Ryanair or aer Lingus!!

bewhiched · 21-08-2012 6:25pm #1

Hi all we have been looking at flights to lanzorote for paddys week and both airlines are coming in the same would love aer Lingus but what's the deal on the bags who is better bag wise like more kinder on the weight size price etc??? Thanks very much!!!

jameshayes · 22-08-2012 9:11am

i'd always pick ryanair over aer lingus,

you know what you are getting with ryanair, a glorified dublin bus to your destination. With aerlingus you have to put up with their cranky staff who may on a whim decide to go on strike.

Ryanair has more chance of getting you there & home on time too.

Eponymous · 22-08-2012 9:13am

My rule of thumb when comparing Ryanair and Aer Lingus is to add in the cost of a 20kg suitcase and priority boarding per person, or in AL's scenario it's the 20kg case and prebooked seats.

I do this because obviously when travelling with a child you want to be sat together.

It means that you take the price displayed before you proceed to book, ie the price with taxes, but not the extras then add €70 per person on Ryanair and €50 on Aer Lingus.

Obviously, if you're not going for long enough to warrant a larger suitcase per person or just don't need the larger allowance, you can shave a few quid off the Ryanair additions.

If the prices you've got at the moment are about the same, it'll probably be a little cheaper to fly Aer Lingus.

jacko1 · 22-08-2012 9:18am

not only should you book aer lingus but if you are bringing a bag then pay the €25 extra for the flexi ticket - it includes a bag but also seat selection which means you can get row 1 or one of the emergency rows which is well worth it for a 4 hr flight to Lanzarote

newbie2 · 22-08-2012 9:25am

jacko1 wrote: »

not only should you book aer lingus but if you are bringing a bag then pay the €25 extra for the flexi ticket - it includes a bag but also seat selection which means you can get row 1 or one of the emergency rows which is well worth it for a 4 hr flight to Lanzarote

Cant get emergency rows with a child I don't think.

@ OP, I'd pick Aer Lingus for a flight to Lanzarote - I flew Ryanair a couple of years ago with a child and every time she dropped a toy I couldn't bend down to pick it up because of lack of room from the seat in front.

I don't know if it's true or what, but I felt that the Aer Lingus seats were slighty further apart - maybe that's just me.

Ryanair is fine for a short hop to London or something - but not a four hour trip to Lanzarote. IMO

bewhiched · 22-08-2012 12:04pm

Guys thanks very much

AngryLips · 22-08-2012 12:11pm

Aer Lingus all the way. It's the stress-free option.

Cienciano · 22-08-2012 12:23pm

Bag size/weight flexibility depends on the individual staff at the the gate.
From my experience the only advantage aer lingus was getting a seat number. Now that costs money they're both the same.

coylemj · 22-08-2012 2:29pm

Cienciano wrote: »

Bag size/weight flexibility depends on the individual staff at the the gate.
From my experience the only advantage aer lingus was getting a seat number. Now that costs money they're both the same.

For the outbound flight you can do an online check-in with Aer Lingus starting 30 hours before the flight and select your seat(s) for no charge.

Unlike Ryanair, Aer Lingus allows you to elect to print your boarding pass from one of the green kiosks in the airport or if you're dropping in a bag you can do the bag drop and collect the boarding card from an agent at a check-in desk.

yenom · 22-08-2012 3:54pm

Aer Lingus, Ryanair are too stressful, feckers once woke me up on a flight to ask for a €1 for the fella next to me.

TheBody · 22-08-2012 3:59pm

Aer Lingus gets my vote op.

Outkast_IRE · 22-08-2012 4:00pm

Aer lingus

bigar · 22-08-2012 10:48pm

Every Aer Lingus flight I took in the last few years had delays. The Ryanair ones I took always arrive on time or even early. For me Ryanair all the way if the price is the same.

keithclancy · 24-08-2012 9:19am

4 Hour flight, Aer Lingus.

bridestream · 24-08-2012 9:32am

Watch out for Aer Lingus new carry on baggage rules now in force.

The bag size gizzmo at the boarding gate measures if your cabin bag is within 55x40x24 cm. No change here.

