiscate the bigger bags and shove them in the hold. I've seen this happen at the boarding gates in Heathrow so I imagine it also happens in Dublin.

So I'd try not to have the biggest bag on the plane, it will attract the wrong kind of attention.

SaveOurLyric

Aer Lingus are a right pain in the ass about this these days.

Very little enforcement of their cabin baggage size limit. Even on full flights they are letting people on with oversize bags and it is a real battle to fit everything into the bin and delays boarding as the cabin crew start moving stuff around, moving it to another area of the cabin etc to squash in as much as possible.

Taking the biscuit is removing small conforming bags and asking you to put them under the seat in front of you which is most annoying, penalising those who use regulation bags, to facilitate the rule benders. I did it once, but will refuse if asked in future.

Aer Lingus, be consistent and stop allowing all bags bigger than stated in the allowance. Ryanair thankfully are better and quicker to pull people's bags at the gate.

coylemj

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

Aer Lingus, be consistent and stop allowing all bags bigger than stated in the allowance.

This is the impossible task the staff have at the boarding gates and on board. People who fly Aer Lingus expect a bit of leeway because in most cases they are paying extra, especially flying to Heathrow and of course people will always push things to the limit if they feel they can get away with it.

I sympathise with your position but I'd prefer a bit of flexibility rather than aggressive check-in staff looking to line their pockets by charging me for a bag that's marginally over the limit.

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

Ryanair thankfully are better and quicker to pull people's bags at the gate.

And then lose them. If your bag is taken from you at the gate it will have no tag for tracing it if it gets lost and you'll get nowhere with Ryanair trying to get it back. Happened a friend of mine with a bag containing jewellery and a valuable camera, it never showed up in Dublin and Ryanair washed their hands of any responsibility.