While we were happy to find three seats on saver award level in business class on Aer Lingus, that’s more or less where the joy ended. Prepare for a snarky review.
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Booking At Saver Level
I covered in another post that Alaska Airlines was capable of booking a connected ticket on Aer Lingus but that the airline itself could not. I know that Avios has some quirks, and books each segment individually, but it still allows you to book connecting flights if you want when choosing British Airways or Iberia. I haven’t booked with FinnAir nor Qatar yet, but I find it absolutely void of logic that a partner has a greater ability to book another airline’s awards than that airline and at a lower rate.
Regardless, we found flights from Manchester to Dublin for 12,300 points plus $153 total for three passengers and an infant in lap. We added a further 155,000 points plus $546 for the Dublin to New York JFK flight. Aer Lingus only operates coach on the Manchester leg. As Aer Lingus is a transfer partner with one of my credit cards, I was able to transfer the points instantly.
I was told by an Aer Lingus phone rep that our bags would be checked through and we could connect airside from Manchester to our New York flight. This was not the case, and while the claim, clear and recheck was a bit of a hurried process, we were able to make our “connection” which also resulted in lower taxes as a benefit by booking two separate itineraries and clearing into Ireland first.
The very best part? Our inbound aircraft from Manchester was parked at the gate next to our New York departure.
Ground Experience
The ground experience in Manchester was abysmal. The business class check-in rep was clearly trained for another airline that does not offer business class in any meaningful way. She was ill-tempered, and unwilling to assist in the slightest manner.
In Dublin, our experience was far better, taking advantage of the dedicated business class check-in counter. Bags were priority tagged due to my American Airlines status and we were on our way to US Preclearance. We were on the last flight out of the day and encouraged to hustle. We were not given passes to a lounge in the US departures wing but we would have only had 10-15 minutes there at best and it wasn’t worth the walk (we departed from the very first gate following Preclearance.)
Boarding
We were just happy to get onboard and relax for a moment settling in for a return to the US following a multi-week trip to Europe. The lines, the organization, it’s all a mess. I don’t know that I can identify many airlines that have a superior process to Aer Lingus in this regard but the pre-boarding (we had an infant), then business class, followed by general boarding more or less just became one amalgamated mess. In the end, we were able to get to the jet bridge along with other pre-boarders but then stood at the threshold for another five minutes or so while the line filled in behind us.
It didn’t ruin our flight (that will come in the catering and service sections) but the point of pre-boarding is to provide extra time (and we do with our son) without adversely affecting others. When other business class customers are at your heels (as though it was our choice to prevent them from boarding) it defeats the purpose not just for us, but for others as well. I’d like to say the issue of lining up in the jet bridge before the aircraft is ready was unique for this flight, but again, I point to my prior experience on the flight from Manchester where it appears to be their modus operandi.
The Seat
I settled into 1A in an odd configuration for 30 business class seats in the forward cabin. Some rows had as many as five seats across, two sets of which required stepping over another passenger to exit and likely waking them, the fifth was a throne seat on its own. The first row was just three across in a 1-2-blocked configuration with the starboard side not actually consisting of seats but a blocked space instead.
Do not miss that stain on the seat. Nothing says premium like a discoloration where you’re expected to sleep.
The seat was the highlight. It was lie flat, but the seat controls also had a massager built in. The storage area space was acceptable but not remarkable, there was a water bottle waiting along with an amenity kit that was so run of the mill I didn’t even photograph its contents. It included an eye mask, some lotion, a change of one-time use socks, etc. The outlet was located just perfect if you wanted to elbow it incidentally by moving from breathing air and unplug whatever was charging.
Entertainment
There were plenty of films available on in-flight entertainment but nothing like what you’d find on a US carrier. Aer Lingus is ahead of many airlines in that it allows guests to pair their devices to control the IFE. The sole issue with the app (download it before you take off) is that it didn’t work the entire flight. Not for me or anyone in our party. Cool.
The screen was larger than I expected.
Free Complimentary Wifi
When flying on Aer Lingus business class tickets, guests are entitled to free complimentary wifi. It’s only available for one device so it’s either your phone or your laptop but not both, but the speed was reasonable and there didn’t appear to be any download restrictions though I wasn’t particularly intensive in researching its limitations. Free wifi is a standout feature that I wish other airlines would emulate.
