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. 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.
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