Anyone ever fly aer lingus?

How are they as an airline? I plan on booking a flight that involves this airline, although up until now I had never heard of them.

As "Rain Man" as this is going to sound, I looked them up on wikipedia and they have a really good track record, and haven't had any accidents in the last 21 years. 

Anyone have any personal input on this airline?

I flew them at the last minute from Dublin to Heathrow in March 2004, after missing a BMI flight....they gave me a sandwich in-flight and everyone wore a lot of green.  That's pretty much all I remember. 

i've flown them a few times.
They're just like any other airline... much of a muchness.

DH and I flew Aer Lingus last year from Chicago to Glasgow via Dublin.  I didn't get a UK entry stamp when I arrived in Glasgow and this may cause problems when I apply for ILR.  If you do fly with Aer Lingus, you'll need to tell them when boarding the flight in Dublin (unless you have a direct flight to the UK from America) that you'll need a UK entry interview, or whatever they're called, when landing in the UK. 

So basically tell them why im here and that they need to stamp my visa?

I second Yael. I flew Aer Lingus from Los Angeles to Heathrow via Dublin and didn't get that all important Visa stamp for my ILR. Thus ensuing lots of problems! I remember the flight being pleasant, no bad memories. I also remember a lot of green!

Whatever you do, JUST GET STAMPED!!!!!

They advertised they were going to be doing very, very cheap flights from Boston soon, but I just checked for Christmas and that hasn't materialized. They have a good reputation, though.

I few them once, going from Gatwick to Dubin.

The seats on the plane were more narrow than the ones I sit in when flying Delta, yet there was more leg room. Perfect combination for me.

I was only going to Dublin for 2 days and had a normal sized back pack with me, which they forced me to me to check, even though everyone should be entitled to a carry on. Luckily I dumped all the unnecessary junk out of my handbag and was able to shove in my digital camera and accessories in.

Otherwise, the flight was fine.

My experience seems to be the same as everyone else, not too bad. I also missed the real stamp on my visa and have an IT London stamp instead. Wonder if it's too late to send it back to the HO.

I really think it's best to avoid going through Ireland when you're first entering on a visa- you can request that there be an immigration officer in the UK to meet you, but from the anecdotal evidence on this forum, there's not been one person who has had that happen or gotten a stamp once they arrived in the UK after transiting through Ireland.  And then not getting that stamp can lead to more hassle later (such as what lotuseener experienced when applying for ILR.)

flown them about a bazillion times in the past 15 years.

they're usually decent, although we had to deal with some cocky-ass groundstaff last time we flew them transatlantically, both in chicago & in dublin.

but i won the battle in the end.

Great customer service but not a very comfortable plane. I was on an old clunker of a plane tho.

I flew them from JFK to Dublin and because of traffic and my own stupidity I arrived at JFK 20 mins before my flight was supposed to leave.  I should not have been allowed on the plane but they rushed me through check in, ran with me to my gate and helped me through security so I could make my flight.  Once I got on the plane I got a seat in the middle of two people I didnt know (last seat on a full plane) so it wasn't the most comfortable flight, the seats were very close together and the TVs were those once that hang from the ceiling and you just look at the one closest to you but I was just happy to be on the plane!

I wrote a letter of praise to the manager that helped me that day... 

I've flown them twice Chicago-Dublin-London.  It was fine every time, I would recommend them if they are the cheapest (as they aren't always at all).  For awhile in 2005 they were offering super cheap flights, but not so much within the last year or so.

I heard they were being bought out by our pals Ryan Air, is that not happening anymore?

i've flown them before, going to ireland from nyc. because of the star alliance or whatever it is, the flights are often co-flights with american airlines. you're basically getting american with an irish accent.

it wasn't bad. i'd probably fly them again.

So basically tell them why im here and that they need to stamp my visa?

I believe you would need to alert the cabin crew, but there's other threads on the visa page with more information.

ETA: Don't let anyone tell you that you don't need the stamp!