Aer Lingus now worse than Ryanair

dusty207

Recently booked Ryanair to the Canaries outbound and Aer Lingus back, better flight times. Up until the "Always getting better" campaign I've avoided Ryanair like the plague and used Aer Lingus but have used Ryanair a bit since and have been reasonably happy. But after these last two flights I doubt I'll ever set foot on an Aer Lingus flight again.

First, the outward Ryanair flight. Pleasant happy crew, lovely uniforms, all the announcements over the PA clear and concise. The food and drinks were pretty OK, limited but enough to be getting on with on a 4 hour flight. Overall an extremely pleasant experience.

Now the return Aer Lingus flight. The cabin crew could be described, at best, as a shambles. It started badly when an elderly female passenger asked one of the cabin crew a question about her checked in bags. I don't know what is was but the minute the passenger turned to go to her seat the crew member said something under her voice to another crew member and they both started sniggering. All cabin crew were scruffy, loose ties, one guy wearing a shirt a couple of sizes too small.
General attitude to passengers was pretty abrupt. Announcements over the PA on all subjects were inaudible. The selection of food was very poor, they had everything on the in flight info sheet but nothing very appetising.
I was a bit put out when I saw one cabin crew member reach into the toilet and take out a wedge of hand towels and use them as napkins.
On the toilet point, there are 2 toilets up front on the Airbus but one seemed to be out of action. However it was available for use by the cabin crew, the pilots and some other person known to the crew who spent the flight in the jump seat section glugging back the vino. The closure of this toilet for the exclusive use of the crew meant the ordinary punters had to queue up which caused confusion when the crew actually got out and tried to do something.
A nasty experience and one that I've no intention of reliving.
It wasn't just me as the topic of conversation amongst passengers waiting for their cases later was the unpleasantness of the flight.
I suppose one company wants the business and the other just couldn't give a damn.

AvyStreet

How much was the flight?

Your Face

Cool, thanks for that.

BoJack Horseman

vote 'yes' to paragraphs.

frozenfrozen

dusty207 has 207 posts nice

Spanish Eyes

I choose Ryanair when I can, because they don't go on strike and destroy my plans. Everything else I can live with.

Lesson learned there!

lc180

You ok hun?

CB19Kevo

Ryanair have really upped there game,never had a problem with them before its just obvious that they have improved a lot.

dusty207

AvyStreet wrote: »

How much was the flight?

Can't remember but Ryanair was cheap going out and dear coming back and Aer Lingus was the other way around.
Plus Ryanair get you there early and Aer Lingus back later, you can get nearly an extra day as a result.
Total for 2 was about €300 return

IvyTheTerrible

Have you contacted the airline with your complaint, or are you just bitching on here?

faceman

Thinly veiled "I was on holiday in the Canaries like a boss" thread.

You make me sick OP.

dusty207

frozenfrozen wrote: »

dusty207 has 207 posts nice

Wow, never noticed, thanks, oh damn, now I've 208.

Gone Drinking

Why's there such a sense of entitlement when people are flying short-haul?

They're flying you.. through the air.. hundreds if not thousands of miles.. for one hundred and fifty odd quid return!

It's four hours, eat before you get on, don't expect hugs from the staff and enjoy a warm beer.

Pink Fairy

When you say the cabin crew member reached into the toilet?!

Did you get free brown sauce with your sammich?

dusty207

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Have you contacted the airline with your complaint, or are you just bitching on here?

Not a complaint, merely an observation.

stefan.kuntz

dusty207 wrote: »

Wow, never noticed, thanks, oh damn, now I've 208.

You should have quit while you were ahead.

Spanish Eyes

AL are great, RYR is great. Timings dictate choice as does price.

On neither airline are we going Business/First Class, so everyone, yes everyone has the same experience.

OP you need to contact the airline and make a complaint. We here are very happy to get to our destination.

Oh and I always pack a snack for myself just in case there is nothing left either. So what. Be prepared like the scouts.

Honestly. What is this moan about?

Antar Bolaeisk

They are becoming more customer focused, recently witnessed a head stewardess (or whatever the term is) come out from behind the check-in desks, aid a couple with their oversized bag to make it fit in the baggage checking device (almost to the point of stomping it in), then chastising her co-worker for not being more helpful. Thought I had queued for the wrong airline for a second.

