Aer Lingus tops complaints (beats Ryanair)

ballooba · 02-08-2012 10:58AM #1

Many here seem to sing the praises of Aer Lingus. Personally I very rarely fly with them as I don't think they offer value for money. I never 'choose' to fly with them. I thought that I might be in a minority, but it seems that Aer Lingus fared badly in the complaints to the Commission for Aviation Regulation last year.

http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Home/News/Aer+Lingus+tops+aviation+regulator's+complaints+league/id/19410615-5218-501a-4085-5a52e0681387

jameshayes · 02-08-2012 11:00AM

ballooba wrote: »

Many here seem to sing the praises of Aer Lingus. Personally I very rarely fly with them as I don't think they offer value for money. I never 'choose' to fly with them. I thought that I might be in a minority, but it seems that Aer Lingus fared badly in the complaints to the Commission for Aviation Regulation last year.

http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Home/News/Aer+Lingus+tops+aviation+regulator's+complaints+league/id/19410615-5218-501a-4085-5a52e0681387

i'm the same, hate aer lingus, love ryanair... i'm the only pro ryanair person I know lol - sad.com

Xpro · 02-08-2012 11:14AM

I dont mind Aerlingus myself, sometimes you can get a good deal too, but Ryanair would be my preference:cool:

coylemj · 02-08-2012 12:15PM

I suspect that people have simply given up complaining about Ryanair since they thumb their noses to and hurl ridicule at any regulator who dares to take them on.

ballooba · 02-08-2012 12:20PM

Maybe people have finally copped on to Ryanair's model and how to 'play the game'. It's a great service if you know how to use it. I can imagine it's frustrating for people who need a lot of support to follow instructions.

charliehotel · 02-08-2012 12:58PM

coylemj wrote: »

I suspect that people have simply given up complaining about Ryanair since they thumb their noses to and hurl ridicule at any regulator who dares to take them on.

That's it exactly!

BeardySi · 02-08-2012 01:26PM

Flying with Ryanair is like eating in a Wetherspoons, you know it's gonna be cheap, basic and of questionable quality. You know what to expect in advance, so why complain?

Sadly Aer Lingus have engaged Ryanair in a race to the bottom in terms of quality of service, I used to love flying with them and being treated like a human being, doesn't happen so much these days. They have the outward look of a proper carrier, but operate like a budget, hence the complaints...

Personally I go with BMI or flybe when I can, and ryanair/easyjet/aerlingus when shedules or budgets dictate it...

charliehotel · 02-08-2012 02:00PM

Treadhead wrote: »

Sadly Aer Lingus have engaged Ryanair in a race to the bottom in terms of quality of service, I used to love flying with them and being treated like a human being, doesn't happen so much these days. They have the outward look of a proper carrier, but operate like a budget, hence the complaints

(Here I quote myself from another recent thread)

The notion of low cost air travel is, mostly due to Ryanair, now embedded within the psyche of the Irish consumer. Irish people want cheap flights. Aer Lingus directly competes with Ryanair on 44 routes in 2012. Although this is the very reason why Ryanair hasn't and won't be allowed to take over Aer Lingus, it is also the reason why Aer Lingus doesn't offer the full typical flag carrier service - it has to compete with Ryanair. Aer Lingus is a business and has to make money.

If Aer Lingus was like British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France etc. people wouldn't chose to fly with them because, as I previously stated, Irish consumers have adjusted to wanting the lowest fares - they simply wouldn't pay for higher fares. I think that this can be illustrated in the fact the the lowest fare to LHR with BA is now €60, Aer Lingus is €36 - Aer Lingus is in fact cheap!Therefore, it reveals that Aer Lingus is actually merely astute in adapting to the demands of the Irish market, which I believe is very commendable.

Aer Lingus offers the following that Ryanair does not:

-own-brand airport lounges at DUB, LHR and BOS
-different fare options ie. Low, Plus, Flex
-allocated seating for all
-fresh quality food onboard with an extensive menu
-pre-order meals
-seats that recline, with moveable headrests
-seatpockets
-an ethos of customer care
-longhaul flights
-AVOD IFE on loughaul
-Business class on longhaul
-powerpoints in Y class on A330
-Wifi in the A330 fleet by the end of the year
-Flies to central airports
-frequent flyer programme
-codeshares with a number of large airlines

To finish, Aer Lingus is merely doing a damn good job of meeting the very particular needs of its home market, Ireland.

L1011 · 02-08-2012 02:03PM

People have learnt its pointless complaining about Ryanair. Also, Aer Lingus had a last-minute cancelled strike last year which would have created mass complaints.

Additionally, Aer Lingus are the bigger airline in Ireland. People outside of Ireland will complain locally, but Ryanair's pax figures cover all of Europe.