The new 'laptop' carry on size bag must not be greater than 33x25x20.
Will they have a second gizzmo to check the carry on size bag?

mrsbouquet · 24-08-2012 8:04pm

Definitely Aer Lingus all the time.

naughtysmurf · 24-08-2012 8:23pm

I don't think there is a huge difference between them anymore, there was little between them pricewise this summer for us, chose AL because flight times were better plus the extra 5kg baggage allowance per person, other than that??
Never had any hassles with either to be fair

bewhiched · 25-08-2012 3:45pm

Guys think I will fly aer Lingus as the flight is going out earlier than Ryanair 3hrs before Ryanair thanks a million your great

woodchuck · 25-08-2012 4:04pm

bewhiched wrote: »

Guys think I will fly aer Lingus as the flight is going out earlier than Ryanair 3hrs before Ryanair thanks a million your great

I agree that Aer Lingus is the way to go! I usually go Ryanair purely because they tend to be cheaper, but if the prices are the same... I'd definitely choose Aer Lingus! You just get treated that little bit more like a human being instead of cattle :P

bewhiched · 25-08-2012 4:11pm

Yes now I've to fly with Ryanair to eninhoven in sept so have to get a bag that fits there bloody hand luggage requirements Jesus!! The thoughts of getting one that's perfect measurements!! Thanks again

Strumms · 26-08-2012 11:15pm

I dont mind Ryanair for a short hop to the UK at the right price but thats about it, and even at that...

Last month I was flying to Stansted for work , as AL dont fly there I have not much choice who I fly with but I was at the gate in the Q, departure was due in 5 minutes, no aircraft on stand , no passanger announcements. About 8 Ryanair staff huddled around the gate yacking away, all of a suden they break into life and start flogging their wares to the assembled passangers, tube tickets, calanders whatever... I politely suggested to the guy he might be better off putting his energy into making an announcment and advisng what was happening, he told me he did but that I had been too busy listening to my MP3 playing which the headphones of were clipped to my shirt, only for the entire Q to rear up on him and tell him that was BS to the extent that an Airport Cop wandered over to see what was happening. Earlier in the year I flew AL to Nice and Ryanair back due to economic reasons more crap with them there too but it was a good comparisson to see the levals of service.

I will admit Ryanair are generally better than AL in terms of on time departures, although last time into Edinburgh we were 30 minutes late and they still played that on time jingle to many boos from the passangers. Too many horror stories, I'll take Aerlingus any time over Ryanair, a bit more expensive, maybe even a slight delay but at least they treat you like a human being.

dohouch · 27-08-2012 7:01am

I don't think any airlines cover themselves in glory when it comes to keeping passenger up to date on matters surrounding delays.

Also once again some new Aer Lingus strikes, pensions related, on the way.

cabincrewifly · 29-08-2012 4:55pm

AER LINGUS =comfterble, reclining, assigned seating. Free airport check in, and self service check in. Better value for luggage. Not as strict on hand luggage as Ryanair. Better crew, not trying to sell you things the whole time. Service with a smile.

Gael23 · 30-08-2012 2:29pm

If there wasnt a big difference in price it would be Aer Lingus for me. Like most things, you pay for what you get and I wouldn't mind paying a small bit more to be looked after well.
Lanzarote is lovely by the way, been there a few times.

jsd1004 · 30-08-2012 2:39pm

ryanf1 wrote: »

If there wasnt a big difference in price it would be Aer Lingus for me. Like most things, you pay for what you get and I wouldn't mind paying a small bit more to be looked after well.
Lanzarote is lovely by the way, been there a few times.

I fly a lot and been extremely unlucky with AL. Last 2 flights were delayed. One for 4 hours in Gatwick. Never get delayed on Ryanair.

bridestream · 11-09-2012 7:28am

Has anybody noticed anything different with the new AL cabin bag rules.

Am using them on 17th Sept to AGP.

I have the exact size bag for the cabin but my laptop shoulder bag will be a couple of cm's bigger than that published!

