Anyone fly Aer Lingus lately?

Anyone fly Aer Lingus lately?  We looking at flights for the big move for the first week of November and so far Aer LIngus is so much cheaper flying out of O'hare, Chicago into Manchester with one layover in Dublin.  It would be Aer Lingus all the way and from what i've seen Aer Lingus is pretty bare bones.  I'm leary of flying trans-atlantic if the amenities are pretty much non-existent, especially with an 8 year old and a 1 year old in tow, but i found one-way tickets for $266.00, so cheap!

Also, looking for experiences with the Dublin airport.  We're looking at about a 4 hour layover with two kids, just trying to get an idea of what we're in for.

I flew Aer Lingus from Edinburgh to Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.  It is definitely a 'budget' airline.  No seat back entertainment system.  Meals were tolerable, although having said that I ordered a vegetarian meal, so I don't know how the regular meals compared.  I felt the leg room, although tight, was actually better than some other airlines I've flown.  (Virgin Atlantic's economy class springs to mind.)  Flight attendants provided a reasonable level of service...not outstanding but I can't really think of any complaints.  Do be sure and check their baggage allowance...I know they've really tightened it up recently.

Dublin airport is fairly easy to navigate.  There is a restaurant/dining hall upstairs and there are some shops.  As I recall it's just the one terminal, with an A, B, and C concourse so no worries about getting from one terminal to the next.  It's not the most modern airport I've encountered, but it is pleasant enough.  I'm not sure what I'd do there with a 1-year-old for 4 hours, but then again what do you do with a 1yo at any airport for that long?

I know what you're saying about price...Aer Lingus is pricing out at about half the next lowest fare I've found for my return trip!

I flew Aer Lingus from Edinburgh to Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.   

im going to try to remember this for my next trip to Texas... not that im going anytime soon, mind! 
I usually use Expedia to search for the 'best' deal, and it never even lists Aer Lingus as an option! 
So i usually end up going Continental, and then having to stop in horrible places like Newark and Houston (i dont mean the towns are horrible, but the airports are...) to get to Amarillo.

Sounds like with Aer Lingus i could just get to Las Vegas, and have a happy wee time gambling in the airport while waiting for a Southwest flight to Amarillo.  Sounds a much better option for me!  Is it non-stop from Dublin to LasVegas?

It was Edinburgh => Dublin => Chicago => Las Vegas.  The Chicago to Las Vegas leg was actually on American.  I really don't have any complaints about them at all.  Like I said, definitely a budget airline, but as long as you know that ahead of time...

(Booked through Orbitz, btw...)

Ive flown Aer Lingus three times. The last time was just before xmas. Never had a problem. The flight was smooth and the crew was friendly. The only problem I had was getting stuck in Dublin for 8 hours on the way home but it had nothing to do with the airline it was just a weather problem so all in all it was a good experience. For the money you cant really go wrong!

I have also flown Aer Lingus a few times.  They are sometimes by far the cheapest...and then sometimes they are by far the most expensive.  I don't know how that happens, but it does! My experience with them was fine, no problems.  The only thing to watch out for is the loooong layovers in Dublin.  Once, I didn't really notice, and I was meant to be there for 8 hours on my way to London.  So I made the boy jet over and we had a nice weekend in Dublin.

Not an option for you I would go for it!

Thanks everyone.  I checked about on orbitz for the $266.00 per ticket fare and the closest thing to it was $700.00ish for one way to Manchester from O'hare.  For almost 3 times the price, I think we'll probably do without the seat back entertainment as that would probably be the only thing i'd really notice.  I have to check and see how much they charge for additional baggage as we are thinking it may be cheaper to pack a few more suitcases than to ship some items. 

I'll maybe look into getting a small personal dvd player for my 8 year old and she has her little nintendo ds thing.  They still allow these on the plane don't they?  With all the restrictions on what you can/can't bring i can never keep track of what's allowed.  I'm glad to hear of good experiences all around with Aer Lingus, I hate trying a new airline without knowing anything.  Last thing i want is to get stuck on an 8 hour flight from hell.

