Hi Kevin, A Dublin based loyal viewer. While not a fan of EI, they are not a BA funded counterpart to Ryanair. They were doing very well before IAG acquired them due to its huge US presence and to a smaller degree as feeder of full service carriers across Europe. BAs main interest was not FR but EI's US business and the fear that they would start eating in BA transatlantic business.
I'm in complete agreement here, It is simply incorrect to refer to Aer Lingus as "BA funded", The airline funds itself, where prior to and since Covid, (Where the Irish Government stepped in to assist, not IAG) has had reasonably strong financial performance. I believe the IAG takeover has been more damaging than positive for EI, most notably the loss of Aer Lingus's A350s to Iberia and more recently, losing the prestigious title of launch customer of the A321XLR, also to Iberia. IAG's relationship with EI is far more extractive than than one of being funded by it. To add to the point on EI's hybrid nature, as you talked about in your video, within Europe, EI operates much closer to a LCC. However, on their transatlantic routes they are much closer to a full service airline. This is also one of the reasons they pulled out and have remained out of Oneworld, as they wouldn't necessarily have the freedom to do this in an alliance.
Fair point. Just glad there's at least one other person on TH-cam that sees the link between BA & EI, even if it wasn't related to FR haha. Thanks for watching
I believe checking in the carry on is a direct cause of the quicker turnaround time. I honestly wish more airlines do this. The last 5 United flights all took all maxed out their in cabin space and where checking in bags. Every time I fly I am a little worried about my bag being gate checked or not meeting some sort of requirement. Having the bag checked avoids all that. The main downside I for travelers is the increase chance of bag delays and that one need to wait at the baggage claim at the end of the trip. But overall I actually prefer it, always so annoying when US airlines announce that bags may need to gate checked, like you knew the flight was going to be full days ahead, why not give an option to check in a carry on to avoid that.
Yes, ThaiLionAir do this too, it makes for much quicker boarding -- anyone with a backpack etc. checks it in, and the one carry-on is enough for short haul.
The reason Aer Lingus do free checked bag and not a carry on is because us Irish love to stretch the rules and bring on a lot more then we are allowed, causing overhead lockers to fill up in the first 5 minutes of boarding. Leading to bags being checked at the door. And with their fast turns arounds, boarding is the slowest part.
@ yea Aerlingus will still let you on with a carry on, it’s mainly for the non frequent flyers etc that tend to take longer boarding. But BA is better, just unfortunate that they are normally double the price of Aerlingus if you are booking within a month or two of traveling
I suspected as much….and, while people ignoring carry on limits on other airlines seems to happen all the time, I do find it exhausting having to deal with others bringing giant roller bags as cabin luggage. I can completely understand why Aer Lingus has this policy.
There is usually an in flight service on EI's DUB-LHR route. It's brief for obvious reasons, but there's time to down a hot/cold beverage and snack. Plus if cabin crew have time they'll whip around and sell you some duty free (limited stock on such short haul routes). IAG ownership does not equal "BA funded". EI was in Oneworld from 00 - 07. Amazed re BA 46kg cabin bag total allowance on all flights! Might be a challenge to max out the weights in cabin sized luggage though - unless carrying gold bars or lead!
@@tfft It was more likely to do with the short turnaround time at Dublin which you commented on as being a plus. Catering an aeroplane would have added at least another 30 minutes to your departure. On such a short flight, I'd take a close to on time departure over an onboard snack any day
Checking in what would usually be a 10 kg carry on bag is a stroke of genius by Aer Lingus.I’ve flown lots of different airlines and I wish more of them would do it. It reduces hassle in trying to find a space for a carry on. It’s basically hands free flying, which is a much more comfortable experience. For the Company, it means passengers are on and off the airplane quicker with the obvious benefit of quicker turnaround times. One of the best airlines serving European destinations. And when I fly to and from the USA, I always go Aer Lingus, after some less than enjoyable experiences on United, though I have to say that Virgin Atlantic and BA weren’t bad at all.
I’m ex Aer Lingus. Used to date some gorgeous flight attendants. Moved to Ireland from London and lived there for 11 years. So, no bias at all 😂❤ But…as airlines go, Aer Lingus is one of the most caring, gracious and warm airlines on the planet. Irish hospitality through and through. Perfect? No. But who is. I love them. ❤
Flew from Manchester to JFK on Aer Lingus UK last week. The flight to JFK took 7 hours 10 minutes, and the return flight to Manchester took 5 hours 50 minutes. The flight was in business class, gifted to me by a work colleague unable to make the trip. The A330 is an ideal aircraft, for the route, as was the A321 previously used on this route. I couldn't fault anything about the inflight service. I would travel on that route with Aer Lingus UK again.
Even on low cost carriers it is usually cheaper to buy +10kg of checked baggage than carry-on. Last time I did that I just asked the check in agent if it was fine if I did not checked in my baggage, she was like fine/sure/whatever and "upgraded" my ticket to carry on baggage. Mind this was a 5:00 am flight in eastern europe between xmas and New years Eve, so the whole airport was in this "whatever" state.
Sure and that's fair. My thing is, that 10kg is free but of course, it's built into the price of the ticket. So, if I'm planning just to carry on (and pay for carry on)... I also needlessly need to pay for that 10kg. If you're not going to have a standard policy, I'd rather just have a totally bare fare to add on to.
