Appalling treatment by Aer Lingus at Lisbon Airport

realitykeeper

Ryanair would have hired another plane and got you home quickly. Shame on Aer Lingus. I can understand your outrage. Last time I missed a connecting flight due to a late departure, DHL treated us wonderfully.

L1011

realitykeeper wrote: »

Ryanair would have hired another plane and got you home quickly.

No they wouldn't.

Ryanair are having another summer of rolling cancellations and delays due to staff shortages and they aren't doing any hire ins

CeilingFly

Why do people always have to add "there were elderly & disabled people too"

What does that add except sensationalism? And rarely is the statement true.

Flight had issues, it happens. Thankfully its rare. When it does happen, you are compensated.

Considering all passengers are adults or have adults minding them, they can manage themselves for a few hours.

realitykeeper

CeilingFly wrote: »

Why do people always have to add "there were elderly & disabled people too"

What does that add except sensationalism? And rarely is the statement true.

Flight had issues, it happens. Thankfully its rare. When it does happen, you are compensated.

Considering all passengers are adults or have adults minding them, they can manage themselves for a few hours.

I think it is becoming of a person not to complain about a situation but to actively demand high standards of people paid to serve. If a situation happens fair enough. If a person(s) do something they should not have done or not done something they should, then complaints are a must. Also, perfect efficiency should be the norm.

magentis

realitykeeper wrote: »

Ryanair would have hired another plane and got you home quickly. Shame on Aer Lingus. I can understand your outrage. Last time I missed a connecting flight due to a late departure, DHL treated us wonderfully.

Can't bate DHL eh.

Sanguine Fan

realitykeeper wrote: »

I think it is becoming of a person not to complain about a situation but to actively demand high standards of people paid to serve. If a situation happens fair enough. If a person(s) do something they should not have done or not done something they should, then complaints are a must. Also, perfect efficiency should be the norm.

Thanks for that.

On the long walk back from the departure gate to collect our bags, one able-bodied passenger found an abandoned wheelchair which we managed to unfold for another elderly passenger who had difficulty walking.

That's just one example of what I saw over the following hours at Lisbon Airport. No photos, but plenty of witnesses.

Shame on Aer Lingus.

Former Former

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

Thanks for that.

On the long walk back from the departure gate to collect our bags, one able-bodied passenger found an abandoned wheelchair which we managed to unfold for another elderly passenger who had difficulty walking.

That's just one example of what I saw over the following hours at Lisbon Airport. No photos, but plenty of witnesses.

Shame on Aer Lingus.

While I agree it's very bad service, surely that's the fault of Lisbon Airport??

I think we've all had horrendous experiences with various airlines but they simply can't have an army of ground staff in every airport and they can't have a fleet of spare planes waiting to resolve any delays. It would be incredibly expensive to do so and people want cheap fares to an enormous range of destinations. The two aren't compatible. An airline offering the levels of service you need would go bust overnight.

Sanguine Fan

Former Former wrote: »

While I agree it's very bad service, surely that's the fault of Lisbon Airport??

Aer Lingus (or their agents) checked us in and took our bags when the flight coming from Dublin to pick us up was, at best, doubtful. In fact, shortly after we arrived at the gate at around 22:30, the Aer Lingus web site informed us that our flight had been cancelled. But the board at the gate continued to show a 23:50 departure time.

So, I am afraid I blame Aer Lingus for sending us needlessly through security to the furthest gate at Lisbon Airport. It was on the return journey back to collect our bags that the incident I described took place. There were others on crutches compelled to make that unnecessary round trip of about 40 minutes on foot.

Had we been told at the check-in desk, even as late as 22:30, that there would be no flight to Dublin, we might have been able to organise transport and accommodation for the night.

So no, I don't hold Lisbon Airport responsible.

Masala

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

Aer Lingus (or their agents) checked us in and took our bags when the flight coming from Dublin to pick us up was, at best, doubtful. In fact, shortly after we arrived at the gate at around 22:30, the Aer Lingus web site informed us that our flight had been cancelled. But the board at the gate continued to show a 23:50 departure time.

So, I am afraid I blame Aer Lingus for sending us needlessly through security to the furthest gate at Lisbon Airport. It was on the return journey back to collect our bags that the incident I described took place. There were others on crutches compelled to make that unnecessary round trip of about 40 minutes on foot.

Had we been told at the check-in desk, even as late as 22:30, that there would be no flight to Dublin, we might have been able to organise transport and accommodation for the night.