Car99

With regards to the "toilet for crew use only" the lavatory may have been inoperative for a technical reason making the that toilet area unsuitable for pax but ok for crew that were aware of the fault.

Car99

Shorthaul is shorthaul , get me there safely , as scheduled and as cheap as possible with as little interference from cabin crew or other passengers as possible and I'm happy. If I want to be executive travel I expect to pay for it

stimpson

Car99 wrote: »

With regards to the "toilet for crew use only" the lavatory may have been inoperative for a technical reason making the that toilet area unsuitable for pax but ok for crew that were aware of the fault.

3 words: Mile. High. Club.

JohnCleary

Keep it simple...
For short-haul I just put up with whatever, it's cheap and cheerful. Close your eyes and you'll be at your destination soon.

For long-haul, I fly business. 16 hours in the air is a long time and i'm happy to pay the premium. I expect the service and I get it.

Simples.

mad muffin

JohnCleary wrote: »

Keep it simple...
For short-haul I just put up with whatever, it's cheap and cheerful. Close your eyes and you'll be at your destination soon.

For long-haul, I fly business. 16 hours in the air is a long time and i'm happy to pay the premium. I expect the service and I get it.

Simples.

Thinly veiled, I fly business class post… oh, wait…

cowboyBuilder

Come on Micheal ... try harder...

cowboyBuilder

I was once on a Ryáneir flight, and the pilot was hammered drunk, him and the co pilot were playing drinking games and then were leering at female passengers smacking their asses ... terrible stuff, at one point no one was in the cockpit for about 15 mins ...

Finally a couple passengers had to land the plane, terrifying experience.


*may not have actually happened ...

super_furry

I'm Dave Lingus and I'll fight yis all!

mikeym

I heard that Rayani Air Crowd are great to fly with

http://rayaniair.com/rairweb/index.php

maryishere

dusty207 wrote: »

I suppose one company wants the business and the other just couldn't give a damn.

Nail on the head. One has the unionised retaurant CIE type mentality. The other is like a restaurant which is not unionised but striving to keep the customer happy / increase its business with a smile.

Aer Lingus was ok in the old days when my parents paid 200 quid (the equivalent of a grand today) to fly to England, but thank God Ryanair came along.

suicide_circus

Flights back from the Canaries, Majorca and the like are generally a pretty rough experience for cabin crew.

dusty207

suicide_circus wrote: »

Flights back from the Canaries, Majorca and the like are generally a pretty rough experience for cabin crew.

Agree, normally from passengers to cabin crew but this time it was the other way around.

dusty207

faceman wrote: »

Thinly veiled "I was on holiday in the Canaries like a boss" thread.

You make me sick OP.

Small holiday with my wife just before I retire, treated like crap, Ryanair don't have sickbags, Aer Lingus does, wonder why???? If you're a mod, you're a disgrace.

dusty207

stefan.kuntz wrote: »

You should have quit while you were ahead.

Get a life, you're well named.

Shannon757

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Why's there such a sense of entitlement when people are flying short-haul?

They're flying you.. through the air.. hundreds if not thousands of miles.. for one hundred and fifty odd quid return!

It's four hours, eat before you get on, don't expect hugs from the staff and enjoy a warm beer.

Something doesn't add up.

Ruu

They are both low cost airlines. Did the flights depart and arrive on time?

dusty207

Ruu wrote: »

They are both low cost airlines. Did the flights depart and arrive on time?

Near enough but I reckon they depend on air traffic control. No probs either way.

dusty207

Shannon757 wrote: »

Something doesn't add up.

You get on a plane. The plane is the same. The seats are the same. The overhead lockers are the same. The staff are nice or nasty. The food is good or crap. The passengers are happy or sad. The operators are Ryanair or Aer Lingus. The ticket is cheap or dear. The choice is Ryanair or Aer Lingus.
Simples

Shannon757

dusty207 wrote: »

You get on a plane. The plane is the same. The seats are the same. The overhead lockers are the same. The staff are nice or nasty. The food is good or crap. The passengers are happy or sad. The operators are Ryanair or Aer Lingus. The ticket is cheap or dear. The choice is Ryanair or Aer Lingus.
Simples

I was referring to the post I quoted.

dusty207

cowboyBuilder wrote:

I was once on a Ryáneir flight, and the pilot was hammered drunk, him and the co pilot were playing drinking games and then were leering at female passengers smacking their asses ... terrible stuff, at one point no one was in the cockpit for about 15 mins ...