I can remember when EI was a full service airline both short and long haul and they where excellent . The crews were always friendly and professional in fact I remember half way across the Atlantic it was announced a young girl had a birthday onboard and the whole aircraft sang happy birthday to her! Then they had a problem with managers and a person by the name of Walsh was appointed as CEO!! He then changed the whole set up of EI more in favour of him and 2 others running the airline down so they could do a management buyout. They were up to then a member of OneWorld but his savage cuts to their onboard service took them out of the OneWorld grouping. Ryanair for many years wanted to buy the airline but the Irish Gov refused and eventually sold it to IAG. Which has far from being a happy marriage as IAG despite the vast majority of profits coming from BA the management is heavily sided towards Spain , Aer Lingus which means Air Fleet in English had A350,s on order and it was heavily promoted as its new flagship aircraft But they where given to Iberia as more recently where the A321 xlr,s so EI has been struggling on despite ISG,s lack of help so they have been forced to have a semi hybrid service to remain profitable. Given The choice between Ryanair and Aer Lingis it would be the latter every single time despite being more expensive EI,s long haul service is more of a full service than the short haul and given its advantages over many of the US carriers it has a very healthy percentage of the Dublin ~US routes
Recently flew them from round trip from Cleveland to Dublin non stop on the A321neo. It Was brilliant. Nice meal, great IFE, wonderful service and reasonably comfortable seat. Was questioning the decision to do a narrow body for such a long flight but it was well worth it…and cheap! $525 r/t. Have also flown Their A330 international and that was also good. Love the preclearance at Dublin.
Yeah between EI and BA to an extent, it's amazing to me how many second and third tier cities they fly directly to which US carriers wrote off ages ago.
Well that really surprised me; you cannot even buy a bottle of water onboard, even low cost BA offer a complimentary water and packet of nibbles on the Manchester to Heathrow service. Back in the 80/90's you would get a continental breakfast tray on a full Boeing 757 "Super Shuttle" service between Manchester and Heathrow or a complimentary full bar service on their 13:45 Boeing 767-300 to Manchester. I miss those days.
@tfft no, it was 35 mins, the breakfast was being served minutes after wheels up and they offered tea and coffee and this is a full 757! It doesn't seem possible, but they did it.
@@tfft note, your work also helps cheer me up. I had to give up a career of 30 years in the travel industry to focus on my mental well being as a result of childhood trauma and addiction that followed. You lift the spirits of this humble guy in Manchester with your amazing narration, you make me smile as well as giving me my travel fix. Never change and I wish you continued success. You are my No1 vlogger. Alan, Manchester 🇬🇧
Having travelled LHR to and fromIreland.. its a one hr flight WHY would you need food and drink? Can you not last that long without consuming anything? What on earth do you expect from a shuttle short haul service.? Same with wifi... can folks just not last an hour without using their phones etc? I find travel is a great time to relax and just kick back and enjoy the experience.
European LCCs price their bundles strangely. You get either one with hand luggage and priority boarding or one with a checked bag + standard seat but not both.
Aer Lingus has had the same strategy on short haul for over twenty years so it’s always amusing to still hear people perplexed or surprised by it. If anything, more and more European legacy carriers are starting to behave in the same way; baggage charges, buy on board etc. Aer Lingus just had to do it much earlier because of the intense pressure it faced from Ryanair. It may not be perfect, but it works.
To my knowledge, there is no other airline on earth that includes 10kg of check in baggage but forbids a free carry on lol. I've been on 102 airlines in the past few years and certainly none of them are following suit lol
Dare I say the quick turn around time is due to as you put it "the odd baggage arrangement". Re livery I really don't like the newer almost white one - much prefer the older and more "Irish" green livery
I enjoy flying Aer Lingus from Birmingham > Dublin > Chicago as you get the pre-check in Dublin. You land and fly from terminal 3 O'hare which i absolutely LOVE.
Aer Lingus run more or less as a low cost carrier on European routes, but their transatlantic offering is much closer to full service. It's almost like their European and transatlantic operations run as two separate companies. I'd love to see you review one of their transatlantic flights for comparison.
0:44 Common misconception. British Airways does not fund Aer Lingus. They are both owned by the International Airlines Group or IAG of which alongisde British Airways and AerLingus is also the owners of Iberia, Vueling and LEVEL
Yeah I fly once a month return to London with Aer Lingus and they always have service on board. Also ryanair don't fly to Heathrow like BA, and aerlingus do!
Love the video Kevin! Just a 'wee bit' of feedback re: the video title; 'wee' and 'little' aren't completely interchangeable in all circumstances. "A wee confused" means that 'confused' is 'small', I believe the phrase you are looking for is "a wee bit confused" 😉
Theres a few inaccuracies in this. One, BA are generally more expensive than EI albeit the better carrier. Two. Ryanair do not fly to LHR hence the cost differential. Three, there is logic to their cabin policy as too many cabin bags cause them delays.
And EI is vastly superior to Ryanair. Also typically to get carry on only cost 10 euro while FR 's priority is getting more and more expensive and FR does not include a 10k check-in bag. The seats and the FAs are far better. No comparison really.
As I said, the fares I showed were all from the same date on the same route. So, for my example, those prices are accurate. I don't have time to check every fare on every day for the next 11 months 😉
Perhaps the 36-minute turnaround was the cause of the lack of service? Prioritising keeping their departure slot rather than getting some snacks and booze on board?
