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Any experience with Aer Lingus?

Greetings,

We are planning to travel from Chicago to London on June 3, returning from Paris on June 14. I've been watching airfares for a couple of months now, and the major carriers are holding steady around $1,400-$1500 apiece. Aer Lingus has been consistently around $1,100 for some time now, with stops in Dublin each way.

Has anyone on here flown Aer Lingus, and if so, how was your experience? I'd prefer non-stop flights, but am willing to consider the one stop if the price is right. I keep hoping to see something below $1,000, but it hasn't materialized yet. On Aer Lingus, we could fly into Gatwick, which would be more convenient for our hotel in London, and we could catch a later flight out of Paris, rather than having to get to the airport by 7 a.m.

Any advice is most welcome. Cheers!

Posted by
15 posts

Hello,

I flew Aer Lingus a few years ago within Spain and they were great. They were actually a code-share partner of the US air carrier I had booked with and were just as good as, if not better, than any US air carrier I have flow.

Happy Travels!

Posted by
1265 posts

Our family used Aer Lingus in 2012 and I thought there service was fine. I would use them again.

Posted by
772 posts

I flew Aer Lingus in 2007 and in 2013, both times to Spain. No complaints. The staff were friendly. The food was ordinary. Individual TVs with lots of movie and TV show choices. I will use them again without hesitation. Just remember that you will go through US immigration in Dublin on the way back to the US, so make sure your layover duration is adequate.

Posted by
2081 posts

fella,

I used Are Lingus from Dublin to Edinburgh on my first time over there. They got me to where i wanted to go and were on time, but you may want to read the fine print. The plane on my short hop was a little puddle jumper and had carry on luggage restrictions. The seating was also pay for your seat reservation. If not, you get what they give. For me, a short hop didnt make a world of difference so i let them choose. For a long haul flight i would choose my seat but you may have different feelings.

As far as flying to London, i have flown into Gatwick and Heathrow, so far and getting into central london is a matter of choice and easy. I do prefer Gatwick since its smaller and i usually stay in the Victoria station area so it makes it that much nicer. However, Im going to to try and fly into the other airports just to see how easy it is and how travel to/from London is compared to the others.

just a comment. for every stop, you loose time overthere. So i would consider that time ($$$) you loose. if its a short connection, then it may not make a world of difference, but if you're sitting in an airport for 10 hours, thats not fun.

happy trails.

Posted by
359 posts

I am flying Aer Lingus next June to London. On the transatlantic flights they don't have extra fees for luggage. Everyone I've talked to said it was a good experience except for the food. I have to say I don't really care about spending $200 more for airplane food so that part doesn't bother me. We flew Icelandair last summer to Paris and liked it but they didn't have food at all so this is better for the same price! I'm optimistic about it. And so excited for my trip. I'm also returning from Paris.

Posted by
9363 posts

I have flown Aer Lingus every time I have gone to Ireland - four times now. I have had absolutely no complaints. I fly from Chicago, too.

Posted by
171 posts

I flew Aer Lingus in October 2014 for a RS Best of Ireland tour. I flew non-stop from and to Orlando. Great experience, I will do it again. I particularly liked clearing customs in Dublin; however, if you are planning on using one of the airline lounges you have to do it before customs. Have a great trip!

Posted by
10092 posts

Took them in 2012 and found their economy section similar to any other economy section. Absolutely no problem. Being low-cost in style, they didn't have an 800-number to call with questions, seat assignments, etc. , but a long-distance telephone number in the States.

You should be aware that their prices will go up as tickets sell and you will no longer have such a bargain. Their price will be comparable to the US carriers as time moves on.

Posted by
786 posts

Great information. I certainly feel confident we'd have few problems with Aer Lingus.

A couple of follow-up questions: How much time should we allow for clearing customs in Dublin? The layovers I was looking at each way are a little less than two hours.

This is our first trip overseas. When booking international flights, do we need to provide passport information? I ask because we had to get a new passport for our son, and it may be another couple of weeks before we receive it.

Thanks again for all the input. Cheers!