Aer Lingus vs Al Italia

Go with AerLingus not unless there is a significant difference in price.
I am a pretty low maintenance traveler but Alitalia is in bankruptcy and the service is sometimes Indifferent. People generally don't report good reviews about airlines only bad. I flew one time Lufthansa an airline that gets great reviews and the flight was cancelled at the gate no explanation.

I like Aer Lingus. Alitalia is in bankruptcy, and from past experience, when an airline is in bankruptcy, they are mean to their employees, and the employees take it out on the customers.

It is however not Alitalia's first bankrupcy, they seem to be the phoenix of European airlines. But Aer Lingus seems like a safer bet as it is hard to predict Alitalia's future at the moment.

I passed on a great Alitalia fare of $672 Boston--Athens and Berlin--Boston this spring in favor of one costing $830. For me the extra cost was worth it for peace of mind. I felt like I could not assume that Alitalia would be operating normally a few months from now.

There's another thread on the forum just this week asking about Aer Lingus. Take a look.

Aer Lingus. Pleasant staff, decent food, no mix up with seat numbers. My wife said she will not travel with me if I book with Alitalia again. Mmmmm…..

I will never fly with Alitalia again, but I have flown with Aer Lingus many times and will continue to do so. In my experiences with Alitalia, the customer service aspect has been terrible, from the airport staff to the flight attendants. I lived in Italy for several years about 10 years ago and made the Venice to New York City Alitalia Delta flight several times a year because it was convenient and less expensive than others. After I moved back to the United States, I swore I would never fly with Alitalia again. I was tempted by a lower rate from Rome to London last summer and against my better judgment booked with Alitalia. I thought maybe things had changed for the better in the last ten years. I was wrong. I won’t go into detail, but due to a flight issue that wasn’t my fault, I lost several hundred dollars and got nowhere with customer service (no surprise) Never again, not even if I were offered a free flight! In comparison, I have only had good experiences with Aer Lingus.

Another vote for Aer Lingus. We flew with them last fall and there were no issues. Pleasant and efficient flight attendants, decent food, (small portions, bring snacks! Lol) and a good enough selection of movies and music.

If you have status with another airline which partners with either of these carriers, that may be a deciding factor for you. I've never flown Aer Lingus, but I've heard generally good things about it. I have flown Alitalia. I had a budget seat. It was a budget experience, but it was not a bad experience. I've had worse in the US on US carriers.

We have had good experiences with Aer Lingus. We especially like the ability to go through US Customs and Immigration in Dublin on the way home.