To understand Aer Lingua you first need to understand that British Airways doesn’t serve all of Britain. It’s a London based carrier only. Great if your in the south east of the UK, not really a good option if your in live anywhere else. If your “home” airport is Manchester (BTW the worst airport in the world) then you’re limited to at most a a flight to Atlanta or NY a day on Virgin. Most other UK airports don’t many direct flights. So if you in the want to go to the US on a single ticket Aer Lingus is a good option as you can clear US customs in Ireland and land domestic. Other popular, options are KLM or Lufthansa. But with those you go the wrong way first. Or you can risk transferring at LHR, but the connections are shocking even if you can get a single ticket.
I reckon you’re off base here. Firstly, you’re comparing Ryanair fares to EI and BA on a route to LHR. Secondly, EI is really a TATL carrier with onward connection to Europe. When buying it, the ceo of IAG referred to it as a third runway for Heathrow type solution. And they compete closely with Ryanair then on the short haul bucket and spade stuff for Dublin, and are competitive there.
I wonder if Icelandair may be in the running for east coast flights? (She says, lazily not looking it up.) I’ve only done a London-Dublin hop on Aer Lingus once, over 20 years ago, and it’s such a distant memory for me that I couldn’t even say if it was from Gatwick or Heathrow, but I remember it was Fine. I’ve been seeing them come up in award ticket search results with oneworld and it’s always shockingly expensive on US west coast-Europe redemptions, especially for what their hard product seems to offer. Like, 350k miles in business expensive.
The reason they allow free 10kg of free checked baggage is because on those European routes too many people take their full allowance and overhead lockers were always full before the flight was fully boarded, there would then be delays to departure while the mess was sorted. Also just because they are part of the same group as BA, that isn't something they want to flout, it's hardly something the Irish public are proud of. Keeping the unique Aer Lingus flag carrier identity makes people forget they are no longer state owned.
You sound like a Canadian bro still a Subject of the Empire....Queen and British..... love your 3rd rated British Airways that is totally owned by the Spanish.......
Remember this is a sub-hour flight so in-flight entertainment is going to be limited whoever you fly with. The service seems no better or worse than Ryanair here, I'd happily go without being sold perfume from a trolley on a 55 minute flight and you can bring your own sandwich and drink if you're hungry. I'd only fault Aer Lingus if they were charging considerably more than Ryanair for basically the same service.
The stitched up seat pockets infuriate me so much… but it’s not like they’ve gotten rid of them completely, only some aircraft have had them stitched up while new ones are still getting delivered with sets back pockets
Woohoo, new trip report First like, then watch 😊 I've done DUS-DUB-LAX return in December and was pretty happy with the EI product. It left a significantly better impression than their parent BA. The old 320 interior was very comfortable and I liked their 333 too. Only the new interior 320 on the way home was rather weak with uncomfortable seats and little legroom
Aren't you overstretching the difference between low-cost and full-service airlines on intra-European flights a bit? I mean: what's the difference between all these airlines really? Take Lufthansa. 8 kg of carry-on luggage (and pure chaos if the flight is full) and uncomfortable slimline seats with among the lowest seat pitches possibly. In this regard, ignoring the free cup of water on Lufthansa, Air Lingus seems even a bit more premium. Just to say that there are no full-service flights in Europe.
I flew LHR - DUB - LHR weekly for so long I was recognised as a regular in the airside pubs and groundside crews. Definitely not a brag, no-one would ever choose that option! BMI was my preferred flight, Shamrock was always the backup option
Still think fondly of the complimentary G&T served in January 1988 on that route. Strongest drink I’ve ever had - took effect from the feet up, and truly, everyone (but us) on the plane lit cigarettes the *second* the no smoking sign went off (while the plane was still climbing out of Heathrow). Happy days pre BA buyout.
One of the hardest working TH-camrs out there. I make similar videos of travel content (albeit it without audio commentary and not even half as good as Kevin’s). The amount of time it takes to film all the scenes and the editing must take such a long time. Just because it’s a short 57 minute flight doesn’t mean it’s an easy video to make. It’s also surprisingly tough to make content on economy class. But you always find a way to make it entertaining! Got a lot to learn from you!
I flew aer lingus from Boston to Dublin and back. My experience was Meh (seats 25 forward) to Pathetic (seats 26+) on their 330. Service commensurate with the seat numbers.
As a fellow Airline reviewer myself I always learn something new about your style and presentation. Even though Airlines only account for about half of what you do (Hotels being the other focus), your wealth and abundance of knowledge is very commendable. I learn so much about content delivery from you, that I catch myself taking notes more often than not. Its very refreshing to get unfiltered, unedited content just filmed through the lense of good camera work and delivered along side some whit. Interestingly, I flew this Aer Lingus twice last year between ORK-LHR and had a very similar experience. BOB imo is a little bit better than the usual suspects around the area thought. Keep up the good work!
Way back when I flew Aer Lingus, they WERE in Oneworld. I was an AA Executive Platinum member (what "Top" turned into), so I flew them when I had to work in Ireland. They joined the alliance in 2000 and left it in 2007.
Hi Kevin, Aer Lingus are not "BA funded", they are however a member of the IAG group of airlines, of which British Airways is also a member. Further, the 46kgs / 100lbs of carry-on luggage that you suggest is acceptable on BA is completely incorrect. No airline under the sun would ever allow an individual passenger to take anything anywhere near 46kgs on board the aircraft as a carry-on allowance. Perhaps you mean 2x checked bags at 23kgs per piece, for which additional fees may be charged dependant upon the fare type one has purchased. Brash sweeping statements that are incorrect do not lead to trusting the integrity of your channel Kevin.