Procrastastudy · 11-09-2012 7:41am

cabincrewifly wrote: »

AER LINGUS =comfterble, reclining, assigned seating. Free airport check in, and self service check in. Better value for luggage. Not as strict on hand luggage as Ryanair. Better crew, not trying to sell you things the whole time. Service with a smile.

Reclining seats is the one reason I always fly with Ryan air. There is little enough leg room as it is without someone putting the seat back on you.

jester77 · 11-09-2012 7:57am

For a short flight that is only 4 hours I would go with Ryanair. They will get you there and back on time with no fuss (once you follow their rules), unlike Aer Lingus where you might be left at the mercy of their various unions and have a much higher chance of being delayed.

syklops · 11-09-2012 8:16am

I have to smile at all the people saying Aer Lingus is more stress free. The last 2 times I flew with them, The flight was delayed for 4 hours because of the snow(yet somehow the Ryanair flight went off on time), and the other time Aer Lingus went on strike which meant I had to extend my trip by 2 days and ended up flying Ryanair home. My boss loved me for that one. When I fly Ryanair I can have a stress free holiday knowing I will get home with them, not worrying whether Aer Lingus will be choosing to fly that day or not.

naughtysmurf · 11-09-2012 8:28am

syklops wrote: »

When I fly Ryanair I can have a stress free holiday knowing I will get home with them, not worrying whether Aer Lingus will be choosing to fly that day or not.

Not always true, if Ryan Air have to cancel a flight, you will be put on the next available flight that has seats available & that may not necessarily be later that day or the next, they will tell you 'that's what travel insurance is for'

Having said that, I've no issue flying with them and imo do seem more focused on getting away on time than AL

Procrastastudy · 11-09-2012 8:30am

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Not always true, if Ryan Air have to cancel a flight, you will be put on the next available flight that has seats available & that may not necessarily be later that day or the next, they will tell you 'that's what travel insurance is for'

Having said that, I've no issue flying with them and imo do seem more focused on getting away on time than AL

All airlines do this - the only other option would be knock on delays. No airline removes passengers from a flight so that people who were on a canceled flight may board.

syklops · 11-09-2012 8:33am

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Not always true, if Ryan Air have to cancel a flight, you will be put on the next available flight that has seats available & that may not necessarily be later that day or the next, they will tell you 'that's what travel insurance is for'

Compared to Aerlingus who do what when they cancel a flight?

Incidentally, how often do Ryanair cancel flights? Very rarely. I fly with Ryanair 12-15 times a year, have done for the past 7-8 years and I have never had a flight cancelled on me, so I am not on my holiday or trip thinking it might happen.

bamboozle · 11-09-2012 8:34am

Aer Lingus every time.

last time i flew ryanair i swore never again, the queue in the departure lounge was like the queue to get in the door of the arnotts winter sales, everyone eyeballing each other to make sure no-one was skipping the queue, plus you had ryanair staff eyeing up everyones carryon to make sure if could fit into the correct dimensions. the we were left waiting 30 minutes in a stairwell in dublin airport before we were allowed walk over to the airplane. A horrible stressful way to begin a holiday.

Aer Lingus is just much more relaxed, your seat is assigned so no rush to queue up and race onto the plane, you're flying from T2 also which is a nicer terminal, the flight is much more relaxing as you dont have non-stop sales pitches over the microphone to buy scratch cards etc...plus lots more leg space.

Debs_Mann · 11-09-2012 8:36am

Aer Lingus, by far and away, i have had more rough landings when flying with Ryanair, that i always feel safer flying aer lingus

naughtysmurf · 11-09-2012 8:52am

syklops wrote: »

Compared to Aerlingus who do what when they cancel a flight?

Incidentally, how often do Ryanair cancel flights? Very rarely. I fly with Ryanair 12-15 times a year, have done for the past 7-8 years and I have never had a flight cancelled on me, so I am not on my holiday or trip thinking it might happen.