So no, I don't hold Lisbon Airport responsible.

I think your expections of airline staff are too high..... on a delayed flight they are
1. Looking at dealing with 180++ passengers looking to rebook a flight
2. Looking at getting accommodation for 180 Paz
3. Organising getting baggage back from the handlers
4 organisations transport to hotels etc
5. Deal with own operations on getting substitute aircraft arranges
6. All the above to be dealt with thru their booking system and all fully recorded
5. Etc etc

You complaining that
1. They didn't update Boarding Screens
2. Arrange wheelchairs etc

ATA the end of the day.... you gonna be looked after both flight wise and financially. You need to step back now and let it go

Sanguine Fan

Masala wrote: »

You need to step back now and let it go

You're probably right, but I keep getting notifications of new messages and I'm trying to respond.

My beef with Aer Lingus is that they checked us in while the plane that was to pick us up in Lisbon was still on the ground in Dublin a couple of hours after it was due to leave. I knew that because I was checking live departures on the Aer Lingus site.

The flight time between Dublin and Lisbon is 2hrs 40 mins. Surely it would have been more sensible to delay check-in and inform the waiting queue, until such time as the Dublin-Lisbon flight was in the air?

I appreciate that some co-ordination between Dublin and Lisbon would have been required to achieve this. But if I could see the situation on my tablet, I presume the local Lisbon agents could too. In fact I would be surprised if they were not also getting updates from Dublin on the phone.

It goes without saying that I am pursuing redress from Aer Lingus outside this forum. But never having experienced such poor customer service from an airline before, I am interested in the experience of others.

Maybe the low-fare, no frills business model has lowered customer expectations. But whether I pay 10 euro or a 1,000 for my seat, I expect a basic standard of service when things go wrong. In this case, a simple and clear communication from Aer Lingus at an early stage that told us what had happened, what would happen, and when it would happen, would have gone a very long way. That, plus allowing us back into the departure area where there were loads of seats, and giving us a few blankets maybe, would have eased things considerably.

Surely that's not a lot to ask?

endofrainbow

PlaneSpeeking wrote: »

+1


Why not bump everyone ? We take the 5.15pm plane and anyone on that takes the 7pm ?? Share the pain!!


Like that's ever going to happen - ever.

realitykeeper

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

Thanks for that.

On the long walk back from the departure gate to collect our bags, one able-bodied passenger found an abandoned wheelchair which we managed to unfold for another elderly passenger who had difficulty walking.

That's just one example of what I saw over the following hours at Lisbon Airport. No photos, but plenty of witnesses.

Shame on Aer Lingus.

It`s the unions I blame. They have the workers spoilt at the passengers expense.

L1011

realitykeeper wrote: »

It`s the unions I blame. They have the workers spoilt at the passengers expense.

This isn't the politics forum.

crazy 88

+1 on Aer Lingus being the worst customer experience I have ever had.

They lost my checkin bag a few months ago. Their lost baggage department might as well not exist in my opinion. Without going through a very long story, I spent €120 on calls to them while abroad (most of it spent on hold) and I ended up having to make a long journey to the airport it was sitting in for over a week. At any time all they had to do was ring the airports luggage operator to get it delivered to me but they refused. It was like dealing with junior infants.

work

have had numerous flying episodes with Are Lingus and Ryanair. We seem to be a form of profit resource and not customers, like a mining company. I have seriously reduced holidays abroad over the last two years spending my time and money in Ireland. generally I find we have an amazing country, not bad value if you are organised and not dealing with flights and airports is worth its weight in gold.

Baybay

L1011 wrote: »

Ryanair are having another summer of rolling cancellations and delays due to staff shortages

Plus ongoing, regular European ATC strikes particularly in France.

L1011

realitykeeper wrote: »

The unions are political? How interesting. I thought they were anti politics.

You clearly don't know anything about unions then.

mattser

L1011 wrote: »

You clearly don't know anything about unions then.

No need to be so bolshy. Of course it has some relevance to the thread.

Prominent_Dawg

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

On Wednesday June 27th 2018 my wife and I checked in at Lisbon Airport for our EI 487 22:45 flight back to Dublin after a very enjoyable holiday. Our three cases were tagged and taken, boarding cards issued and we passed quickly through security. We had been told at check-in that our flight would be delayed because the plane leaving Dublin to collect us had not yet departed.