Suggest you check BA’s website which clearly states you’re allowed one carry on, up to 23kg- and one personal item, up to 23kg. 23+23=46 last I checked.
To prove myself correct? Sure! This is directly from their website: "Hand bag Up to 40 x 30 x 15cm (16 x 12 x 6in) Up to 23kg (51lb) Essentials like medication, mobile phones, other electronic devices and passports To be placed under the seat Guaranteed in the cabin" "Cabin bag Up to 56 x 45 x 25cm (22 x 18 x 10in) - includes wheels and handles Up to 23kg (51lb) No valuables, electronics or essential medicines May need to go in the hold" Btw, that took me around 20 seconds to find.
Curious why a lot of (or most or all) flights approach LHR from the east. I mean, besides giving passengers a nice view of the city is there any other reason?
The entire context is that this is a very short commuter flight. In the 80s they had a meal on that flight, it was a race to get it served and cleared in a flight that could be 50 minutes. Why on Earth would you have shopping on a short hop flight? Why would you need food? I fly aer Lingus to JFK and it’s great. Then it’s AA or Delta onwards. The contrast in attitude and service is stark, especially when members of the armed forces can board first. Creepy.
It was sold to IAG the British Airways Parent Group - so it serves the Irish market but unfortunately its not actually Irish owned anymore - in relation to the actual review i think to understand exactly what Aer Lingus is you need to think of it a a two pillar air line really - one serves the short haul UK market ( Dublin London is one of the busiest routes in the world ) and they have stiff competition from Ryanair the Irish low cost carrier that become one of the biggest and most successful airlines in the world - the other pillar is the trans Atlantic business anf they have the bigger latest aircraft full service model to compete and i have to say very favourably compare to the US airlines on any of the routes - i just think you’d need to understand this hybrid model and reasons for it to know there’s quite a difference on the experiences on both these different markets ( Ryanair does not fly transatlantic )
As a former employees of BA (31 years) I find it sad that BA has become the crap carrier that it is today. We used to be a fantastic airline but since Willie Walsh took over, BA and everything it touches (Aer Lingus, Iberia, Level) have their costs slashed, service reduced and standard of staff lowered (if you pay peanuts etc etc). I know airlines need to be profitable but not to the extent that BA and IAG want. We are now a laughing stock and a very expensive low cost airline.
Hi Kevin, A Dublin based loyal viewer. While not a fan of EI, they are not a BA funded counterpart to Ryanair. They were doing very well before IAG acquired them due to its huge US presence and to a smaller degree as feeder of full service carriers across Europe. BAs main interest was not FR but EI's US business and the fear that they would start eating in BA transatlantic business.
I'm in complete agreement here, It is simply incorrect to refer to Aer Lingus as "BA funded", The airline funds itself, where prior to and since Covid, (Where the Irish Government stepped in to assist, not IAG) has had reasonably strong financial performance. I believe the IAG takeover has been more damaging than positive for EI, most notably the loss of Aer Lingus's A350s to Iberia and more recently, losing the prestigious title of launch customer of the A321XLR, also to Iberia. IAG's relationship with EI is far more extractive than than one of being funded by it.
To add to the point on EI's hybrid nature, as you talked about in your video, within Europe, EI operates much closer to a LCC. However, on their transatlantic routes they are much closer to a full service airline. This is also one of the reasons they pulled out and have remained out of Oneworld, as they wouldn't necessarily have the freedom to do this in an alliance.
@bowguy76 true I forgot the slots
Fair point. Just glad there's at least one other person on TH-cam that sees the link between BA & EI, even if it wasn't related to FR haha. Thanks for watching
@@tfft yea ba and alt are in the IAG OWNED henhouse.
KEVIN collins LVE Taf Tude Tude Dublin
Thanks!
Thanks very much for the support ❤️
Aer lingus are also in the process of un-doing the move of stitching closed the seat back pockets 🤔
I believe checking in the carry on is a direct cause of the quicker turnaround time.
I honestly wish more airlines do this. The last 5 United flights all took all maxed out their in cabin space and where checking in bags. Every time I fly I am a little worried about my bag being gate checked or not meeting some sort of requirement. Having the bag checked avoids all that. The main downside I for travelers is the increase chance of bag delays and that one need to wait at the baggage claim at the end of the trip. But overall I actually prefer it, always so annoying when US airlines announce that bags may need to gate checked, like you knew the flight was going to be full days ahead, why not give an option to check in a carry on to avoid that.
There is a happy medium though. Personally I also don't agree with US carriers free-for-all bring your kitchen sink with you carry on policy lol
Yes, ThaiLionAir do this too, it makes for much quicker boarding -- anyone with a backpack etc. checks it in, and the one carry-on is enough for short haul.
The reason Aer Lingus do free checked bag and not a carry on is because us Irish love to stretch the rules and bring on a lot more then we are allowed, causing overhead lockers to fill up in the first 5 minutes of boarding. Leading to bags being checked at the door. And with their fast turns arounds, boarding is the slowest part.
That’s why most airlines simply have carry on limits lol.
Haha that’s everywhere!
@ yea Aerlingus will still let you on with a carry on, it’s mainly for the non frequent flyers etc that tend to take longer boarding. But BA is better, just unfortunate that they are normally double the price of Aerlingus if you are booking within a month or two of traveling
I suspected as much….and, while people ignoring carry on limits on other airlines seems to happen all the time, I do find it exhausting having to deal with others bringing giant roller bags as cabin luggage. I can completely understand why Aer Lingus has this policy.