Probably at the wrong airport though?

dusty207

Shannon757 wrote: »

I was referring to the post I quoted.

Sorry if I misunderstood your post but the Canaries is a little under 2000 miles from Dublin.
I do believe that a 4 hour flight is bordering on a long short or short long haul and that, unlike a hop over to Paris etc, airlines should be catering for that. Ryanair do that admirably.
Especially where holiday makers are concerned, also with young children. I'd estimate the average age of the passengers on my flight to be 50+ and that's with several infants. Yobs from Majorca not.
If the staff can't take it then get those that can.
Both flights were fully up to whatever standards they set themselves but the Aer Lingus one was appalling.

fullstop

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

I was once on a Ryáneir flight, and the pilot was hammered drunk, him and the co pilot were playing drinking games and then were leering at female passengers smacking their asses ... terrible stuff, at one point no one was in the cockpit for about 15 mins ...

Finally a couple passengers had to land the plane, terrifying experience.


*may not have actually happened ...

Wouldn't actually surprise me having socialised for a number of nights with their crew on holidays a few years ago :eek:

murpho999

I really find the OP's post to be just a moany one.

Any plane I've gotten within Europe, I just get on take my seat and only interact with the staff for a drink or some food.

I've never had any issues with Ryanair under old or new guise and have always found Aer Lingus staff pleasant as well.

You accuse them of keeping a toilet for themselves without full facts.

You berate the while airline for 2 staff laughing and you perceive it to be at a passenger.

Food on both airlines is not that great, Sandwiches at best.

Canaries is by no means long haul; as then you'd get a full meal.

Why would a airline make announcements inaudible.

Flown Aer Lingus hundreds of times and never experienced that.

ALl of your complaints about staff clothing sound unreal, and how is someone wearing a shirt the fault of the airline. Maybe he gained weight?

I notice that all of your complaints are involving other people and nothing that involved you directly so how you say it was a nasty experience is beyond me.
Also fail to see what the issue is wit using hand towels as napkins if they had run out of them.

You really sound very 'precious'.

I think Ireland should be proud of both airlines and not knock them

the evasion_kid

had an awful experience with aer lingus a while ago,atrocious customer care,can safely say i will never fly with them again,after dealing with numerous counters in the airport and a lot of phone calls i can only assume its bad company moral or they just employ a shower of a**holes.

colossus-x

The bitchiness about low cost airlines is to me the most pathetic moan I've ever heard.

The freedom for low paid workers to be able to move between countries, is one of the greatest advancements in society that has occurred in a long time. Why should flights be the luxury of the middle class or rich.

I might also add that the way working class people complain about the service is mind boggling.

rubadub

dusty207 wrote: »

all the announcements over the PA clear and concise.

I always found them intrusive, mostly unnecessary and ridiculously loud.

dusty207 wrote: »

one guy wearing a shirt a couple of sizes too small.

Well that is just outrageous, I would have been looking for a parachute if I was subjected to that ordeal.

Gone Drinking

Shannon757 wrote: »

Something doesn't add up.

In the United Kingdom, Air Passenger Duty is levied on all flights by the UK Treasury according to banding by distance. It defines a short-haul flight as an absolute flight distance under 2,000 miles (3,200 km). Most domestic flights (where the departure airport and the arrival airport are in the same country) are short-haul.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/thousand

Zing

harry Bailey esq

I had to shell out 200 sheets to Ryanair Tuesday morning for flight transfers because one of their 'helpful staff' insisted to us we were at the wrong gate,when in fact it turned out we were at the correct one,I was a couple of minutes away from boarding a flight to Malaga,instead of my proper destination of schipol. Despite the fact the employee admitted her mistake as soon as we called her out on it, there was no negotiation when it came to getting on the next flight out. Total cost of flying to holland with (economy, no frills Ryanair was €414) aer lingus usually hover around €100,and the staff are about as efficient as they come. All I can say is f*ck you Ryanair :mad: