Aer Lingus Flight offers to USA?

Fooster King

Hi,

Hoping to travel to New York in October mid-term break (family of 4). I know Aer Lingus occasionally have "seat sales". Anyone know if there is usually one for Autumn or Winter or should we just book now (~3k) Alternatively, is it better to go with a different carrier (United Airlines is coming in at ~2.6k). We're hoping to fly direct both ways

iusedtoknow

Fooster King wrote: »

Hi,

Hoping to travel to New York in October mid-term break (family of 4). I know Aer Lingus occasionally have "seat sales". Anyone know if there is usually one for Autumn or Winter or should we just book now (~3k) Alternatively, is it better to go with a different carrier (United Airlines is coming in at ~2.6k). We're hoping to fly direct both ways

with flights you just need to pick a figure you're happy paying and go with it. A deal could happen, or it could not.

3K for 4 people (750 each) is not that bad - especially in October when there is mid-term here in the US and in Ireland.

United are OK, so are AA and Delta - it's all the same TBH - it's only 6 hours in the air overall whatever way you look at it.

Dave1442397

Check flights to Newark (EWR) too. It can be cheaper, and is an easy ride to NYC.

Look at www.kayak.com to see the prices to JFK/EWR and also look at their price predictor (upper left of screen). I just punched in Oct 3 - Oct 10 and it said "buy now, prices expected to increase in next seven days".

Neon_Lights

WOW air is offering roughly 300 a head return for a flight to boston from Dublin, albeit with a layover in Iceland for 2 hours mid flight. May be able to head down the east coast then after.

jaymcg91

I assume with kids they'll need luggage and to pick seats etc - which nearly eliminates savings from flying with Wow air.

lynchie

Fooster King wrote: »

Hi,

Hoping to travel to New York in October mid-term break (family of 4). I know Aer Lingus occasionally have "seat sales". Anyone know if there is usually one for Autumn or Winter or should we just book now (~3k) Alternatively, is it better to go with a different carrier (United Airlines is coming in at ~2.6k). We're hoping to fly direct both ways

Sale was in June. They were doing 229 each way to NY. Conditions were book by June 29 for travel October to February.

Fooster King

Tks for that - I knew I'd seen something somewhere but couldn't remember when or where

jack presley

Mid term break could be an issue though. There never seems to be many sale seats on busy periods.

delahuntv

Maybe try a travel agent and see if there are any packages available? Sometimes you will find them quite a bit cheaper especially if you need a hotel as well.

SHOVELLER

If you plan on travelling regularly to the U.S. fly any airline bar Aer Lingus. The simple reason is all the other airlines offer air miles.

jaymcg91

SHOVELLER wrote: »

If you plan on travelling regularly to the U.S. fly any airline bar Aer Lingus. The simple reason is all the other airlines offer air miles.

Plus EI are crap compared to the rest. Rude staff, that god awful charity bucket and the budget quality seats that feel like you're sitting on concrete.

th283

Hi, it may be worth looking at google.ie/flights it's showing up direct return flights from Shannon for €479 per person

SHOVELLER

jaymcg91 wrote: »

Plus EI are crap compared to the rest. Rude staff, that god awful charity bucket and the budget quality seats that feel like you're sitting on concrete.

Ha ha!

Actually there is little difference between the airlines crossing the Atlantic anymore. Staff across the board are average although I do agree the charity bucket thing is demeaning.

Shame as the U.S. airlines were so far ahead in terms of service but now it has come back to almost Irish levels.

Micky 32

lynchie wrote: »

Sale was in June. They were doing 229 each way to NY. Conditions were book by June 29 for travel October to February.

Can be a bit of a con really. You'd be lucky to get 229 each way. If you do it will always be on a day you can't fly or is inconvenient. I got my flight for early October that i booked in June for 575 euro. My girlfriend decided to join me and yesterday it cost 614.

I suppose to be fair i wasn't paying much less the nearly 10 years i have been flying over and back to the USA with Aerlingus despite inflation and fuel costs so i think they've kept their costs down the best they can.

Wompa1

Don't fly with Aer Lingus if you don't have to. As others have said, they don't really have a frequent fliers program...

Their organization is terrible, I've had some of the nicest stewards and stewardesses on Aer Lingus flights but also the nastiest...

Also Aer Lingus deals are bogus...they are prices *from and then it's one certain flight that's the price advertised. The rest remain the same as non-sales prices. I've heard people say good things about SkyScanner but I had a problem with them twice...Personally, I believe they blatantly put up false prices, you book with them and then they e-mail back saying sorry that flight is no longer available here's some alternatives for 200+ extra....

The cheapest I have found in the last few years has actually been Delta in and out of Shannon. As suggested earlier, keep an eye on Kayak.

channelsurfer2

jaymcg91 wrote: »

Plus EI are crap compared to the rest. Rude staff, that god awful charity bucket and the budget quality seats that feel like you're sitting on concrete.

have to say I would agree. I flew with em in June this year and they have gone down hill a lot with awful food and new cabin crew that are more interested in themselves than the passengers.

spideog7

Aer Lingus are acceptable if you're not connecting in the US. They 'partner' with both United and Jet Blue but their systems aren't linked at all, you can't do anything with your booking if there is a partner airline on it, neither airline can check you in for the other one etc. etc. It's a compete disaster, I suffered it once then gave them another chance and it was the exact same. Never again!

Delta are better overall the only reason I stopped flying to Ireland with them is because they were flying old planes on their transatlantic route out of Atlanta, with no personal TV!

Wompa1

spideog7 wrote: »

Aer Lingus are acceptable if you're not connecting in the US. They 'partner' with both United and Jet Blue but their systems aren't linked at all, you can't do anything with your booking if there is a partner airline on it, neither airline can check you in for the other one etc. etc. It's a compete disaster, I suffered it once then gave them another chance and it was the exact same. Never again!

Delta are better overall the only reason I stopped flying to Ireland with them is because they were flying old planes on their transatlantic route out of Atlanta, with no personal TV!

Ohhhh I forgot about that!! F*ck Me!! My first flight out of the US was United and it was delayed..All booked through Aer Lingus ...I was trying to fly back to Ireland for a funeral...I called Aer Lingus in a panic and said my flight is delayed. Can you please arrange for somebody to come get me at the gate in SFO to get me to my connection....The c*nt on the other end got thick!!! Like not just telling me what I didn't want to hear so I thought she was thick but actually thick...like I was putting them out...They told me they couldn't help...I was like, I booked through you guys, you put me on this flight that's delayed..I also expressed concern that my bag might get lost since I would only be in a few minutes before departing (IF my flight wasn't further delayed)

I had to talk to United. Who were very nice and tried to get me on a different route but all of which would have me miss the wake. Anyways...I get on my original flight that was leaving late and I'm told my bag will have to be check...My carry on that I purposely packed my suit in because I was arriving just before the wake..figured just incase they lose my bag....

So, anyways...I got to SFO and had to sprint to the International Terminal. As I got to my gate the last of the passenger were boarding. AND then...sir, you need to get your boarding pass re-printed...I was like what!!?...They did it anyways but with all of the chaos caused...it was the final straw...

Then I got onto the plane and asked if it was ok to use the rest room and puked my guts up...I was very unfit and ran very fast and very far. A lady knocks on the door and ask if I'm alright and hands me a bottle of water and said I'd need to come out in a few minutes for take off...So, I do. She says sir, are you ok? I was like yeah, I'm ok. She said, I really need to know (This was the time of the Ebola outbreak)...she proceeds to ask me questions and tells me I need to tell the truth and if I'm sick I need to get off the plane...

Anyways...I got to Dublin and sure enough neither of my bags arrived...which made me late for my Bus to Galway. I ended up an hour late for the Wake and wearing a f'kin Hoody and jeans...They also told me I could buy clothes and get re-imbursed as I was on the bus I decided to call to confirm that again...so I didn't buy a suit and not get paid back..the guy pleaded ignorance.

They also double charged me for the flight

The Dogs Bollix

spideog7 wrote: »

Aer Lingus are acceptable if you're not connecting in the US. They 'partner' with both United and Jet Blue but their systems aren't linked at all, you can't do anything with your booking if there is a partner airline on it, neither airline can check you in for the other one etc. etc. It's a compete disaster, I suffered it once then gave them another chance and it was the exact same. Never again!

Delta are better overall the only reason I stopped flying to Ireland with them is because they were flying old planes on their transatlantic route out of Atlanta, with no personal TV!

What does this mean?

My head is wrecked. I'm going on holidays soon but I have nothing booked yet. I have a location picked, rough dates but I won't know until next week.

I have never flown to the US and all this puts me off. I have got rough prices. There are connecting flights.

If their systems aren't linked. Do they send on your bags or do you have to pick up your bag and check in again.

Wompa1

The Dogs Bollix wrote: »

What does this mean?

My head is wrecked. I'm going on holidays soon but I have nothing booked yet. I have a location picked, rough dates but I won't know until next week.

I have never flown to the US and all this puts me off. I have got rough prices. There are connecting flights.

If their systems aren't linked. Do they send on your bags or do you have to pick up your bag and check in again.

It means, if you fly into the US with Aer Lingus and you need to get another flight when you land in the US to a different US city and you booked through Aer Lingus. When you land you will need to go to the Desk for the partner airline e.g. JetBlue, United Airlines and get a new boarding pass printed....Aer Lingus give you a boarding pass but it's not valid for boarding the other airlines plane, you need to them that bogus boarding pass to the United Desk or JetBlue or whoever.