@@tfftthey do have carry-on limits… people just didn’t respect them 🤣
There is usually an in flight service on EI's DUB-LHR route. It's brief for obvious reasons, but there's time to down a hot/cold beverage and snack. Plus if cabin crew have time they'll whip around and sell you some duty free (limited stock on such short haul routes).
IAG ownership does not equal "BA funded".
EI was in Oneworld from 00 - 07.
Amazed re BA 46kg cabin bag total allowance on all flights! Might be a challenge to max out the weights in cabin sized luggage though - unless carrying gold bars or lead!
Maybe it was due to rough air leading to no service. Honestly don't remember anything out of the ordinary though.
@@tfft It was more likely to do with the short turnaround time at Dublin which you commented on as being a plus. Catering an aeroplane would have added at least another 30 minutes to your departure. On such a short flight, I'd take a close to on time departure over an onboard snack any day
Checking in what would usually be a 10 kg carry on bag is a stroke of genius by Aer Lingus.I’ve flown lots of different airlines and I wish more of them would do it. It reduces hassle in trying to find a space for a carry on. It’s basically hands free flying, which is a much more comfortable experience. For the Company, it means passengers are on and off the airplane quicker with the obvious benefit of quicker turnaround times. One of the best airlines serving European destinations. And when I fly to and from the USA, I always go Aer Lingus, after some less than enjoyable experiences on United, though I have to say that Virgin Atlantic and BA weren’t bad at all.
I’m ex Aer Lingus. Used to date some gorgeous flight attendants. Moved to Ireland from London and lived there for 11 years. So, no bias at all 😂❤ But…as airlines go, Aer Lingus is one of the most caring, gracious and warm airlines on the planet. Irish hospitality through and through. Perfect? No. But who is. I love them. ❤
I think you will find that Aer Lingus is only a full service carrier on Long Haul routes, It is a Hybrid carrier.
Seems to be so. Thanks for watching
2:30 Ryanair don't fly to Heathrow so that fare comparison is irrelevant.
Which is why I included BA…
Only a minute in and as someone who’s flown EI a bunch, your initial assessment feels a little off.
Flew from Manchester to JFK on Aer Lingus UK last week. The flight to JFK took 7 hours 10 minutes, and the return flight to Manchester took 5 hours 50 minutes. The flight was in business class, gifted to me by a work colleague unable to make the trip. The A330 is an ideal aircraft, for the route, as was the A321 previously used on this route. I couldn't fault anything about the inflight service. I would travel on that route with Aer Lingus UK again.
Always until the end, including the ads! Appreciate your content Kevin! Stay well!
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
FYI at 6:45 regarding Ryan Air, They actually schedule only 25min Turnaround time on most flights. Always look forward to your reports though.😀😀😀
05:56 retro-liveries look so cool!
Even on low cost carriers it is usually cheaper to buy +10kg of checked baggage than carry-on. Last time I did that I just asked the check in agent if it was fine if I did not checked in my baggage, she was like fine/sure/whatever and "upgraded" my ticket to carry on baggage. Mind this was a 5:00 am flight in eastern europe between xmas and New years Eve, so the whole airport was in this "whatever" state.
Sure and that's fair. My thing is, that 10kg is free but of course, it's built into the price of the ticket. So, if I'm planning just to carry on (and pay for carry on)... I also needlessly need to pay for that 10kg. If you're not going to have a standard policy, I'd rather just have a totally bare fare to add on to.
My wife flew business class from LAX to Dublin on Aer Lingus and thoroughly enjoyed it!
I can remember when EI was a full service airline both short and long haul and they where excellent . The crews were always friendly and professional in fact I remember half way across the Atlantic it was announced a young girl had a birthday onboard and the whole aircraft sang happy birthday to her!
Then they had a problem with managers and a person by the name of Walsh was appointed as CEO!! He then changed the whole set up of EI more in favour of him and 2 others running the airline down so they could do a management buyout. They were up to then a member of OneWorld but his savage cuts to their onboard service took them out of the OneWorld grouping. Ryanair for many years wanted to buy the airline but the Irish Gov refused and eventually sold it to IAG. Which has far from being a happy marriage as IAG despite the vast majority of profits coming from BA the management is heavily sided towards Spain , Aer Lingus which means Air Fleet in English had A350,s on order and it was heavily promoted as its new flagship aircraft But they where given to Iberia as more recently where the A321 xlr,s so EI has been struggling on despite ISG,s lack of help so they have been forced to have a semi hybrid service to remain profitable. Given The choice between Ryanair and Aer Lingis it would be the latter every single time despite being more expensive
EI,s long haul service is more of a full service than the short haul and given its advantages over many of the US carriers it has a very healthy percentage of the Dublin ~US routes
My dad worked for Aer Lingus on their jet engines in the hanger in Dublin airport until 1978. It was the state owned airline until 2006.
10:36 insanely cool shot
Recently flew them from round trip from Cleveland to Dublin non stop on the A321neo. It Was brilliant. Nice meal, great IFE, wonderful service and reasonably comfortable seat. Was questioning the decision to do a narrow body for such a long flight but it was well worth it…and cheap! $525 r/t. Have also flown Their A330 international and that was also good. Love the preclearance at Dublin.
Yeah between EI and BA to an extent, it's amazing to me how many second and third tier cities they fly directly to which US carriers wrote off ages ago.
Well that really surprised me; you cannot even buy a bottle of water onboard, even low cost BA offer a complimentary water and packet of nibbles on the Manchester to Heathrow service. Back in the 80/90's you would get a continental breakfast tray on a full Boeing 757 "Super Shuttle" service between Manchester and Heathrow or a complimentary full bar service on their 13:45 Boeing 767-300 to Manchester. I miss those days.
