I’m searching flights to Germany for a summer trip and Aer Lingus came up as an affordable option. Anyone have experience with this airline? The stopover is in Dublin.
We usually try to fly Lufthansa, but they are coming in almost twice as much as other options. Given some terrifying travel experiences on budget flights I generally don’t mind paying a bit more for a reliable airline, but having trouble deciding this time.
flew it this summer, absolutely comparable to other airlines. No issues.
We flew them twice to Ireland and would recommend based on our experience.
Family lives in Ireland and uses them quite frequently with no issues.
Thank you for the endorsements. Now it’s tempting to spend a day or two in Dublin, since we’ve never been to Ireland.
No issues here either. I flew them to Ireland a few years ago and the only difference between them and any other decent mainstream airline was that the flight crew spoke with Irish accents.
My D flew it to Dublin and had no issues. The nice thing about flying home through Dublin is that you can go through customs there and not have to deal with that when you get back to the US. https://www.dublinairport.com/flight-connections/us-preclearance
We had a great experience flying into Dublin. The rates were great, but you do pay extras for things like checked bags.
Love Aer lingus!
Aer Lingus is just fine.
I do remember ordering a meal in advance and paying extra because I didn’t realize we got food service. Oh well, the extra salmon was good, lol.
SNL - Aer Lingus skit:
We had an enjoyable flight on Aer Lingus. I would use them again. Very friendly crew.
Ds and I took them to London and back from Paris last winter. It was pleasant and we loved the shopping in Dublin airport. But bought nothing on the way over. Returning, customs took a lot of time and we could only glance longingly at the Irish goods as we hurried past.
My D’s bf and his family are very well traveled. They invited me to visit them in Europe this summer and booked me (I am paying for the ticket) on Aer Lingus with a layover in Dublin. I visited Dublin in the 80’s and really loved it. I would love to visit it again, but it won’t work out this time. They all travel frequently so I trust their judgment in airlines.
My boss is Irish and she flies Aer Lingus frequently as well.
We just enjoyed a seven-week stint in Dublin and flew round trip on Aer Lingus between San Francisco and Dublin. Both flights were fine, and we got through customs quickly each time. No issues to report.
@suzy100 , thank you for the link with information on going through US customs in Dublin, I had never heard of that option before. We fly in to LAX so skipping the international arrival line will be a huge convenience.
Unfortunately we won’t have time for an extended layover this trip but I’m glad to hear the airport has some good shopping opportunities.
We did customs pre-clearance in Dublin. There was no line, we just walked right up and through, both of us together in less than five minutes.
If you are flying around Europe, just check on the extra charges, which vary a lot by airline. Some charge for carry-on bags, others for checked, some for reserved seats. etc. etc. Also, allowable carry on bag sizes are smaller in general and can be as low as 7kg max. There is some variance in allowable checked sizes too and it can even vary by country of origin.
But AL is no better or worse than other EU flagship carriers.
Very impressed with the Aer Lingus ticket purchase experience. They have only one flight per day on our route but the schedule was convenient. A comfortable 3 hour layover in Dublin before heading on to Berlin- hopefully time for shopping! One bag is included in price and they offered “preferred seats” for a nominal increase, $35-$70 per seat. I see an option to “book meals” on the confirmation, but I am assuming that is for special meals. We saved so much compared to the Lufthansa fare that I didn’t feel guilty splurging on better seats and trip insurance. Thanks again everyone for the input!
Just for fun, SNL’s take on Aer Lingus: