Aer Lingus experiences?

[mgsquared]

Hi everyone!
Hubby and I just booked Aer Lingus for our upcoming trip from Vienna to New York and back with a stopover in Dublin. We plan to spend some time in NYC before and after Orlando. It was such a great price!

I recently found out Aer Lingus is owned by Ryanair and am now quite nervous as I hate Ryanair and have vowed to never fly them again

We have a 2hr and 15 minute layover in Dublin. Will this be enough with immigration? Or are we being set up to miss our flight only to then be charged 200 pounds to get on another one?
We have been seriously scammed by Ryanair. I should have taken legal action and to this day regret not doing it.

Please tell me Aer Lingus is not like this!

Thanks!

Mariana

 

[wayneg]

I flew twice with them last year with no problems at all.

I had no idea about Ryanair so just Googled, looks like they are only a 28.9% shareholder and might have to sell their stake, not sure without reading more.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

Do not panic, Ryanair own shares in Aer Lingus & have been desperate to buy the company for years but they do not own them.

Provided your inbound flight to Dublin is on time, 2 hours 15 minutes is plenty of time to make the connection.
Depending on the time that you leave Dublin for New York, you should clear US customs & immigration in Ireland which makes your arrival into the States nice & easy.
I assume that you are flying into Dublin on Aer Lingus? If so, it’s up to them to get you onto your final destination if you miss your connection.
If on the other hand you are flying with another carrier on a completely separate ticket then you might have problems if your inbound to Dublin is late

 

[mgsquared]

Oh thank you! Such a relief to hear. I would appreciate any other Aer Lingus experiences anyone has and any tips. Is 2hrs in Dublin enough? I have a visa for America as I am not an EU citizen.

 

[mgsquared]

Sorry. Posted before seeing the second reply. The whole flight is with Aer Lingus so I guess it will be fine. I am not an EU citizen and have a visa for the States so immigration can sometimes take long for me (My passport is handwritten- doesn't help!). It isn't so bad when I travel with my husband though.

I just want to be prepared. With Ryanair you have to know exactly where to be when, bring your own food, etc.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

Sorry. Posted before seeing the second reply. The whole flight is with Aer Lingus so I guess it will be fine. I am not an EU citizen and have a visa for the States so immigration can sometimes take long for me (My passport is handwritten- doesn't help!). It isn't so bad when I travel with my husband though.

I just want to be prepared. With Ryanair you have to know exactly where to be when, bring your own food, etc.

Whether you have a visa or not, you'll still have to clear US customs & immigration in Dublin if you are on the morning JFK flight.

 

[Woodview]

DO NOT PANIC.


Aer Lingus is Not part of Ryanair ( as pointed out Ryanair do own 28per cent of it , but so do The Irish Government & Staff )

Your flight is Aer Lingus .... all the way. So you WILL be looked after.

Your Luggage should be checked through to final destination ,

There WILL be a Tag No attached to each case ..And when you go to

Immigration in Dublin . This will be displayed on TV Screen for You to say

" yes that is my case "

You will have a max 10 min walk from arriving from Vienna Flight to the Duty

Free section & then on to Immigration & Boarding Gate.

AT the Immigration Desk Area ... USA & NON EU persons go to some

Desks and All EU persons go to others .

You should have selected & can still do so your Seats ( FREE ) for the

Transatlantic flight .

You can also look up on the Web site What Films are showing on the seat

back TV screens.

SO Relax & enjoy your Flight with Aer Lingus.

 

[Woodview]

Just to point out that we use Aer Lingus nowadays

Cork ....Amsterdam twice this year,

Dublin .... Orlando once & again in September

Dublin .... Toulouse next week.

Cork .... Amsterdam in November.


Transatlantic Flight Food is Free .... & can be good

Soft drinks are Free.

 

[mgsquared]

Thank you SO much Woodview! I am reassured now. And yes, I do realize that. I have to do customs in Dublin. I was pointing out that that part alwazs takes long for me. Anyways. It sounds like the process is simple so I won't worry.

 

[PrincessHi]

Hi there,
I flew Edinburgh > Dublin > New York with them in April and had no problems at all. My changeover was only an hour and although one was quite rushed because the incoming flight was slightly late there was no issues.

I thought the food was good and the staff helpful - in short nothing like my past, also terrible, experiences with Ryanair!

 

[starrysky]

Have flown with aer lingus a number of times and aside from emirates they are my favourite to fly with. Good staff and flights good. Even the food was pretty good and you have the option if you can to pay extra for an upgraded meal.
The pre clearance in Dublin is great and the staff have always been really friendly and chatty. They will call people out of line to the front if they are waiting for people for flights. They pulled lots of people ahead of us last year for the New York and Chicago flights.
2 hours should be plenty of time if your a bit early they even tell you when to come back so you don't have to hang around too long.
We have booked them for our up coming trip going Aberdeen>Dublin>New York and back Orlando>Dublin>Aberdeen.
Overall I would highly recommend them.

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

We too had a great experience with Aer Lingus last year!