My husband and I will be flying from Cork or Shannon to Heathrow in late September. It appears the airline to use is Aerlingus. When is the best time to book this flight to obtain the least expensive fare? Also, we will travel with a 21 inch carry on bag each but will probably pay extra to check the bags in the event we have more than the allowed weight for carry on. I would rather pay in advance than be charged more at the gate. Also, have not finalized itinerary but can depart from either Cork or Shannon. Looks like there are 3 flights daily from Shannon and 4 daily from Cork. I searched on line and found a cheap fare on a liquidator website for an excellent fare but was afraid to use it as it did not show choice of carry on bag or checked bag. I am sure the excellent fare was for limited carry on. I would appreciate advice regarding luggage weight rules, checkin times, boarding passes, advance purchase of airline tickets, choice of departing airports and any other issues relating to airline travel within Europe.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
We always check for lo-cost fights using Skyscanner, and they show that Shannon to LHR (Heathrow) flights are only running from $38 to $51 during Sept. We have usually found that the best time to book lo-cost inter EU flights is early....wait and sometimes the price doubles.
For prices this cheap, I don't think I would mess around. Buy now!
Why not check your luggage....they usually don't loose luggage on short direct, non-connecting flights. The AirLingus web site will tell you what luggage and carry-on rules apply.
Shannon is a great little airport to fly into or out of.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
" I would appreciate advice regarding luggage weight rules, checkin times, boarding passes, advance purchase of airline tickets, choice of departing airports and any other issues relating to airline travel within Europe."
To find all the flight options between two airports, start with Skyscanner as recommended above. Be sure to check all suitable airports if you have options (as you did, in your Shannon vs. Cork example). Did you know that London has six airports (at least according to the airlines), and that if you use the code LON it will pull them all up? However, be careful - some are much farther away from central London than others, and can take more time and/or money to reach, which can negate any savings.
To actually book tickets, it's best to go direct to the airline's website, unless for some reason you can't book a particular itinerary that way. Sometimes it matters which version of the site you use. For Alitalia domestic flights, you can get better deals on their "International" website (which has an English option) than their US website; this is not true for their flights to the US, however.
For most flights within Europe, the sooner you book, the cheaper the ticket. These days, flights within Europe are basically full, and the days of last minute sales to fill planes are mostly over.
For luggage rules, check in times, etc. you're best off looking at the website of the airline and the airport in question. For both of these, it varies tremendously depending on the EXACT flight. For instance, an Aer Lingus flight from Shannon to Boston will have different luggage allowance and minimum check-in time compared to a flight from Shannon to Heathrow.
If you know you will be checking luggage, consider a non-budget "legacy" carrier (like Aer Lingus) instead of a budget carrier like Ryanair. The legacy carriers often include one checked bag in the price of a ticket, while the budget carriers often don't. Some of the budget carriers now have a higher priced ticket option that does include luggage. Look VERY CLOSELY at the carry-on limits for you flight on a budget carrier, as these tend to be strictly enforced. If you pre-pay for a checked bag, it's cheaper than if you pay at the airport check-in, and that in turn is cheaper than if they catch you at the gate and make you check a bag then. So, if you think you will be checking a bag, pre-pay in advance online, when you can still afford it {g}. Our frequent poster Ken advises pre-paying for a bit more weight than you think you will need - just in case.
For checking in and printing boarding passes: if you're flying a budget carrier, you must do this on your computer or phone before arriving at the airport, or you will be heavily penalized (like $50 or so). You can do this way in advance of your flight (several weeks). For the legacy carriers, you can do either or both of these at the airport with no penalty - yet. Again, read the fine print on any ticket before you book it. When I looked at Easyjet's website and did a dummy booking (up to the point of entering payment information), these kinds of things were clearly spelled out.
Running out of room, but this should get you started.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
I don't believe any budget carriers fly into Heathrow. They use the outlying airports. Book Aer Lingus as soon as possible and check your bags, since their carryon limit is very small for "domestic" flights. You can find all of the info you need about the limits and options at www.aerlingus.com. And don't bother with a middleman - book directly with the airline.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Nancy is right, budget carriers don't use London Heathrow. Heathrow is basically "full", it costs more to land there, it is only used by non-budget airlines (Aer Lingus is the Irish national airline) and it often costs more to fly to Heathrow than to other London airports.
But, do you actually have to fly to Heathrow? Ryanair flies from both Cork and Shannon to both London Gatwick and London Stansted. Both those airports have direct rail connections to central London, they are as convenient as Heathrow.
But, if you can get a cheap flight on Aer Lingus, go for it.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5326 posts
Are Lingus shorthaul does follow most of the characteristics of a low cost carrier. Ireland to UK routes are overall very competitive so off peak time can be very reasonably priced.