I wonder if the flights were flown slower as BA used to do to Paris to get the full first class meal served.
@tfft no, it was 35 mins, the breakfast was being served minutes after wheels up and they offered tea and coffee and this is a full 757! It doesn't seem possible, but they did it.
@@tfft btw, I absolutely LOVE you and your channel it's a 99/100 from me. You lose a point because they are not Daily 😂👍
@@tfft note, your work also helps cheer me up. I had to give up a career of 30 years in the travel industry to focus on my mental well being as a result of childhood trauma and addiction that followed. You lift the spirits of this humble guy in Manchester with your amazing narration, you make me smile as well as giving me my travel fix. Never change and I wish you continued success. You are my No1 vlogger. Alan, Manchester 🇬🇧
Having travelled LHR to and fromIreland.. its a one hr flight WHY would you need food and drink? Can you not last that long without consuming anything? What on earth do you expect from a shuttle short haul service.? Same with wifi... can folks just not last an hour without using their phones etc? I find travel is a great time to relax and just kick back and enjoy the experience.
European LCCs price their bundles strangely. You get either one with hand luggage and priority boarding or one with a checked bag + standard seat but not both.
Aer Lingus has had the same strategy on short haul for over twenty years so it’s always amusing to still hear people perplexed or surprised by it. If anything, more and more European legacy carriers are starting to behave in the same way; baggage charges, buy on board etc. Aer Lingus just had to do it much earlier because of the intense pressure it faced from Ryanair. It may not be perfect, but it works.
To my knowledge, there is no other airline on earth that includes 10kg of check in baggage but forbids a free carry on lol. I've been on 102 airlines in the past few years and certainly none of them are following suit lol
Did this guy not even bother looking at wiki for a history lesson
Did this guy even bother reading the graphic in the video?
If nothing else, AER LINGUS has one of the coolest call signs of all airlines: SHAMROCK.
Right up there with BA's Speedbird
Very true!
Dare I say the quick turn around time is due to as you put it "the odd baggage arrangement". Re livery I really don't like the newer almost white one - much prefer the older and more "Irish" green livery
I enjoy flying Aer Lingus from Birmingham > Dublin > Chicago as you get the pre-check in Dublin. You land and fly from terminal 3 O'hare which i absolutely LOVE.
Aer Lingus run more or less as a low cost carrier on European routes, but their transatlantic offering is much closer to full service. It's almost like their European and transatlantic operations run as two separate companies. I'd love to see you review one of their transatlantic flights for comparison.
0:44 Common misconception. British Airways does not fund Aer Lingus. They are both owned by the International Airlines Group or IAG of which alongisde British Airways and AerLingus is also the owners of Iberia, Vueling and LEVEL
Yes....BDL is a great airport.........flew in and out of there many times....happy flying to you
Flew Aer Lingus London Dublin twice last year. Both times they had a buy on board trolly service. Dont know whay happened with your flight.
🤷🏼♂️
Yeah I fly once a month return to London with Aer Lingus and they always have service on board. Also ryanair don't fly to Heathrow like BA, and aerlingus do!
Love the video Kevin! Just a 'wee bit' of feedback re: the video title; 'wee' and 'little' aren't completely interchangeable in all circumstances. "A wee confused" means that 'confused' is 'small', I believe the phrase you are looking for is "a wee bit confused" 😉
Thank You ✈️
The t2 lounge has just been renovated in the past month or so
Hi Kevin from a Dublin viewer you mentioned Ryanair in the video they don’t fly to LHR as they won’t pay the fees but totally agree one world
Yeah, that's why I also put BA in the comparison. But especially now since EI is flying some UK to US flights, OW just seems like such a no brainer.
Ay didn’t realise that this is a new upload! Been binge watching your videos 😅
Thanks for watching
Who needs WiFi or inflight service when you have blue and green disco fever🕺🏼 🪩🍀😂
Right?! 😅
Theres a few inaccuracies in this. One, BA are generally more expensive than EI albeit the better carrier. Two. Ryanair do not fly to LHR hence the cost differential. Three, there is logic to their cabin policy as too many cabin bags cause them delays.
And EI is vastly superior to Ryanair. Also typically to get carry on only cost 10 euro while FR 's priority is getting more and more expensive and FR does not include a 10k check-in bag. The seats and the FAs are far better. No comparison really.
As I said, the fares I showed were all from the same date on the same route. So, for my example, those prices are accurate. I don't have time to check every fare on every day for the next 11 months 😉
BA definitely not more expensive than EI , last 7 flights I booked have cheaper through BA
Perhaps the 36-minute turnaround was the cause of the lack of service? Prioritising keeping their departure slot rather than getting some snacks and booze on board?
To understand Aer Lingua you first need to understand that British Airways doesn’t serve all of Britain. It’s a London based carrier only. Great if your in the south east of the UK, not really a good option if your in live anywhere else. If your “home” airport is Manchester (BTW the worst airport in the world) then you’re limited to at most a a flight to Atlanta or NY a day on Virgin. Most other UK airports don’t many direct flights. So if you in the want to go to the US on a single ticket Aer Lingus is a good option as you can clear US customs in Ireland and land domestic. Other popular, options are KLM or Lufthansa. But with those you go the wrong way first. Or you can risk transferring at LHR, but the connections are shocking even if you can get a single ticket.