Hence the figures cannot actually be compared, but don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

ballooba · 02-08-2012 02:11PM

charliehotel wrote: »

If Aer Lingus was like British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France etc.

If you're comparing them to those relics, then you're setting a low bar. Why not compare them to Singapore Airlines or Virgin? I've never flow Lufthansa, so i can't comment on them. Aer Lingus wouldn't be fit to shine Virgin's shoes.

ballooba · 02-08-2012 02:18PM

MYOB wrote: »

Additionally, Aer Lingus are the bigger airline in Ireland. People outside of Ireland will complain locally, but Ryanair's pax figures cover all of Europe.

Aren't the figures per million pax through Irish airports?

SBP wrote:

Of the 572 complaints the commission received in respect of departures from Dublin, Cork & Shannon airports, 234 related to Aer Lingus, representing 26.71 complaints per million passengers per annum. There were 147 complaints to the commission about Ryanair, representing 17.27 complaints per million passengers per annum. There were 18 complaints to the commission about Aer Arann, representing 20.93 complaints per million passengers per annum.

faceman · 02-08-2012 02:18PM

charliehotel wrote: »

-Wifi in the A330 fleet by the end of the year

Is this true? I figured they may have it on the A350 due next year but not the 330?

L1011 · 02-08-2012 02:35PM

ballooba wrote: »

Aren't the figures per million pax through Irish airports?

Even if that's the case, Ryanair pushes pax through KIR and NOC in volumes that Aer Lingus don't get near. Additionally, FR's quoted passenger numbers are known to be a work of fiction as they include the ~15% of passengers who never turn up; no other airline does this.

charliehotel · 02-08-2012 02:37PM

faceman wrote: »

Is this true? I figured they may have it on the A350 due next year but not the 330?

Yup, all 7 A330 aircraft are being WIFI-enabled over the period Christmas-March.

See page 21 of link

http://corporate.aerlingus.com/media/aerlinguscom/content/pdfs/corporate/aerlingusgroupplcH1results2012presentation.pdf

charliehotel · 02-08-2012 02:44PM

ballooba wrote: »

Why not compare them to Singapore Airlines or Virgin? I've never flow Lufthansa, so i can't comment on them. Aer Lingus wouldn't be fit to shine Virgin's shoes.

Because they are not European carriers with short-haul networks - ie. like Aer Lingus.

Which Virgin airline do you refer to?

ballooba · 02-08-2012 03:13PM

MYOB wrote: »

Even if that's the case, Ryanair pushes pax through KIR and NOC in volumes that Aer Lingus don't get near. Additionally, FR's quoted passenger numbers are known to be a work of fiction as they include the ~15% of passengers who never turn up; no other airline does this.

You may have a point on the no-shows. But I'm not seeing your point with regard to complaints per passenger.

ballooba · 02-08-2012 03:15PM

charliehotel wrote: »

Because they are not European carriers with short-haul networks - ie. like Aer Lingus.

Which Virgin airline do you refer to?

I'm actually think of Virgin Australia. it's a real pity they have no European counterpart. An airline like that would put Aer Lingus to shame.

devnull · 02-08-2012 03:31PM

I've only ever made one complaint about someone and both were about Aer Lingus, once for giving my boarding pass to someone else and accusing me of having a fake passport, when it later turned out they issued my ticket to a person with a completely different name in error.

I know friends who have had issues with nonsense self serving diversions during work to rule two years ago where EI diverted a plane 700km away when the destination airport was closed because it was the nearest open airport that Aer Lingus served, meanwhile all other carriers such as BA, Luthansa all diverted to the nearest open airport.

These days I rarely fly EI, mostly FR simply because they're more punctual, less prone to strikes and have a more sensible diversion policy.

charliehotel · 02-08-2012 03:44PM

ballooba wrote: »

I'm actually think of Virgin Australia. it's a real pity they have no European counterpart. An airline like that would put Aer Lingus to shame.

And the reason why they don't have a European counterpart is because such an airline wouldn't survive in the the European market. The competition is very fierce. The Virgin Group got a taste of it with Virgin Express in Belgium, and they haven't returned since.

drdeadlift · 02-08-2012 04:56PM

jameshayes wrote: »

i'm the same, hate aer lingus, love ryanair... i'm the only pro ryanair person I know lol - sad.com

Do you love the boarding process where everyone stands in q extra early to be seated beside their fellow traveler,the girl that comes around trying to squeeze more money out of you saying your bag is too big, the trip to the remote stand to board the aircraft,the continuous sale advertisements over the PA which come across as jibber as the crew members accent isn't understandable then finally you get the flight where the cabin crew are all over the place due to either fatigue or inexperienced.
Flown with them five times already this year.Find it next to impossible to believe you love to fly with them,the pleasure just isn't there,if getting through poxy security lines Dublin Airport isn't bad enough you have to put up with more tripe moments ahead of you.
All the tickets were paid for too so im not being a hypocrite.