It's a unique Aer Lingus BS...It's fine, it's not a big deal. It's just annoying.

Similarly, if you're flying out of Dublin. I suggest you check in online and print your boarding pass and just drop your bag off the day of the flight rather than go through full check in....Also get there very early because sometimes they put all US flights within an hour of each other, so the line can be packed...don't arrive last minute. I give myself at least 2.5 hours. Sometimes I breeze through and have to wait for 2 hours or 1.5 hour and a half but it's better than dealing with rushing through or even missing the flight because the line was so long to drop the bag off or get through security...Also, try not to rely on their self service check in kiosks in Dublin. Most times I tried them when flying to the US..they just prompted me saying "Please seek assistance at the desk"...so it was pointless.

The Dogs Bollix

Thanks wompa1 for the helpful advice.

Planning my first American holiday.

Wompa1

The Dogs Bollix wrote: »

Thanks wompa1 for the helpful advice.

Planning my first American holiday.

No bother, where are you heading?

US Airports are very, very straight forward. They are well organized.

Make sure you've filled in your ESTA ahead of time. Have the address of the hotel you're staying in handy to fill it on your customs form...I suggest you bring a pen to...that way you don't have to wait for somebody else to finish with one.

The Customs guy will just ask you what you're going to do in the US. Simply because if you answer you're going there for some sort of work thing, that requires a different level of Visa.

Expect to go through two different sets of security when in Dublin or Shannon. One is the regular Irish check, the other is the US check.

The great thing and only Ireland has this is that we have US Customs in our own airports...so if you're flying out of Shannon or Dublin you go through the US Customs before you even leave the country. That way you're not lining up in the US when you land...you just go straight through to Baggage claim..just as though you landed back in Ireland. It's great.

If in Dublin, when you get through Irish Security, you just follow the signs that say US Pre-Clearance..that will take you down stairs and you go through more security and then talk to a Border Agent and show him the slip you filled in that shows where you're staying, reason for travel and all of that. They ask you some soft questions, get you to look into a camera...they show you a picture of your bag that you checked and ask you to confirm that it's yours and then you're on your way to your Gate.

It might sound complicated or overwhelming but it's not. It's really simple and again the beauty is, you take the time to do that at the beginning of your tip and don't have to do it at the end.

I flew with British Airways twice...that was a pain in the arse...I flew Dublin to Heathrow and then Heathrow to the US. Once I got to the US, I spent over an hour each time waiting in line to get through Customs. Brutal at the tail end of a 20+ hour travel day

The Dogs Bollix

I'm hoping to go to Kansas in the mid west.

percy212

EI really should have offered you something for all that inconvenience. I would recommend you contact someone in their head office and send them a link to this thread. Given your circumstances they should have offered some assistance such as compensation for clothing and a REFUND. They listen if you are annoyed enough.

Wompa1 wrote: »

Ohhhh I forgot about that!! F*ck Me!! My first flight out of the US was United and it was delayed..All booked through Aer Lingus ...I was trying to fly back to Ireland for a funeral...I called Aer Lingus in a panic and said my flight is delayed. Can you please arrange for somebody to come get me at the gate in SFO to get me to my connection....The c*nt on the other end got thick!!! Like not just telling me what I didn't want to hear so I thought she was thick but actually thick...like I was putting them out...They told me they couldn't help...I was like, I booked through you guys, you put me on this flight that's delayed..I also expressed concern that my bag might get lost since I would only be in a few minutes before departing (IF my flight wasn't further delayed)

I had to talk to United. Who were very nice and tried to get me on a different route but all of which would have me miss the wake. Anyways...I get on my original flight that was leaving late and I'm told my bag will have to be check...My carry on that I purposely packed my suit in because I was arriving just before the wake..figured just incase they lose my bag....

So, anyways...I got to SFO and had to sprint to the International Terminal. As I got to my gate the last of the passenger were boarding. AND then...sir, you need to get your boarding pass re-printed...I was like what!!?...They did it anyways but with all of the chaos caused...it was the final straw...

Then I got onto the plane and asked if it was ok to use the rest room and puked my guts up...I was very unfit and ran very fast and very far. A lady knocks on the door and ask if I'm alright and hands me a bottle of water and said I'd need to come out in a few minutes for take off...So, I do. She says sir, are you ok? I was like yeah, I'm ok. She said, I really need to know (This was the time of the Ebola outbreak)...she proceeds to ask me questions and tells me I need to tell the truth and if I'm sick I need to get off the plane...

Anyways...I got to Dublin and sure enough neither of my bags arrived...which made me late for my Bus to Galway. I ended up an hour late for the Wake and wearing a f'kin Hoody and jeans...They also told me I could buy clothes and get re-imbursed as I was on the bus I decided to call to confirm that again...so I didn't buy a suit and not get paid back..the guy pleaded ignorance.