Catering
I am intimately familiar with the food of Ireland and England and I would expect some traditional dishes. I am no stranger to terrible food onboard and on the ground. There are good options for Irish food, and there are bad options.
But there’s a special place in hell for the person that conceived this inflight menu. Steaming cabbage in a convection oven with recirculated air? That’s not the only expert choice, here’s the menu:
Ok, I will just have the festive roast turkey with- oh, you ran out of that immediately? I’m shocked. I guess I will just have the braised beef so that I am not condemned to the “pulled mushroom” and lentil casserole. If anyone has ever found a pulled mushroom and lentil casserole on a menu outside of this experience, send me a photo and I will send you a Starbucks gift card. (CLAIMED: Reader Brian found a truffle mushroom and lentil meatloaf at a vegetarian diner in Chicago. While not a “pulled mushroom and guy lentil” casserole I am more than happy to send him the gift card and close this competition. Congratulations to Brian and condolences to anyone that may have ordered that.) I understand it’s vegetarian and that some people do not eat meat, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any self-respect. Who’s ordering this outside of an aircraft, let alone onboard.
[Breathe deep, Kyle. We aren’t done yet.]
Let’s start with a spring mix and lima bean (!) salad and a tomato soup. Fortunately, it’s impossible to mess up a can of Campbell’s tomato soup. This is where the edible portion of the meal ended.
This looks ten times better than it was. It almost appears as though there’s a gravy in there and maybe that’s what it was supposed to be, but I think slightly seasoned brown water would be a better description.
That’s ok, let’s just chalk it up to a series of poor decisions baked in a foil container at 30,000 feet. Upon arrival they offered a halloumi slider or a beef slider. Fortunately, the flight attendant in my section saw that I hadn’t eaten much and served me the halloumi first but had a beef slider for me too. Folks, don’t do this – just pass. Especially if you’re arriving into New York City, there’s no need for this self-abuse. Get a pizza when you get to your hotel, and even if traveling alone, enjoy it by yourself, in silence, and re-center your soul.
Could I interest you in some flavorless cheesecake?
Thanks.
Service
In defense of proper service, the flight attendant in my aisle was attentive, sweet, and helpful. I have no complaints about her service, even if she was the one who re-heated that eternal damnation that was boiled cabbage on an airplane. She was lovely and nothing should take that away from her.
However…
My daughter was on the opposite aisle and her service was atrocious. The flight attendant handed my ten-year old a menu and then asked what she would like before she could even unfold it. We are still developing her skills of clairvoyance and without an immediate response, the flight attendant moved on. They, of course, had run out of the turkey by the time she returned and my daughter suffered through the braised beef in jus d’dish water for a bite or two before being polite enough to slide the food around her plate and put her napkin over the evidence.
Later in the flight, the FA spilled a drink on her. Then she disappeared for a considerable portion of the flight. It was probably for the best, in all honesty.
I got up to use the bathroom and pulled the curtain to the side. It was occupied on my side of the aircraft so I crossed through the galley only to find my daughter’s flight attendant kneeling on the ground. Initially, I was concerned because she was hunched over but then I got a better view. She had a 1.5 liter water bottle on the floor and she was draining red wine in the bottle just short from the top. As we’d already cleared US customs and security, no one would check her bag or see this dramatically burgundy liquid in a gigantic clear water bottle.
I’m not sure that the flight attendant was drunk when she was spilling on my daughter or that she was in a hurry to get orders in to get a drink. If her trip was a couple of days, for some it’s not unreasonable to drink a liter and a half of wine. But I am relatively confident that it goes against Aer Lingus policy to discard a bottle of wine into a water bottle. The way she concealed the effort made it feel more like she might have had a drinking problem and I didn’t want to get her fired, but it was disconcerting. What if there was an emergency on the plane? Is my daughter’s care entrusted to someone who’s sneaking bottles of wine away from the plane?
Value
Let’s play pretend for a moment:
You’re in Dublin, you need to go to New York. You’ve eaten before you got to the airport and have dinner plans when you land. You have a dulled sense of smell, and don’t mind stains on your seat because it’s probably nothing. You’re not going to charge anything and won’t need to use the app to control the IFE.
With that stage set, you’re going to love the value from Aer Lingus. It’s just 50,000 in business class using Aer Lingus Avios or 45,000 Alaska Airlines MileagePlan miles – both a far cry from Delta’s standard 375,000 for Delta One on a six-hour flight, or 80,000 on United Airlines. You’re even saving vs American Airlines who prices the segment at 57,500 per person.
But if the person I described doesn’t sound like you, perhaps find some alternatives – though the alternatives won’t have free wi-fi.
Great review . I especially enjoyed the FA pouring the wine into the water bottle . Kyle may have missed the best part when the FA first poured some miniatures of Irish whisky into the water bottle and followed it with the wine chaser .
I do not think AA flies from OHL to MAN nonstop?? How come you did not take the nonstop from MAN to JFK?
@Jim – No seats at the inn. We tried to book before pulling the trigger on EI’s MAN-JFK service for weeks but they never had three spots. I actually mentioned in the linked prior post that when you search and they don’t have availability, Aer Lingus doesn’t even say that, they actually say the flight you’re looking for isn’t operated which is obviously false. We were looking for three seats which makes it harder too, of course, but even searching one we could not find space. I also tried to switch on the day on the possibility that someone cancelled, missed a connection, whatever – no luck.
For non-Americans, you cannot underestimate the value of pre-clearance! Any time you save on a non stop flight will most likely be eaten up by the queues for immigration in NYC.
I’ve 100% been in the queue at JFK regretting not just going through DUB
This was an epic review. I hope someone at EI sees it.
I’m no sommelier, but the wine list does not look worth smuggling.
Also, did they load any turkey at all? Kyle was in 1A, and it’s already gone?
We (family of three) flew from Scotland thru Dublin to JFK, business class, in June. Similar to Kyle’s experience, check in and boarding was a complete circus.
Standard EI transatlantic service. FAs regularly disappear for hours after meal service..I have routinely found them asleep in the galley with blankets over their heads. Also the food is always revolting. Have complained regularly as a frequent flyer on this route and never get a response.
Crikey hope that flight attendant gets the sack
EI only loaded 4 Christmas dinners per flight from what i heard. EI status holders will usually have their food orders taken before anyone else so that probably where they went.
I feel like being held in jet bridge is very common for short haul European flights. It’s just an assembly line without any thought. Add in the bus gates and pre boarding rarely works as intended
Took a aer lingus flight from Denver thjs past summer and can report the braised beef was equally inedible. First business class I can remeber I actually could not eat. You fly this airline for the lie flat seat… That’s it.
As someone based in Dublin(EI’s hub), I can confidently attest that the inconsistency and communication is painful! If you book a flight with lets say BA from DUB-JNB in business with the DUB-LHR leg being operated by EI, firstly its in economy, secondly, you have to pay for seat selection and lastly, you can’t even select seats online, you have to phone the call centre! Their policies about checked luggage within Europe are a joke too! I rarely fly EI outside of Europe(as I travel south or East more often but their economy is a bit grim and their business isn’t great(and I don’t find the seats comfortable for sleeping). AA is much more comfortable with much better food!
This review has almost completed convinced me to never fly business class. I never have to begin with, but I fly Aer Lingus economy IAD-DUB round trip last summer and it was a wonderful experience. In fact, nothing was amiss. Comfortable seat, great food both ways (get the Irish stew if you can, it’s not Temple Bar level, but it’s the best meal at 30,000ft), flight attendants were great. Seriously, why waste your money on a 6 hour flight?
Feeling better about not shelling out to upgrade to J on my upcoming DUB – MCO flight. Great, albeit somewhat shocking, review.
Should have included a comment about the totally useless Aer Lingus mobile app.
So bad! It has *some* functionality if you’re only doing short haul, but I’ve done UK to the US via DUB a few times and it is entirely useless for that. You can’t check in using the app (barely online), you can’t get a boarding pass on it (well, not a year ago – had to kind of download and save to wallet), you can’t change seats (but can’t do that online either) etc. Short haul will allow check in and the usual things, with some flight tracking…but is obviously miles behind most proper airlines
The A321 transatlantic business class on Aer Lingus is much better than their A330 product strangely. Although the food still needs significant improvement.
Have done UK to US via DUB on EI a few times and it sounds familiar.
– Don’t need passes for the 51st and Green lounge in US Departures – just show your business class boarding pass. It wasn’t worth your while anyway, particularly not with such a short time. It’s nice enough and much better than sitting at the gate there, but not spectacular or anything. Scones are good.
– Boarding seems to be a bit chaotic always!
