Aer Lingus Service

LXFlyer

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Sounds a bit dismal alright, have you offered feedback to EI?

Why would he offer feedback to EI about his experience on BA?

His post was about poor service in BA business class.

jesus_thats_gre

Tenger wrote: »

I think this could be indicative of the relative size of the EI widebody fleet vs the BA fleet. EI revamped their J Class cabin relatively quickly, doing so with BA will take a few years.

Perhaps we are seeing a jaded product on BA slowly being replaced, hence the uneven opinions. Whereas the (14 fleet units) EI product is all less than 3 years old (I think?)

Reasonable points and a degree of compromise is to be expected on the older 747s in particular.

However, even the newer 777s and A380 weren't really any better - just quieter really.

roundymac

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Sounds a bit dismal alright, have you offered feedback to EI?

I was flying BA Pat.

Pat Dunne

roundymac wrote: »

I was flying BA Pat.

Cheers roundymac, did you follow it up, or just leave it?

Spanish Eyes

When going away I just want to get there on time or within a small window of the designated time.

AL is consistently late or delayed. You only have to look at the arrivals/departures on DAA to see that.

Wrecks my head.

RYR is more consistent. There is no other difference between the two on short haul.

Long haul is cattle class for most of us. I can't comment on BC. Would never pay for it anyway what's the point? Dublin to NY is not a long flight really.

Locker10a

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

When going away I just want to get there on time or within a small window of the designated time.

AL is consistently late or delayed. You only have to look at the arrivals/departures on DAA to see that.

Wrecks my head.

RYR is more consistent. There is no other difference between the two on short haul.

Long haul is cattle class for most of us. I can't comment on BC. Would never pay for it anyway what's the point? Dublin to NY is not a long flight really.

LoL !! Aer Lingus are Dublins No1 on time airline this year, they are also the IAGs no1 airline for on time performance this year !
You must be just unlucky mate....

Mebuntu

Locker10a wrote: »

LoL !! Aer Lingus are Dublins No1 on time airline this year,

Could you provide the source/stats that confirms this info please.

goingnowhere

Found EI to be solid on the time keeping, certainly seen improvement in boarding speed in recent months, the late evenings are where things can go wrong. They are the most punctual out of both Dublin and Heathrow.

In 5 years of short haul EI, I cannot recall a delay of more than 1 hour, based on 50 flights a year, +90% arrive either early or within 15 minutes

Over 5 years my team probably done 700 odd EI short haul, 1 cancellation
Over same period less than 20 flights with Ryanair, 3 cancellations

Jack1985

Mebuntu wrote: »

Could you provide the source/stats that confirms this info please.

http://www.travelextra.ie/aer-lingus-shortens-boarding-time-7-minutes-sharpens-punctuality-record/

munchkin_utd

Jack1985 wrote: »

http://www.travelextra.ie/aer-lingus-shortens-boarding-time-7-minutes-sharpens-punctuality-record/

the original article in the irish times is here : http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/aer-lingus-smartens-service-for-guests-just-don-t-be-late-1.2787494

it says there that they have changed boarding procedures.

Seemingly the boarding by area / seat row is now abandoned.
No harm, as its hard enough to hear the instructions if you are a native (irish) english speaker, its impossible if you are foreign, and take a plane with 3/4 of the passengers being foreign its just sheer chaos.
They now board "priority" passengers first, so I presume anyone who has paid for a seat at the front or exit row, and then the rest.
Not a bad idea, the people at the front can store their bags before some knobhead in the backrow decides to stash his bag in row 1.

The check-in of cabin bags at the gate is also now standard policy, which was obvious to anyone travelling, but interesting to see the CEO state it openly.
Ironic that the push to charge for checked luggage was partially to improve punctuality, you dont have luggage in the hold for people late to the gate so you can leave without them, and now punctuality is being improved by allowing bags into the hold for free !
Taking bags at the gate though at least means the passenger has made it to the gate, rather than skulling pints in the airport bar.

So small changes indeed, but even the siphoning off of a number of cabin bags into the hold should make a large difference in messing trying to find a place overhead for the last few bags

Locker10a

munchkin_utd wrote: »

Jack1985 wrote: »

http://www.travelextra.ie/aer-lingus-shortens-boarding-time-7-minutes-sharpens-punctuality-record/

the original article in the irish times is here : http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/aer-lingus-smartens-service-for-guests-just-don-t-be-late-1.2787494

it says there that they have changed boarding procedures.

Seemingly the boarding by area / seat row is now abandoned.
No harm, as its hard enough to hear the instructions if you are a native (irish) english speaker, its impossible if you are foreign, and take a plane with 3/4 of the passengers being foreign its just sheer chaos.
They now board "priority" passengers first, so I presume anyone who has paid for a seat at the front or exit row, and then the rest.
Not a bad idea, the people at the front can store their bags before some knobhead in the backrow decides to stash his bag in row 1.