When we got to the departure gate the screen said that the flight would be leaving at the later time of 23:50. At this point it was about 22:30. I checked the Aer Lingus web site to see if the Dublin flight had left for Lisbon and it said that both the Dublin and follow-up return flights were cancelled. Yet the screen over the departure gate continued to display the 23:50 departure time.

There was no one around from Aer Lingus, or their agents, to tell us what to do. So we and many other passengers decided to make the long walk back through security and passport control to find our bags and wait for further direction. When we arrived in the baggage area, our bags were delivered on the carousel and an Aer Lingus agent handed each passenger a one-page information sheet. This stated that the flight had been cancelled "due to technical reasons". Our options, the sheet stated, were to re-book a new flight (subject to availability) or seek a refund - all via the Aer Lingus web site.

We were not offered hotel accommodation or even transport into the city centre. Some of us believed that Aer Lingus would send an extra plane to bring us back to Dublin and that it was better to wait anyway. This seemed logical since there was likely to be few Aer Lingus seats available on the two flights a day between Dublin and Lisbon, and there were a couple of hundred passengers to be accommodated.

Conditions for the passengers, some elderly or disabled, at Lisbon Airport were horrendous as we waited through the long night and well into the following day. No public seating whatsoever, bags to be kept close, only a six euro voucher each to pay for food and drink, and no further communication until next morning from Aer Lingus or their local agents. Plus we were all extremely tired and not in the best frame of mind to make rational decisions about what to do next.

The website offered a phone number from Portugal which would not be available until 9:00am the following morning. The printed page we received included a Dublin number which, when I tried it, led to a recorded message. I was lucky in that I could access my Android tablet via the free airport wi-fi service. I also had a couple of credit cards. But what about passengers without finance or computer access?

When the Aer Lingus agent's desk opened the following morning we had to queue to meet the single representative tasked with sorting out alternative routes back to Dublin. There would be no special flight to take us all home together. Most of us were put on flights from Faro, several hundred kilometres from Lisbon Airport. In our case, we got on an Aer Lingus flight from Faro which left about 24 hours later, i.e. Thursday evening. Others had to wait until Friday.

I am writing this, not to find out how to seek redress or compensation, that I can do myself, but to hear from anyone who had had a similar experience with Aer Lingus or another airline.

Sorry this post is so long but I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

Have had a similar experience with Aer Lingus after two of my flights home got cancelled, I got in contact with air Lingus (the only way possible on twitter) to rebook on the next available flight, was informed the next available flight leaving the airport for Dublin wouldn't be till the following week, however I could travel to another airport at my own expenses to be rebooked on a Aer Lingus flight home the following day.. So the next day I flew to the other end of the country to make a flight home Aer Lingus booked me on, waited a five hour delay being told the flight hadn't left Dublin yet, before the fight was cancelled at midnight.. was provided accommodation but never reimbursed travel expenses

endofrainbow

Prominent_Dawg wrote: »

Have had a similar experience with Aer Lingus after two of my flights home got cancelled, I got in contact with air Lingus (the only way possible on twitter) to rebook on the next available flight, was informed the next available flight leaving the airport for Dublin wouldn't be till the following week, however I could travel to another airport at my own expenses to be rebooked on a Aer Lingus flight home the following day.. So the next day I flew to the other end of the country to make a flight home Aer Lingus booked me on, waited a five hour delay being told the flight hadn't left Dublin yet, before the fight was cancelled at midnight.. was provided accommodation but never reimbursed travel expenses

Travel Insurance ?

CeilingFly

Prominent_Dawg wrote: »

So the next day I flew to the other end of the country to make a flight home Aer Lingus booked me on, waited a five hour delay being told the flight hadn't left Dublin yet, before the fight was cancelled at midnight.. was provided accommodation but never reimbursed travel expenses

Firstly, there's no need to quote an overly long post.

Secondly, did you apply to aer lingus for "reasonable expenses" to be reimbursed?

CeilingFly

work wrote: »

have had numerous flying episodes with Are Lingus and Ryanair. .

Remember you are paying a fairly small fare and you get the service to match the fares charged these days.

If aer lingus increased to a price that would allow a standard of service some people want, then the planes would be empty and the company bust.

And its not just aer lingus and Ryanair - this is how today's air travel works.

If you want premium service, pay the premium business class fares.

CrankyHaus

The one thing I'd really criticise Aer Lingus' representatives for was their failure to let you all know of your statutory redress options under EU 261/2004.