– WiFi is something in their favour for sure. I wish more would do it. I like flying Virgin Atlantic usually, but they don’t even offer free messaging -not even in business.
– Have also had strange beef from them. Once it tasted like it was kind of sandy? Another time it was more like lamb. I don’t expect a good meal, and settle for defensive pessimism, so it’s a nice surprise if it’s good. That’s fine if I’ve managed to snag a cheap price, but they’re increasingly hard to find.
– Service can be very hit and miss. I feel like men get a bit better service in general, and as a small and forgettable female I am less likely to be favoured…but I’ve had some absolutely lovely cabin crew with them and some just fine.
– My favourite seat is the throne seat because I’m usually solo. Could do with a mattress pad though, and they take the quilt away for landing really early
– The wine story is WILD
We flew business with EI (Dublin to Orlando) as a family in August and had an amazing experience, including brilliant catering. I grant you, our food (and the choices) looked nothing like the monstrosity you’ve shared. Our senior cabin crew was one of the senior crew for the whole airline, and we had a good chat about EI and potential One World status (tldr- it’s mainly the EI IT systems that are stopping it in the short term).
@Peter Ould – I wrote about EI joining oneworld as well, but I don’t think the only thing that would hold them back from membership is the IT.
Wow-it’s been a long , long time since I flew EI in business but I remember them as terrific. Sad that they’ve plummeted so but glad to be aware.
This is a post coming from someone who started their “points and miles” journey in 1999 when I started school (university) in Ireland. I was born and raised in the US but went to school in Ireland so it was logical for me to open an EI account. When my cheap USIT (student travel) tickets started posting to my frequent flyer account (I was uncertain if they would because other airlines who published clear terms and conditions excluded such tickets from earning miles), the game began. I quickly skyrocketed to the highest level of the EI program at the time (TAB – Travel Award Bonus) and never set in economy on long hauls between JFK and DUB. Back then, business (or Premier as it was called at the time) was a green leather recliner in a 2-2-2 configuration with 6 rows on the 333. It was more than enough for the relatively short transatlantic hops between JFK and DUB. The food was never memorable. Service was always impeccable and you had Waterford crystal and Wedgwood china. I still have some of those souvenirs in my collection. But, those days are long gone.
I read this review and enjoyed it because it does accurately reflect the, unfortunate, current experience one can expect to find. I have a few comments to add.
Regarding the issue that the author had in MAN, he knew what he was doing and hoped someone would be cooperative with tagging bags to JFK. The author talks about how Alaska can sell a connection from EI to EI on MAN-DUB-JFK. But, that’s not how he booked. He booked using the clunky and antiquated EI system to save money and use Avios. I certainly agree that EI’s technology is absolute garbage, but the author knew he was booking the equivalent of separate tickets and that he ran the risk of having to do a self connection. EI’s sister company, BA, has clear rules on booking separate tickets BA to BA metal and they aren’t friendly. So, all the noise about the connection was really the author’s own doing. The issues he had at MAN are typical of my experiences at MAN as well. The contractors that EI use at MAN are horrible and it’s been that way for 25 years now. The problem with originating at a UK or European airport as an EI J customer is that you are dealing with cheap and disinterested contractors who are not trained on all the ins and outs of EI’s very clunky technology.
I don’t fly with EI as much now because, like all of us in this game, we have diversified our points portfolios. I’ve still flown EI many times in business back and forth between USA and DUB. Recently, I took the MSP flight (operated by a 332) and it was one of the worst business class experiences I’ve had in recent times. The “priority” desks at DUB are inadequate during peak travel times. Yes, it’s a neat little enclave compared to the rest of the terminal, but it doesn’t have enough desks let alone staff. Once you get to the 51st and Green Lounge, that’s a common lounge operated by DAA for eligible passengers on US bound flights. It has some nice views of the apron if you are an aviation enthusiast (I preferred the views from the old Gold Circle Lounge above the old B gates (now the 300 gates). What put me off was the two drink limit person and the way it is enforced/monitored. It could just be the person with whom I interacted, but it really came across as cheap and stingy. Anyone who has access to the 51st and Green Lounge had to clear US CBP at a certain time. This is not a lounge that you can access 6 hours prior to departure and sit there all day for hours drinking yourself into oblivion. As I stood waiting for my Guinness to settle, the bar staff would take orders and a husband or wife or partner or travel companion would order two drinks – one for himself/herself and their travelling companion. Rudely, the staff would point to the sign and say that they were at their limit. I get it, you ordered two drinks and taking that at the literal meaning, yes, they did reach their limit. But, it just seems petty and many people just sent their companion back to the bar to get their drink. This is not a premium experience. The drink limit seems cheap. If you want to avoid serving people who are intoxicated you can put up a sign that says that you reserve the right to refuse service to those who appear to be intoxicated. Simple as that.