The check-in of cabin bags at the gate is also now standard policy, which was obvious to anyone travelling, but interesting to see the CEO state it openly.
Ironic that the push to charge for checked luggage was partially to improve punctuality, you dont have luggage in the hold for people late to the gate so you can leave without them, and now punctuality is being improved by allowing bags into the hold for free !
Taking bags at the gate though at least means the passenger has made it to the gate, rather than skulling pints in the airport bar.

So small changes indeed, but even the siphoning off of a number of cabin bags into the hold should make a large difference in messing trying to find a place overhead for the last few bags

Cabin luggage is THE key to speedy and seamless boardings, hence why Ryanair have adopted their efficient 90 bag rule and after the first 90 all remaining bags are tagged, it really works well makes boarding noticeably faster

jesus_thats_gre

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

AL is consistently late or delayed. You only have to look at the arrivals/departures on DAA to see that.

As someone who travelled 9 weeks out of 10 for the past 2 plus years, this would be very much contrary to my experience with AL.

At least 50% of that was in and out of London Heathrow and BA are considerably worse than AL.

To a certain degree, delays are inevitable in Heathrow at certain times of the day but I have generally found AL to a lot better at handling them that BA.

Virtually 80% of my BA short haul flights are delayed departing or arriving. What I don't understand is that BA run Terminal 5 yet seem to have so many difficulties.

LXFlyer

I do however have an issue with the checked bags at the gate.

I recently flew on an EI Regional service and checked my suitcase in, paying the fee, as my case (as with virtually any wheeled suitcase on the ATR) was outside the permitted dimensions for that aircraft (it does meet normal EI dimensions).

Then I arrived at the gate to find the staff offering free checkin for bags and letting other bags clearly outside the dimensions through without a glance.

Where's the fairness in that?

I certainly won't be forking out for checking in a bag in future.

roundymac

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Cheers roundymac, did you follow it up, or just leave it?

I just left it, to be honest I would'nt consider BA a great airline.It was an upgrade, if I had paid for it I possibly would have complained. We flew economy on SIA on the same trip and found that to be a fantastic service.

Locker10a

lxflyer wrote: »

I do however have an issue with the checked bags at the gate.

I recently flew on an EI Regional service and checked my suitcase in, paying the fee, as my case (as with virtually any wheeled suitcase on the ATR) was outside the permitted dimensions for that aircraft (it does meet normal EI dimensions).

Then I arrived at the gate to find the staff offering free checkin for bags and letting other bags clearly outside the dimensions through without a glance.

Where's the fairness in that?

I certainly won't be forking out for checking in a bag in future.

This is indeed a problem, but a difficult one to deal with!
I have offloaded bags from the cabin on several occasions, simply because they were so large the locker door physically would not shut, they were no where near the allowed size, however at this stage it's too late to charge pax, so they got let off with a warning and their bag being put into the hold, you can be sure those same people will try the same trick again and if challenged by gate staff will claim " this is a disgrace I was allowed onto the last flight"

Wanderer2010

I have flown Aer Lingus the last few years both short and long haul and although I have no concerns regarding safety or delays etc, I have noticed a gradual decline in the quality of service. I notice that the older cabin crew members seem very much jaded and only do the bare minimum in terms of service before they get back to their long chats with fellow staff. The younger staff are for the most part pleasant and eager to provide a friendly service, even giving you extra food and drink when they can!
They have become less generous though on short haul flights. Absolutely nothing unless you pay for it whereas a few years ago they would have given you a cup of tea/coffee or coke just for the trip over. Also, their food was never ever anything to write home about. Economy transatlantic can be very expensive and quite long so you expect at least a decent choice of food and I have never seen anything except "Beef or Chicken" as an option. I'm not looking for steak or caviar but maybe a third option as well as a bread roll that doesn't double as a weapon its so hard would be nice. Plus some people think that first complimentary soft drink is all they are entitled to, they don't make it obvious that you can ask for free soft drinks for the duration of the flight.
On top of this, their prices aren't the best and I see why most people opt for Ryanair.

LiamaDelta

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

Virtually 80% of my BA short haul flights are delayed departing or arriving. What I don't understand is that BA run Terminal 5 yet seem to have so many difficulties.

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

To a certain degree, delays are inevitable in Heathrow at certain times of the day but I have generally found AL to a lot better at handling them that BA.

Would agree there. Ex LHR BA tend to prioritise the long haul ops. Particularly when there are slot restrictions BA usually cancel short haul to facilitate others. I've always found that Aer Lingus take the DUB-LHR route very seriously and always strive to get flights completed on time.