They also double charged me for the flight

Bayberry

The Dogs Bollix wrote: »

I have never flown to the US and all this puts me off. I have got rough prices. There are connecting flights.

If their systems aren't linked. Do they send on your bags or do you have to pick up your bag and check in again.

As a general rule if you're not flying to a US city that Aer Lingus serves directly, there are advantages to using one of the US carriers. In the event of a delay, they'll usually be a bit better about re-routing you if necessary (though there are no guarantees - people have vastly different experiences ranging from brilliant to horrible whenever there are problems). That will sometimes mean going a completely different route, (instead of DUB-NYC-xyz, you might end up DUB-NYC-CTL-xyz, for example) and maybe loosing another few hours, but still getting there 2 hours earlier than waiting for the next direct flight on the route that you missed. They can do this because the major US networks have lots of routes.

If you book with Aer Lingus, they don't have as much access to re-route you in the same way. They should be able to get you on the next flight after the one you miss, but they won't usually be able to re-route you to get you there sooner. Most of the time, this is all you want. (Being re-routed through an additional airport after a long delay and a 7 hour transatlantic flight isn't necessarily fun - sometimes sitting on your arse in JFK for 4 hours is better than the alternative!)

But under normal circumstances, none of this matters - as far as I know your bags will be booked through to your destination, even if you start with Aer Lingus and end up on Jet Blue or United to your Destination, because Customs is handled in Dublin. (I am open to correction on that, though - the last time I flew that way I had to pick up my bags because we had to do customs in the US before we got our connecting flight).

It's not something to stress about. If you're flying to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, DC, Chicago, Atlanta or San Francisco, you're absolutely want to pick a direct flight, unless you're going to save hundreds of Euro. Flying to the US through LGW or LHR is a complete pain (especially coming back), and sometimes you'll even be offered flights through Frankfurt, FFS!)

If you're connecting to anywhere else, then you should pay a bit more attention to the US carriers. But you have to figure out your own balance between price and convenience.

cactusgal

Just to echo other posters, be VERY wary of the Aer Lingus / Jet Blue flights. I have had terrible trouble twice with this crap "partnership" flying to Orlando. Once, I missed my connecting flight (via nyc) due to an Aer Lingus cabin crew strike. Second time it was due to a hurricane and cancelled connecting flight. Both times, Aer Lingus / Jet blue refused to give me any assistance, even though I was stuck in the airport through no fault of my own. Both times, I had to throw a wobbler and I was finally given a hotel voucher to cover my enforced overnight stay. Pretty crap service for anyone who's bought a very expensive international flight ticket.

InTheTrees

I've liked United for quite a few years now.

I've been going from Shannon to Newark (nr new york) for years. Newark is a big hub for them so you can easily get anywhere from there.

whitey1

The Dogs Bollix wrote: »

I'm hoping to go to Kansas in the mid west.

If I were you I'd fly directly into O'Hare Airport in Chicago and hop a connection from there (getting a direct flight from the East Coast to Kansas would be unlikely, so flying into Chicago would be one less connection to worry about)

I don't know if you would necessarily benefit by booking that second leg through Aer Lingus...you would probably have more leverage booking directly with the carrier. Most Airlines in the U.S. actually try to help you out if you miss a connection so I wouldn't stress about that too much...there's tons of flights from Chicago to Kansas so they probably just put you on the next flight.

Regarding the preclearance in Dublin being a great thing....hmmm...I'm not so sure. The one time I went through it was the biggest $hit show I have ever experienced in my life....and I have seen quite a few. On the other hand preclearance in Shannon took about 10 minutes

endofrainbow

I flew with British Airways twice...that was a pain in the arse...I flew Dublin to Heathrow and then Heathrow to the US. Once I got to the US, I spent over an hour each time waiting in line to get through Customs. Brutal at the tail end of a 20+ hour travel day[/QUOTE]


It's usually Immigration that causes the delays - Customs is usually just a walk-through

Remorqueur

I've not enjoyed reading these Aer Lingus connection horror stories!. I have to get a connection in O'Hare to Louisville and only have a couple of hours.

cactusgal

Remorqueur wrote: »

I've not enjoyed reading these Aer Lingus connection horror stories!. I have to get a connection in O'Hare to Louisville and only have a couple of hours.

If there are no unforeseen circumstances (ie, weather causing delays, etc) then you'll be fine. If there is any issue which causes you to miss your flight, you will basically be treated like a passenger who's booked on two separate airlines - it's not really a partnership at all. I make at least one or two Aer Lingus connecting flights a year and have done for the last ten years. Out of 10-20 trips, I've had two very bad experiences with the flight connection. So the odds are in your favour!