Linging You Through The Aer. Review on Aer Lingus

I left an Aer Lingus flight so recently that my ears still haven’t popped. Normally I’m ok, I chew and I chew as the plane comes in to land, and I disembark as happy as a bunny (although naturally not as much of a happy bunny as Happybunny herself) but this morning something went wrong. I flew from JFK to Dublin and all was well but on my short (35 minutes….) flight over to Manchester I, well, dozed off, and only awoke as we went bumpety bump onto one of Ringway’s runways. At this point I realised my plan had gone to pot and my ears were playing up. 7 hours and 3 lectures on, they still are, but I’m hoping tonight’s sleep will cure them. Anyway, enough about my ears, on to the airline itself.

Checking In

Last week I arrived at Manchester a little early and was told I could go on an earlier flight but that this would leave me extra time at Dublin. Never having been there before (and so not knowing the shopping facilities….) I declined and stuck to my normal flight. Only problem was, they wouldn’t let me check in then co I had to drag my soon to be checked in luggage to the food court with me. When I did check in they were very accommodating though, and let me change from the window seat they seemed to think I had requested to my much preferred on long haul aisle one. IN JFK yesterday, although I arrived far too early (think over 3.5 hours….) I could check in immediately once I’d assured them I didn’t have any nail files, razors, knives, guns or, you know, bombs stowed away.

Luggage

I rang a week before I travelled to check what I could take with me. They said that since the flights were expected to be pretty empty, I could take one reasonable sized carry on and whatever suitcases I wanted – no number or weight limit. Believe me, this is not the ideal think to say to a teenage girl soon to embark on a week’s shopping in the Big Apple…..

Schedules and Planes

they fly all over the world, but often this involves changing planes in Dublin which is inconvenient sometimes. Onboard the seats are pretty small, but since the inflight magazine is full of helpful tips, they’re all covered for the DVT issue….

Food

I requested, and was given, a vegetarian meal on all 4 flights. They seem to have an amazing selection available, including Kosher, Non Dairy, Low Sodium, Vegan, Diabetic, Low cholesterol, Seafood, Muslim, Gluten Free……the list goes on. The meals were pretty generous – one of mine was pasta with a side salad, roll, cheese and biscuits, fruit salad, mints, water and my choice of beer, wine or juice. We also got snacks (biscuits, cakes etc) and as many drinks as we wanted. Point though – with all the warnings about air rage and about how alcohol affects you much more on board, why do they try to ram spirits down your throat at every opportunity?

Entertainment

Arrghh, BA this is not. There were no seat back TVs, and the communal ones were pretty badly located.

We got a film each way (Tomb Raider and Osmosis Jones) and shows such as LA 7 and Dinnerladies. Quality entertainment then….. The magazine was not of a very high quality (I nicked it and spent a day reading it while in hospital in the states – long story) with most of the pages dedicated to adverts for companies that Aer Lingus just loved.

Staff

Irish. Enough said then. Nah, I’m kidding. They were great and friendly (and multi-lingual – all announcements were in Irish too) and nothing seemed too much trouble to them – new headphones, extra drinks, spare pillows – the had them all. The uniform was a bit, erm, Emerald, but then you can’t have everything,

Delays

Interesting point here. All my flights arrived “early” although I’m sure they knew they should and were just covering themselves in case of delays. Still, I’m not complaining. You can never really get there and get off the plane too soon, can you?

Bonuses

There is a frequent flyer program for frequent flyers but although I joined online and presented my details on checking in, they claimed my number was invalid. I’ll be contacting them to see if I can claim credit for the flights anyway, so watch this space for an update.

Clientele

People who have never flown before seemed to be the main group here. Twice I was next to nervous middle aged ladies admitting this was their first or 2nd flight. I think I upset one when she asked my situation and I explained, truthfully, that right at that very moment I was half way through my 37th…….

Arrival

In all airports (hey it’s more than 2, so “both” would be grammatically incorrect, ok?) they had plenty of ground staff showing the newbies where to go, and directing people like me who were transferring without checking in again. Luggage arrived on the carousel quickly which as we know is always a bonus.

Interesting point though – on arriving in Manchester at 8.30am we were told we had to exit from the rear for “security reasons” – how on earth is that more secure than exiting normally? Seeing I was sitting in the back though, I wasn’t complaining…. :-)

Overall

Not all that bad but nothing wonderful. I flew with them because they were about £300 cheaper than BA (as you know – my favourite) and they were perfectly acceptable, if that’s what you’re after. They get you from A to B, albeit often via C, and they get you and your luggage there all in one piece usually. To Aer Lingus or not to Aer Lingus – you decide while I go and try to pop my ears.