Locker10a

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

I have flown Aer Lingus the last few years both short and long haul and although I have no concerns regarding safety or delays etc, I have noticed a gradual decline in the quality of service. I notice that the older cabin crew members seem very much jaded and only do the bare minimum in terms of service before they get back to their long chats with fellow staff. The younger staff are for the most part pleasant and eager to provide a friendly service, even giving you extra food and drink when they can!
They have become less generous though on short haul flights. Absolutely nothing unless you pay for it whereas a few years ago they would have given you a cup of tea/coffee or coke just for the trip over. Also, their food was never ever anything to write home about. Economy transatlantic can be very expensive and quite long so you expect at least a decent choice of food and I have never seen anything except "Beef or Chicken" as an option. I'm not looking for steak or caviar but maybe a third option as well as a bread roll that doesn't double as a weapon its so hard would be nice. Plus some people think that first complimentary soft drink is all they are entitled to, they don't make it obvious that you can ask for free soft drinks for the duration of the flight.
On top of this, their prices aren't the best and I see why most people opt for Ryanair.

As mentioned Aer Lingus are really no different to any of their peers in the industry, there may be certain down sides where they are lacking but in other areas their competitors have negatives, 6 of one and half a dozen of the other!
However I must say I find their older crew to have a very special charm, perhaps I've always been lucky, but I have had only excellent service from the old school EI crew. I find the older ladies to have a certain class and warmth about them something non existent in many younger crew.
I myself work as crew and I consider myself young(20s) so I mean no offence to my generation. Of course there are indeed bad apples I don't dispute that.
On a recent flight I boarded up the steps and was greeted by a lovely lady (I'd say my mums age) who greeted me with " hello, lovely to see you with us" which I thought was a very warm touch.
I get the impression with my generation of crew (btw I don't fly for EI) that the attitude can be very much "just another lot of passengers" where's more old school crew are of the mindset that each passenger is an individual and their flight is unique to them.
It's a pity people with a bad attitude ruin the reputation for the rest but such is the way when employing human beings!

Jack1985

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

They have become less generous though on short haul flights. Absolutely nothing unless you pay for it whereas a few years ago they would have given you a cup of tea/coffee or coke...Plus some people think that first complimentary soft drink is all they are entitled to, they don't make it obvious that you can ask for free soft drinks for the duration of the flight.

The first part is very easy to answer for you. The European service since the early 2000's has been a BOB one. It is becoming less generous, because at the end of the day everything is revenue product, the amount of stock is less for crew later in the day as a new system of All Day Bars is loaded.

In the bia magazine in your seat pocket it does contain the following ''Enjoy complimentary soft drinks on all transatlantic flights''

I hope that makes sense to you, at the end of the day the crew have not become less generous its the company. If for example a crew member was to give said person a free drink etc, the same person writes in mentioning said crew member they'll find themselves in for a meeting very quickly, and we all know how ridiculous that is.

Irish Steve

Due to a number of issues, and some complaints, I closed this thread earlier, and having reviewed todays posts, they added nothing to the conversation, and were becoming increasingly inappropriate, so having had the time to discuss the thread with the other moderators, and reviewing things, I have deleted them. The users concerned know who they are, if we see a repeat of this sort of snide sniping and criticisms, bans will be the result

munchkin_utd

regarding getting free stuff on Aerlingus short haul, the only time I got a free tea or coffee since the pay as you go regime came in, was when Aer Lingus were on strike and a Monarch charter was in its place, so we had unlimited (english) tea and custard cream biscuits.
Otherwise, nothing.

That said, I flew last weekend with lufthansa and whilst the food may be free, all they had on the way back was a half a turkey salami sambo (Lufthansa is a pork free zone to keep a certain section of the german community happy) polluted with heaps of gerkins (both sliced and chopped) , so I had to decline.

At least with Aer Lingus you can choose something you like, which would be bit more filling, and with the saving normally of at least €40 per flight, but could be way over €100 difference, you can more than afford to splash out on a sambo and cup of tea.

roundymac

Pork, the German natural meat, now there's a lesson for us all.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

VG31

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

The two I had were quite nice.

Locker10a

Fred Swanson wrote: »

Lufthansa have some of the most awful sandwiches ever.

Agreed

Noxegon

This is a bit of thread drift, but I feel compelled to note as a data point that on last night's DXB-DUB (Emirates) I was told to turn off my laptop and stow it for landing while we were still over the English channel – some fifty-five minutes before landing.

Locker10a

Noxegon wrote: »

This is a bit of thread drift, but I feel compelled to note as a data point that on last night's DXB-DUB (Emirates) I was told to turn off my laptop and stow it for landing while we were still over the English channel some fifty-five minutes before landing.

Laptops must indeed be switched off and stowed away for take off and landing, however 55 mins before landing is indeed very early! The only circumstance i can imagine securing the cabin early for is in anticipation of bad weather during decent/approach but even still 55 mins is very early! Cabin secure is normally begins 10\15 mins before landing.

duskyjoe

Noxegen, what the hell were you watching on your laptop?

Tenger

Sure 55 mins is still at cruise!
20 mins before landing seems more reasonable.

duskyjoe

Carry on baggage is a big issue and it's not the airlines fault if they can't fit it be it FR/EIN etc