Once you get on board, you’re now faced with seats that are about a decade old and no longer competitive in the market. There’s nothing special about them. I suppose if you’ve never flown business class before it would be a real treat. But, if you’re a seasoned business/first class traveler there’s nothing to get excited about.
20-25 years ago the transatlantic food wasn’t terribly memorable either. It was always the same chicken, beef or fish with a smoked salmon starter (that still seems to be consistently around). The meals, in my view, were reminiscent of your “Sunday roast” meals. They certainly weren’t premium cuts of anything but they were always edible. No more. The food I had on my last flight was downright disgusting and vile. I have an upcoming EWR DUB booked with EI and have no intention of even taking the meal it was so bad last time.
For 45k Alaska points or 50k Avios, I think EI still represents a value proposition in terms of a comfortable way to cross the Atlantic. But, EI are in no way some aspirational business class product that should be on anyone’s radar. If cheap awards can be had, I would do it. I would not go out of my way to fly EI.
@Sean M – Thank you for your notes and historical perspective. I did acknowledge all the way through the prior linked posts that I knew I booked two separate tickets, but this wasn’t to save money, it’s because I wanted to use credit card points that transferred to Aer Lingus before Alaska initiated its Hawaiian-Alaska transfer program. Further, I also indicated I accepted it as a possibility that our bags would not be tagged through, and that we would not be able to stay airside as well. However, the agent on the phone made it clear when booking that this was something that happens everyday and they can do it at the airport, no problem. One of them is misinformed, however, that doesn’t mean that they should be surly. We didn’t put up a fight, but we are also routinely treated better on discount carriers at check-in than we were at the Manchester station.
Can I ask, what day was it you travelled?
@Ella Doyle – A Tuesday in December.
Having grown up in Chicago,a city hall famously run by the Irish,I would venture a guess the way to get the turkey meal,was offer a bribe.Ryan,Burke,the list is endless,always on the take,getting sentenced,blah,blah,same old,same old.
Kyle, that’s pretty wild stuff to be making insinuations about the sobriety of the FA without any evidence other than her pouring wine into a container.
You’d want to be careful about such insinuations, libel laws in the EU are far stronger than the US.
Your review insofar as the food and spotty service are par for the course with EI (and indeed any of the IAG carriers) but it feels like your overegging the pudding here a good bit based on a mildly chaotic boarding process and poor food. Like you were trying to find things wrong.
@ChurnieEls – It’s reasonable to ask questions about the sobriety of a flight attendant trying to steal booze (policy would mandate that wine goes down the drain/in the bin) who went to the trouble of concealing it in advance (curtains, waiting until no other FAs were in the galley, attempting to kneel and shield it with her back) and who also had some service failures. I also didn’t say she was drunk, was probably drunk, or possibly drunk, what I said was:
“I’m not sure that the flight attendant was drunk when she was spilling on my daughter or that she was in a hurry to get orders in to get a drink. If her trip was a couple of days, for some it’s not unreasonable to drink a liter and a half of wine.” I gave her the benefit of the doubt that maybe a liter in a half and a longer than normal layover was in the cards. Should we not question something like that? And if so, why is the policy in place from Aer Lingus, and why do they spot breath check FAs and pilots? Nothing wrong with it, right?
To libel, we have a phrase in the US that you might not be familiar with – “Come at me, bro.” Libel would have to be against a named individual and false in nature. None of that is the case. And further, there’s not a thing that the Ireland could do about it anyway even if it was illegal on the Green Isle. I’m not in Ireland, and I am not subject to her laws because as you might bet, I’m not racing back to Aer Lingus.
Garbage food, cramped cabin, service issues, FAs absconding with booze and the concern is that I wasn’t fair to the boarding process?
You’re really coming across quite poorly here in the comments.
I’d reflect on that.
God Kyle, you’re such a douche, and not nearly as competent a writer as Matt.
@Connor – It’s always nice to meet a fan.