Do many others get the feeling whist lining up fro their fr flight why didnt i spend that bit more.

ballooba · 02-08-2012 05:21PM

drdeadlift wrote: »

Do many others get the feeling whist lining up fro their fr flight why didnt i spend that bit more.

I never line up and have seldom had an issue finding free seat pairs. Some people are happy with Ryanair's offering for the money. I only flew once with Aer Lingus this year and they very nearly took my head clean off by failing to properly stow galley lockers.

drdeadlift · 02-08-2012 05:36PM

ballooba wrote: »

I never line up and have seldom had an issue finding free seat pairs. Some people are happy with Ryanair's offering for the money. I only flew once with Aer Lingus this year and they very nearly took my head clean off by failing to properly stow galley lockers.

Your patience should be celebrated.

Cessna_Pilot · 02-08-2012 07:22PM

It's a long time since I've been on an Aer Lingus flight so can someone advise me how they board their aircraft? Do people not queue at all and just sit and wait to be called for their flight?

Skuxx · 02-08-2012 08:16PM

I havn't flown with them for a few months, but from what I remember you are allocated a seat, and they board the a/c in seat rows xx-xx, then yy-yy etc, I flew with Swiss 2 weeks ago and it was the same with them!!
I'm flying Swiss, Aer Lingus and British Airways all this weekend so it will be nice to see the comparisons!

With regards to RYR, I flew 3 flights with them last month, non were a particlarly pleasent experience, but at the end of the day it is what it is!!! And the flights were for nothing so defo no reason to complain I suppose!!

Dacian · 02-08-2012 08:42PM

alan1990 wrote: »

.....I'm flying Swiss, Aer Lingus and British Airways all this weekend so it will be nice to see the comparisons!

With regards to RYR, I flew 3 flights with them last month, non were a particlarly pleasent experience, but at the end of the day it is what it is!!! And the flights were for nothing so defo no reason to complain I suppose!!

Would be interesting to see your comparisons on the 3 airlines this weekend.

As regards the FR comments, if the price is right you can get exactly what you paid for. A win win equation for both parties.

Terrontress · 03-08-2012 07:37AM

charliehotel wrote: »

-own-brand airport lounges at DUB, LHR and BOS

Not available to the vast majority of their travellers.

-different fare options ie. Low, Plus, Flex

Which you have to pay quite a bit for. Basically just bundling of added cost options.

-allocated seating for all

If you want to ensure your family sits together you pay for it. Ryanair you queue early.

-fresh quality food onboard with an extensive menu

Which you pay separately for and "fresh", "quality" and "extensive" are subjective terms. Terms I wouldn't use.

-pre-order meals

Of the costly fresh quality extensive type.

-seats that recline, with moveable headrests

Yip, Ryanair don't have that

-seatpockets

Nor that.

-an ethos of customer care

Difficult to quantify. I'd say Ryanair argue the same.
-longhaul flights
Not really relevant on the routes Ryanair fly.

-AVOD IFE on loughaul

Again, not relevant in comparison with Ryanair.

-Business class on longhaul

Again, not relevant in comparison with Ryanair.

-powerpoints in Y class on A330

Again, not relevant in comparison with Ryanair.

-Wifi in the A330 fleet by the end of the year

Again, not relevant in comparison with Ryanair. Not relevant in comparison with anyone as it is a promise for the future. Will the wifi be free to access?

-Flies to central airports

Many high frequency routes are shared, eg DUB - LGW

-frequent flyer programme

useless for the vast majority of passengers

-codeshares with a number of large airlines

No benefit to passengers.

To finish, Aer Lingus is merely doing a damn good job of meeting the very particular needs of its home market, Ireland.

So there you have it. Reclining seat backs - not sure if the guy behind you will think it a benefit - and seatpockets. Somewhere nice to store the Cara magazine, sick bag, menu and the last passenger's soiled tissues.

Don't get me wrong, if the price is right then Aer Lingus is fine. But they are not superior to Ryanair in any way, shape or form and nor are Ryanair superior to Aer Lingus although I think Ryanair is now easier to escape a card admin fee than Aer Lingus.

BeardySi · 03-08-2012 10:45AM

Terrontress wrote: »

Don't get me wrong, if the price is right then Aer Lingus is fine. But they are not superior to Ryanair in any way, shape or form and nor are Ryanair superior to Aer Lingus although I think Ryanair is now easier to escape a card admin fee than Aer Lingus.

In the interests of fairness...

Aer Lingus have much better interiors with more legroom and no hideous yellow or ads everywhere.