No issue but you said "knowing I will get home with them" I interpreted that as always on time, which isn't the case. All airlines will have to cancel flights from time to time for all kinds of reasons, it's just part & parcel of flying

There are posts on here where people have given there view on Ryan Air's performance after a delay or cancellation and they are not pretty but I think they are reasonably decent enough as an airline

If you were flying SNN to Malaga return in the height of the summer and for some reason your return leg was cancelled, you may be waiting a while for a flight home as they only fly two days a week and those planes are pretty full during the summer months... no different to many other airlines and yes it's rare enough also like most other airlines

seven_eleven · 11-09-2012 10:07am

Aer Lingus all the way. You are treated nicely, get nicer service and seats, and its no hassle/rush while everyone tries to force their way onto a fluorescent yellow plastic seat aircraft.

The only down side to aer lingus is the fact that they could go on strike. But really, its not somethign that has ever worried me. You can usually tell if they are or not depending on how long before you book your flights.

Procrastastudy · 11-09-2012 10:15am

seven_eleven wrote: »

Aer Lingus all the way. You are treated nicely, get nicer service and seats, and its no hassle/rush while everyone tries to force their way onto a fluorescent yellow plastic seat aircraft.

The only down side to aer lingus is the fact that they could go on strike. But really, its not somethign that has ever worried me. You can usually tell if they are or not depending on how long before you book your flights.

Honestly I'm not trying to sell Ryan air here - I'm quite willing to admit where the prices are lower I'll go for Aer Lingus. The seats on Ryanair for me are a big plus - the big minus is its like flying in a massive moving advert for rubbish they try and sell.

I do have one question though - What is the big attraction of service on Aer Lingus? To me the only advantage is a bit of peace and quiet (Easily obtained with a good set of headphones). Have I been missing out on something from one of the Trolley Grannies? (Not that Ryan air staff are anymore attractive ladettes don't really do it for me.)

Solair · 11-09-2012 10:19am

I'd definitely opt for Aer Lingus over Ryanair where possible.

These days with all the queuing and security, flying's already annoying enough without adding even more queuing and stress!

Aer Lingus generally seem to just provide a nicer product.

Unless Ryanair's WAY cheaper or the only option, I would definitely go with Aer Lingus.

AngryLips · 11-09-2012 11:37am

syklops wrote: »

I have to smile at all the people saying Aer Lingus is more stress free. The last 2 times I flew with them, The flight was delayed for 4 hours because of the snow(yet somehow the Ryanair flight went off on time)

Of course, this is also the same airline that you're more likely to experience an emergency landing on than with Aer Lingus http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0816/ryanair-spain.html

Procrastastudy · 11-09-2012 12:04pm

AngryLips wrote: »

Of course, this is also the same airline that you're more likely to experience an emergency landing on than with Aer Lingus http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0816/ryanair-spain.html

People forget that Ryanair (per number of flights e.g. lots of take off and landings where the likelihood of an accident is greatest) is a massive airline with an incredibly good safety record. IIRC one of the best in the world.

seven_eleven · 11-09-2012 12:40pm

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Honestly I'm not trying to sell Ryan air here - I'm quite willing to admit where the prices are lower I'll go for Aer Lingus. The seats on Ryanair for me are a big plus - the big minus is its like flying in a massive moving advert for rubbish they try and sell.

I do have one question though - What is the big attraction of service on Aer Lingus? To me the only advantage is a bit of peace and quiet (Easily obtained with a good set of headphones). Have I been missing out on something from one of the Trolley Grannies? (Not that Ryan air staff are anymore attractive ladettes don't really do it for me.)

I think its more that Aer Lingus are our classic national airline. I feel like Im treated with just that tad bit more respect and dignity than Ryanair. I always found the staff extremely helpfull from the Check-in agent to the Flight attendant, who both always try their hardest for me and provide a service with a smile.

Aside from that they dont offer all that much more in the way of service compared to Ryanair.
I agree with your above statement about the ryanair advertisements etc. They just feel really tacky and cheap. I dont like that. and I personally dont care about how the F/A's look as long as they provide a good service.

finally, its the advantage of flying into closer airports such as Heathrow, CDG, and Shcipol that makes me chose aer lingus. I often use them for connecting flights onwards where flying to Luton etc isnt an option. I will admit though, I probably wont chose Aer Lingus if they are more than €20 or so more expensive than Ryanair. I have flown with both airlines quite a bit.