Don't EI fly direct from Manchester to a few US cities now also?
@ Yeah, they do, but it’s quite limited. There are also some other oddities like Singapore airlines flying to Houston on a 5th freedom route.
I reckon you’re off base here. Firstly, you’re comparing Ryanair fares to EI and BA on a route to LHR. Secondly, EI is really a TATL carrier with onward connection to Europe. When buying it, the ceo of IAG referred to it as a third runway for Heathrow type solution. And they compete closely with Ryanair then on the short haul bucket and spade stuff for Dublin, and are competitive there.
I wonder if Icelandair may be in the running for east coast flights? (She says, lazily not looking it up.) I’ve only done a London-Dublin hop on Aer Lingus once, over 20 years ago, and it’s such a distant memory for me that I couldn’t even say if it was from Gatwick or Heathrow, but I remember it was Fine. I’ve been seeing them come up in award ticket search results with oneworld and it’s always shockingly expensive on US west coast-Europe redemptions, especially for what their hard product seems to offer. Like, 350k miles in business expensive.
They have five on the corridor... but someone else mentioned that BA also has six... I forgot Baltimore existed lol
The reason they allow free 10kg of free checked baggage is because on those European routes too many people take their full allowance and overhead lockers were always full before the flight was fully boarded, there would then be delays to departure while the mess was sorted.
Also just because they are part of the same group as BA, that isn't something they want to flout, it's hardly something the Irish public are proud of. Keeping the unique Aer Lingus flag carrier identity makes people forget they are no longer state owned.
You sound like a Canadian bro still a Subject of the Empire....Queen and British..... love your 3rd rated British Airways that is totally owned by the Spanish.......
Remember this is a sub-hour flight so in-flight entertainment is going to be limited whoever you fly with. The service seems no better or worse than Ryanair here, I'd happily go without being sold perfume from a trolley on a 55 minute flight and you can bring your own sandwich and drink if you're hungry. I'd only fault Aer Lingus if they were charging considerably more than Ryanair for basically the same service.
The stitched up seat pockets infuriate me so much… but it’s not like they’ve gotten rid of them completely, only some aircraft have had them stitched up while new ones are still getting delivered with sets back pockets
So that's how T2 looks. Not sure I have ever seen it since all my flights always go from T1. 😂
As someone who flies into BDL on a regular basis, you think that's nice??? It's soooo crowded!
Ba serves
BOS
JFK
EWR
PHL
BWI
IAD
So technically 6 cities on the BOS-DC corridor.
4:06
Fair shout, I may have forgotten that BWI existed haha.
Aer lingus are now a low cost carrier living on past glories ....it's merged into a mediocre cheap and tacky airline....
You can't compare Aer Lingus to Ryanair into Heathrow. Ryanair don't fly there and Heathrow is always more expensive to fly into
That's why I also compared them to BA 😉
I wonder if they fly out of Stewart? Just got back from visiting mom and no more flights there from Phoenix, only JFK or EWR
How many dashcams does this cab have 😂
Woohoo, new trip report
First like, then watch 😊
I've done DUS-DUB-LAX return in December and was pretty happy with the EI product. It left a significantly better impression than their parent BA. The old 320 interior was very comfortable and I liked their 333 too. Only the new interior 320 on the way home was rather weak with uncomfortable seats and little legroom
Interesting that the older was better!
Humbling 😂
Aren't you overstretching the difference between low-cost and full-service airlines on intra-European flights a bit? I mean: what's the difference between all these airlines really? Take Lufthansa. 8 kg of carry-on luggage (and pure chaos if the flight is full) and uncomfortable slimline seats with among the lowest seat pitches possibly. In this regard, ignoring the free cup of water on Lufthansa, Air Lingus seems even a bit more premium.
Just to say that there are no full-service flights in Europe.
I don’t think I’m ’overstretching’ anything… I just presented exact inclusions and exact prices.
05:11 Ha!
I flew LHR - DUB - LHR weekly for so long I was recognised as a regular in the airside pubs and groundside crews. Definitely not a brag, no-one would ever choose that option! BMI was my preferred flight, Shamrock was always the backup option
Don't worry, no one thought it was haha! Thanks for watching
Still think fondly of the complimentary G&T served in January 1988 on that route. Strongest drink I’ve ever had - took effect from the feet up, and truly, everyone (but us) on the plane lit cigarettes the *second* the no smoking sign went off (while the plane was still climbing out of Heathrow). Happy days pre BA buyout.
I can only hope that some day I’m served a drink that I still think about fondly 37 years later 😅
@ life goals:)
Weren’t a320 ceo faster than neo in takeoff speed.
100 lb cabin baggage....... erm....no
Erm… check their carry on policy.
One of the hardest working TH-camrs out there. I make similar videos of travel content (albeit it without audio commentary and not even half as good as Kevin’s). The amount of time it takes to film all the scenes and the editing must take such a long time. Just because it’s a short 57 minute flight doesn’t mean it’s an easy video to make.
It’s also surprisingly tough to make content on economy class. But you always find a way to make it entertaining!
Got a lot to learn from you!
13:05 😍
🇮🇪🇮🇪👨🏽✈️👮🏻♂️👮🏻👩🏿✈️🧑✈️👮♀️👮🏿♀️👩🏾✈️👩🏼✈️👮🏻♀️👨🏿✈️🧑🏿✈️🌍🌎🌏🧳💺🛫🛬✈️✈️🛬🛫🇬🇧🇬🇧
I flew aer lingus from Boston to Dublin and back. My experience was Meh (seats 25 forward) to Pathetic (seats 26+) on their 330. Service commensurate with the seat numbers.