It's a very good system but if people aren't aware of it they often fail to sort themselves out with a hotel overnight and lie around in discomfort for a night or longer because they can't justify the expense to themselves. It should be mandatory to inform passengers of these rights.

Prominent_Dawg

CeilingFly wrote: »

Firstly, there's no need to quote an overly long post.

Secondly, did you apply to aer lingus for "reasonable expenses" to be reimbursed?

Sorry didn't realise it was so long.. yes they reimburse travel costs just not from other airlines the same way they will never fly you home on another airline unless It's a partner airline

L1011

Prominent_Dawg wrote: »

Sorry didn't realise it was so long.. yes they reimburse travel costs just not from other airlines the same way they will never fly you home on another airline unless It's a partner airline

Threaten court. Nothing in the legislation allows excluding other airlines from reasonable travel costs and regulators have made it very clear that rebooking on other available flights cannot be blocked by partnership/alliance deals.

Lufthansa tried to insist there were no re-route flights available during their 2016 strike when I could see tickets on Finnair - as they wanted to stick to SAS. They eventually booked us on to Finnair when this was made extremely clear to them.

Sanguine Fan

Prominent_Dawg wrote: »

Have had a similar experience with Aer Lingus after two of my flights home got cancelled

That certainly beats my own case for brutal customer service. You have my sympathies.

I eventually got a detailed report on what happened to us and it reveals a catalogue of service failures. And I'm not counting the technical fault that led to the cancellation of our flight. These things happen and cannot be helped. What can be helped are the failures to communicate with the local agents and the passengers about what is going on, to inform the passengers clearly of their options and, if possible, to organise some seats and blankets at the airport if nothing else is available.

Unfortunately airlines will fall back on the EU compensation and travel insurance when something goes wrong, and most people are prepared to accept this. Cheap air fares does not mean that airlines are off the hook when it comes to organising better customer service in situations like these.

Xterminator

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

. Cheap air fares does not mean that airlines are off the hook when it comes to organising better customer service in situations like these.

i don't disagree with you that they have a responsibility, but you have to understand cheap air fares means, they cannot have staff at the airport 24x4 just incase.

The reason air fares are cheap is because airlines have cut the organization to the bone, removed the human touch.

People just book the cheapest flights. Everyone has heard nightmare stories of ryanair, etc, but their planes are full. This thread is about aer lingus, and i would consider them one of the better airlines!

TheChizler

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

The flight time between Dublin and Lisbon is 2hrs 40 mins. Surely it would have been more sensible to delay check-in and inform the waiting queue, until such time as the Dublin-Lisbon flight was in the air?

I appreciate that some co-ordination between Dublin and Lisbon would have been required to achieve this. But if I could see the situation on my tablet, I presume the local Lisbon agents could too. In fact I would be surprised if they were not also getting updates from Dublin on the phone.

Many people would have checked in online in the 30 hours (or whatever it is) prior to this, how would you justify blocking some people? I'd be getting very anxious if I wasn't allowed to check in getting closer to the scheduled flight time while others had.

Once you're checked in there's nothing making you go straight past security either, it would have been good to have some information up and you could have made an informed choice about going through security, but it really had nothing to do with checking in. Checking in is just telling the airline you're available for the flight.

Former Former

Xterminator wrote: »

i don't disagree with you that they have a responsibility, but you have to understand cheap air fares means, they cannot have staff at the airport 24x4 just incase.

The reason air fares are cheap is because airlines have cut the organization to the bone, removed the human touch.

People just book the cheapest flights. Everyone has heard nightmare stories of ryanair, etc, but their planes are full. This thread is about aer lingus, and i would consider them one of the better airlines!

This is exactly it. You cannot have it both ways.

I posted earlier on this thread that an airline providing the levels of service being demanded here would go bust overnight because no one would want to pay the resultant fares. Of course it's unfortunate that people get delayed/stranded/whatever but it's international air travel, some disruption is inevitable.

Prominent_Dawg

The customer service with Aer Lingus is definitely the worst part, flights get cancelled everyday and air lines should be required to have procedures in place, most Aer Lingus flights within the eu are represented by partner air lines who should be required to treat customers like their own, these air lines just brush you off and tell you to get in contact with Aer Lingus, which anyone that has had a cancelled flight knows it's near impossible, staff are completely clueless in these situations. You definitely need to know your rights travelling with Aer Lingus as no information will be willingly provided.