Aer Lingus flights aren't a constant barrage of sales announcements selling crap nobody buys unless they're too drunk to have gotten on the flight in the first place.

ballooba · 03-08-2012 11:04AM

It strikes me that people are saying that Ryanair customers have given up complaining. Yet, Ryanair still enjoy their custom. So people aren't complaining and they aren't voting with their feet. Ryanair must be meeting their expectations for the price. Gaudy interiors, intrusive cross-selling and all.

charliehotel · 03-08-2012 11:07AM

Terrontress wrote: »

Not available to the vast majority of their travellers.

DUB and LHR are the first and second most popular airports for EI customers, respectively. Lounge access at both DUB and LHR can be purchased by any EI customer so you are wrong.

Terrontress wrote: »

Which you have to pay quite a bit for. Basically just bundling of added cost options.

The different fare options suit different types of customers ie. the Flex fare for business customers who desire flexibility with their flying etc. Again Aer Lingus adapting its offering to the needs of customers.

Terrontress wrote: »

If you want to ensure your family sits together you pay for it. Ryanair you queue early.

Nope, with Aer Lingus you can check in from 30 hours before takeoff and select seats for free.

Terrontress wrote: »

Which you pay separately for.

Is this a bad thing? Giving customers the option to have reasonable-quality food is a good thing these days, instead of what many EU flag carriers do and offer only a free coffee and a biscuit - all for a much higher fare.

Terrontress wrote: »

Of the costly fresh quality extensive type...Will the wifi be free to access?.

Typical Irish mentality, wanting everything for nothing. People, Aer Lingus is a business - not a charity.

A note on the ''extra costs'' - EI's fares are reasonably low compared to full service competitors eg. DUB-LHR lowest fare with BA is €60, EI €36. Therefore, after paying extra money for extras it is often still lower in cost.

Terrontress wrote: »

Not really relevant on the routes Ryanair fly.

Again, not relevant in comparison with Ryanair.

Precisely, so this is something that Aer Lingus offers which Ryanair doesn't offer.

Terrontress wrote: »

Many high frequency routes are shared, eg DUB - LGW

EI fly to LHR, CDG, FRA and AMS - the 4 largest EU hubs. FR don't.

Anyway what does high frequency have to do with central airports?

Terrontress wrote: »

useless for the vast majority of passengers

It's a facility available to use and which FR passengers have no equivilant.

Terrontress wrote: »

No benefit to passengers.

The most nonsense point you have made. Codeshares allow passengers to connect onto a wide range of destinations outside of the Aer Lingus network, something perhaps you haven't done but many do. FR doesn't offer this.

charliehotel · 03-08-2012 11:11AM

Treadhead wrote: »

Aer Lingus is fine. But they are not superior to Ryanair in any way, shape or form

Treadhead wrote: »

Aer Lingus have much better interiors with more legroom and no hideous yellow or ads everywhere.

Aer Lingus flights aren't a constant barrage of sales announcements selling crap nobody buys unless they're too drunk to have gotten on the flight in the first place.

Yup so Aer Lingus is in fact superior.

Tea 1000 · 03-08-2012 12:40PM

drdeadlift wrote: »

Do you love the boarding process where everyone stands in q extra early to be seated beside their fellow traveler,the girl that comes around trying to squeeze more money out of you saying your bag is too big, the trip to the remote stand to board the aircraft,the continuous sale advertisements over the PA which come across as jibber as the crew members accent isn't understandable then finally you get the flight where the cabin crew are all over the place due to either fatigue or inexperienced.
Flown with them five times already this year.Find it next to impossible to believe you love to fly with them,the pleasure just isn't there,if getting through poxy security lines Dublin Airport isn't bad enough you have to put up with more tripe moments ahead of you.
All the tickets were paid for too so im not being a hypocrite.

Do many others get the feeling whist lining up fro their fr flight why didnt i spend that bit more.

I'd largely agree with this. I just hate queue's, get semi-stressed immediately when I see 150 people all in along line, only ever see up to around 20 RYR pax sitting patiently. The 737's are louder inside than the A320's too, and I can't figure out why RYR go for gaudy interiors. Leaving them unpainted would be nicer and cheaper. Seats much better on EI also, and just a more relaxed atmosphere.
Having said all that, price comes first, and usually RYR wins, so I'm happy to put up with them. Loving flying with them is certainly an incorrect statement from my point of view however!

Cessna_Pilot wrote: »

It's a long time since I've been on an Aer Lingus flight so can someone advise me how they board their aircraft? Do people not queue at all and just sit and wait to be called for their flight?

Usually I only see around a third of the passengers queuing up for an EI flight, versus 90% of RYR.
Recently booked a flight with EI, because despite RYR being much cheaper, they flew to a not-so-nearby airport, and the cost of renting a car from that airport was 3 times the cost of the main airport. So all in, including car hire and return flights for two, the EI costs were less.
Having said all that, EI would still be rip-off merchants if it weren't for RYR!

Aer Lingus tops complaints (beats Ryanair)

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