Thanks also crabbit for the info on Dublin airport. I'm probably more nervous about the layover than anything else.  I just hope when we book the tickets in a couple of weeks the pricing is still as good.

Belfast is going to start having direct flights to Las Vegas in the next year, so keep an eye out for that, too.

Belfast is going to start having direct flights to Las Vegas in the next year, so keep an eye out for that, too.

Wow!  Las Vegas is my 'home' airport in the states...I'll be interested to see how Belfast => Vegas prices out!

Belfast is going to start having direct flights to Las Vegas in the next year, so keep an eye out for that, too.

brilliant!!

I just flew Aer Lingus this past Christmas 2006. We flew Manchester-Dublin-NYC/JFK.

Overall, our experience was totally fine - and even better since we only paid £300 return each.

On the way out our plane was bare bones - a television in the centre ceiling every few rows and the food looked average (I never eat airline food). However, on the way BACK to the UK our plane was fantastic! It was nice and new and it DID have seat back entertainment televisions, each with a remote control. My husband was in heaven (movies, tv shows, music, and retro video games). Maybe you could find out in advance what type of plane you'll be on - you may not have to bother with a dvd player.

There are just two things about the trip I need to mention that were negatives:

1. Dublin airport can be very confusing. When we arrived (both times) you have to go through customs and baggage claim and completely depart the airport (you pass by family and friends who are meeting passengers). Then you have to go BACK into the check-in area. If you have your continuing ticket (which we got in Manchester) you go through a 'fast-track' system and bypass security to your gate. If you do NOT have your continuing ticket (which we did NOT get in NYC) then you have to wait in line AGAIN and go through security and re-check in. It was absolute chaos and I don't have children! Everyone else here seems to have had a better situation then me!

2. When we flew over we had no problems (Manchester-Dublin-NYC). However, when we flew back, I checked online for the flight status and was alarmed when it said a time for landing in Shannon. Shannon?!?! I phoned the airline and they said "oh yes, there is a stop in Shannon, but you do not get off the plane unless it is your final destination". I was extremely annoyed - at no point whatsoever in my booking did they mention a stop in Shannon. Apparently since it said 'direct' flight and not 'non-stop' flight, that means they can stop off somewhere for some people to get off but not inform you when you are purchasing your ticket. So in the end we had to fly NYC-Shannon-Dublin-Manchester. It was very frustrating, so you may want to check if your plane will make an additional stop.

But all-in-all, for £300 return, I'd do it all over again next Christmas!

I hope this helps! Have a wonderful trip and safe travels!

I flew on Aer Lingus a couple years ago but only from Heathrow to Dublin, a 1 hour flight so I wasn't looking for much in the way of amenities!

However, when I was booking a BA flight recently, there was a notice saying that if part of your trip is via Aer Lingus there's no free drinks (or something to that effect).  Getting any kind of drink on a BA long-haul flight has always been free so I suspect Aer Lingus is going the budget route.  The way airlines are going in general, I'm surprised they all haven't followed suit.

Emily, thanks so much for all the details.  We just can't seem to justify spending so much more for what you get when it's four of us traveling and moving is expensive enough as it is.  I'm pretty used to sorting out airports, i just ask anymore, anyone who looks like they might know where ever i need to go is.  We are looking at a flight with a four hour layover, so if we get lost we should have time to sort it.  I hate having a 45 minute layover for a connecting flight, i stress the entire time about missing my connection.

I can't believe they didn't tell you there were additional stops!  I'll definitely have to check that out, thanks for the tip!!


Mattj74, so even the BA part was no free drinks?

I flew Continental from Edinburgh to Newark and there were no free drinks!  I was shocked to hell. 

Aer Lingus did have free beverages of your choice. Alcoholic beverages had to be purchased the same as most all airlines now. I havent had a complmentary cocktail on a long haul flight in years. I think most airlines stopped that about four or five years ago.

I flew Continental from Edinburgh to Newark and there were no free drinks!  I was shocked to hell. 

I flew CO from Brum to Newark. NEVER again!!!!