Did they throw row 44 out the window?
@ luckily I didn’t have to go that far down the rows. 36 was cramped enough for me.
As a fellow Airline reviewer myself I always learn something new about your style and presentation. Even though Airlines only account for about half of what you do (Hotels being the other focus), your wealth and abundance of knowledge is very commendable. I learn so much about content delivery from you, that I catch myself taking notes more often than not. Its very refreshing to get unfiltered, unedited content just filmed through the lense of good camera work and delivered along side some whit.
Interestingly, I flew this Aer Lingus twice last year between ORK-LHR and had a very similar experience. BOB imo is a little bit better than the usual suspects around the area thought.
Keep up the good work!
This is a 1 hour commuter flight. You should have booked business class. This video is a bit click bait
Pretty sure I never said it wasn’t a 1 hour commuter flight.
Way back when I flew Aer Lingus, they WERE in Oneworld. I was an AA Executive Platinum member (what "Top" turned into), so I flew them when I had to work in Ireland. They joined the alliance in 2000 and left it in 2007.
would you like the plane painted forty shades of green,joking of course
I'm kind of a huge fan of Ireland and all things Irish, like U2 etc
28R cough cough
Appreciate the unexpectedly detailed description of the purser 😂
And I appreciated her haha
Hi Kevin, Aer Lingus are not "BA funded", they are however a member of the IAG group of airlines, of which British Airways is also a member. Further, the 46kgs / 100lbs of carry-on luggage that you suggest is acceptable on BA is completely incorrect. No airline under the sun would ever allow an individual passenger to take anything anywhere near 46kgs on board the aircraft as a carry-on allowance. Perhaps you mean 2x checked bags at 23kgs per piece, for which additional fees may be charged dependant upon the fare type one has purchased. Brash sweeping statements that are incorrect do not lead to trusting the integrity of your channel Kevin.
Suggest you check BA’s website which clearly states you’re allowed one carry on, up to 23kg- and one personal item, up to 23kg. 23+23=46 last I checked.
@ Nope, you’re wrong. Check it again
To prove myself correct? Sure! This is directly from their website:
"Hand bag
Up to 40 x 30 x 15cm (16 x 12 x 6in)
Up to 23kg (51lb)
Essentials like medication, mobile phones, other electronic devices and passports
To be placed under the seat
Guaranteed in the cabin"
"Cabin bag
Up to 56 x 45 x 25cm
(22 x 18 x 10in) - includes wheels and handles
Up to 23kg (51lb)
No valuables, electronics or essential medicines
May need to go in the hold"
Btw, that took me around 20 seconds to find.
Curious why a lot of (or most or all) flights approach LHR from the east. I mean, besides giving passengers a nice view of the city is there any other reason?
Airports always arrange flights to land into the wind, as much as realistically possible.
It’s predominantly because of noise pollution. Heathrow will use 27L/R up to a 10kt tailwind.
The entire context is that this is a very short commuter flight. In the 80s they had a meal on that flight, it was a race to get it served and cleared in a flight that could be 50 minutes.
Why on Earth would you have shopping on a short hop flight? Why would you need food?
I fly aer Lingus to JFK and it’s great. Then it’s AA or Delta onwards. The contrast in attitude and service is stark, especially when members of the armed forces can board first. Creepy.
Aer lingus british funded???? Its a irish air.line not british🙄
Allow me to introduce my friend, Hyperbole.
It was sold to IAG the British Airways Parent Group - so it serves the Irish market but unfortunately its not actually Irish owned anymore - in relation to the actual review i think to understand exactly what Aer Lingus is you need to think of it a a two pillar air line really - one serves the short haul UK market ( Dublin London is one of the busiest routes in the world ) and they have stiff competition from Ryanair the Irish low cost carrier that become one of the biggest and most successful airlines in the world - the other pillar is the trans Atlantic business anf they have the bigger latest aircraft full service model to compete and i have to say very favourably compare to the US airlines on any of the routes - i just think you’d need to understand this hybrid model and reasons for it to know there’s quite a difference on the experiences on both these different markets ( Ryanair does not fly transatlantic )
Well, at least everyone had individual air vents 😂.
Missing a trick not providing buy on board service.
I have flow EI, 8 times in the last year and there has always been on board service. This is standard.
Well, apparently not that standard lol.
Thank you Kelvin for another great trip report.
KEVIN collins LVE Taf Tude Tude
Aer Lingus is like BA's step son
No comment 😅
Your knowledge is shocking, and your airlines' history is deplorable
are u britsh or american
Sounds pretty arabian to me
Everything in Ireland is overpriced and locals are used in over-paying and expect crap service. Why Aer Lingus would differ?
What a weird little airline.
I was under the impression there’s meant to be catering!
As a former employees of BA (31 years) I find it sad that BA has become the crap carrier that it is today. We used to be a fantastic airline but since Willie Walsh took over, BA and everything it touches (Aer Lingus, Iberia, Level) have their costs slashed, service reduced and standard of staff lowered (if you pay peanuts etc etc). I know airlines need to be profitable but not to the extent that BA and IAG want. We are now a laughing stock and a very expensive low cost airline.
Willie Walsh hasn’t been in charge for 4 years
@ of course I know that but it was his philosophy and cuts that brought about the change in British airways and the start of the race to the bottom.
Your verdict is correct. Behind the scenes they’re shocking