AngryLips · 11-09-2012 7:47pm

Procrastastudy wrote: »

People forget that Ryanair (per number of flights e.g. lots of take off and landings where the likelihood of an accident is greatest) is a massive airline with an incredibly good safety record. IIRC one of the best in the world.

I don't see Lufthansa group experiencing these kind of emergency landings, and they're the same size as Ryanair or bigger.

jester77 · 11-09-2012 8:28pm

AngryLips wrote: »

I don't see Lufthansa group experiencing these kind of emergency landings, and they're the same size as Ryanair or bigger.

Lufthansa do have emergency landings, here is one from last month

Plus Lufthansa have been striking the last few weeks, and i see that Aer Lingus could be hit with strikes in the not too distant future. Less chance of that nonsense happening with Ryanair.

celtictigermrk2 · 11-09-2012 9:38pm

AngryLips wrote: »

Aer Lingus all the way. It's the stress-free option.

Couldn't agree any more with this. So much more relaxed with Aer Lingus... and you're not penned into your seats with the "seatbelt on" sign permanently lit so that Ryanair can flog you all manner of goods like sheep in a pen:D

Raladic · 12-09-2012 8:21pm

Aer lingus, they are generally nice and won't charge you a fortune if your bag is 1cm bigger than the line.

furmi · 12-09-2012 8:58pm

I normally go with Ryanair as they are normally cheaper but last month I flew Aer Lingus. It was only to Uk.

six of one, half dozen of another. Both the same IMO

12-09-2012 9:32pm

Ryanair -

-Queue is bedlam cattle in the slaughterhouse situation
-Seats with less room for feet, don't recline, nowhere to put your stuff
-Cabin temperature can vary to too hot to too cold
-Rough landings
-strict on bags
-annoying booking process
-on-board selling hassle & bugle horns
-annoying website booking process

Aer Lingus

-better seats, better room, pick your seat free, better cabin and checked-in policies,less hassle in queues, better service

unless there is 50 euro or more difference in flight cost or times I go Aer Lingus. For a 4 hour flight I would deifinitely go Aer Lingus

pconn062 · 13-09-2012 10:43am

If I had to fly anywhere that took more than 1 hour I would always try with to fly with Aer Lingus. I have no problem with Ryanair's bag or booking card policies, my opinion is if you are going to fly with them and you don't follow their rules it's your own fault if you get stung. My biggest problem with them is the constant badgering from the cabin staff on the plane, constantly trying to flog an endless flow of rubbish. I know the staff are just doing their jobs but it does my head in and I can't imagine dealing with it for any longer than an hour. For me, flying is meant to be enjoyable and having to constantly listen to a constant barrage of sales pitches, gets very tiresome very quickly.

ixoy · 13-09-2012 3:51pm

Aer Lingus is more comfortable but there's one very good reason I've tried to avoid them when there isn't a big price difference:

SIPTU Serve Strike Notice on Aer Lingus

Every year this happens. I wouldn't have booked them except they were, on a search, the only ones going to Toulouse that weren't looking for insane prices.

bridestream · 13-09-2012 4:04pm

The strike notice referred to was also served on the DAA.
If the DAA goes out on strike Ryanair will NOT be flying in/out of Dublin either!!

Yamanoto · 13-09-2012 6:33pm

pconn062 wrote: »

My biggest problem with them is the constant badgering from the cabin staff on the plane, constantly trying to flog an endless flow of rubbish. I know the staff are just doing their jobs but it does my head in and I can't imagine dealing with it for any longer than an hour. For me, flying is meant to be enjoyable and having to constantly listen to a constant barrage of sales pitches, gets very tiresome very quickly.

They're on commission - that's why the tat is given such a hard sell. Ryanair cabin crews are typically on lowly wages and look to bump their take-home by whatever means necessary - including making passengers trips akin to a time-share sales pitch on the Costa del Sol.

Aer Lingus 'Sky Shopping' is the same story, if a lot less incessant.

Ryanair or aer Lingus!!

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