Algy
23rd Jan 2002, 14:39
From Edinburgh's Evening News...
Frequent visitor Helen Puttick tries out three different airlines to Ireland
EDINBURGH to Dublin. It is a flight I know well, what with a partner living near the Guinness Brewery and me in the shadow of Calton Hill.
When budget airlines Go and Ryanair announced they were launching a connection between the two cities last autumn, putting an end to the Aer Lingus monopoly, my credit card sighed with relief.
As the low-fare pair cut the price to as little as GBP 5 there was only one question. Should you rush for the cheap seats or do you get what you pay for? The Evening News decided to investigate.
Aer Lingus
My first flight was with Aer Lingus. Its immediate advantage was that I could get the flights on the dates and at the times I wanted. Securing a weekend away with the other two involved protracted phone calls while timetables were checked and negotiations with the office boss and diary. Then on the day I was due to take off I found another good reason to shell out for A L. Had I been on the 11.50am Ryanair service to Dublin that Friday I could have faced a two -month delay.
Ryanair described the incident as a "one off" and hoped enough people would fail to turn up for other flights over the ensuing 48 hours to squeeze on the disappointed 11.50am lot. However, the only guaranteed seats were two months away.
So it was with a sense of superior security that I turned up for my frills-n -all service to find a big queue. When I reached the desk I was told of a 30- minute delay and directed to the business lounge.
On this particular day Gate 1C was cold and full but thanks to my new found business status I boarded quickly and enjoyed a nice bottle of free Chilean wine during my flight.
Baggage reclaim is traditionally the most depressing part of my Aer Lingus arrivals in Dublin. No notice telling me where to go and the screeching of one carousel, but my bag appeared quickly.
On my return journey again there was a delay, this time after boarding because some baggage had gone missing. However, take off and journey were as smooth as a glass of Baileys. Aer Lingus serve a micro muffin on this mid -morning connection. At other times there is no food, except for Premier passengers.
Aer Lingus is currently charging GBP 39 for midweek trips to Dublin and GBP 64 at weekends. This is a considerable reduction following the autumn competition. Tickets used to be closer to the GBP 100 mark.
GO
Go flew me to Dublin on a Thursday at 6.50pm. I whizzed through check-in, but security was slower.
By 7.05pm I was on the plane, delighted with my window seat and timely boarding. It is, however, only in the world of flying where one counts oneself lucky to be on the runway of Edinburgh airport 15 minutes after one should have left the ground.
Even the pilot sounded irritated as he explained turn around had been delayed by Servisair staff who took a long time to produce steps and help him get ready for departure. We landed at 8.10pm after a fine but bumpy flight.
My new belt set off the security alarm as I went to gate C41 for the return journey. The information screens were giving out the wrong information, but you can't have everything. Again, the Go pilot won points for friendliness.
Collecting my luggage from Edinburgh's slick and tranquil baggage reclaim I mused one may as well fly Go to Dublin. It's cheaper and the only thing missing is a free glass of wine.
In fact it is a pity more people haven't Go-ed it to Dublin, because the service is being withdrawn from March.
RYANAIR
Ryanair prides itself on being the quintessential no-frills airline. That it undoubtedly is. In fact, if they took away any more frills, passengers would be sitting on the floor and yelling directions to the pilot.
Considering the cost of your average Ryanair flight to the Emerald Isle is ridiculously cheap, slagging off the seats or cabin crew seems churlish.
But in saying this, the flight from Edinburgh to Dublin, was very pleasant. There was a 40-minute delay, but even a cynic would be hard pushed to blame this on the company. Like its famously hands-on chief Michael O'Leary, Ryanair is no-nonsense; for GBP 10 a flight the company can't afford to dole out nonsense to customers.
But that's no excuse not to offer punters at the back of the plane drinks. The drinks lady was happily pushing her refreshment trolley towards us when suddenly, off came the brake and she began pulling instead of shoving. So there were four rows of disgruntled and thirsty passengers. Anyhow, the punctual pilot managed to make up 20 minutes, and there we were, thirsty, but safely across the Irish Sea.
Ryanair offers five return flights from Edinburgh to Dublin daily. Although my trip cost GBP 9.99 each way, prices can be as low as GBP 5 one-way. But beware, the usual heavy restrictions apply and a quick look at <a href="http://www.ryanair.com" target="_blank">www.ryanair.com</a> should clear everything up.
Frequent visitor Helen Puttick tries out three different airlines to Ireland
EDINBURGH to Dublin. It is a flight I know well, what with a partner living near the Guinness Brewery and me in the shadow of Calton Hill.
When budget airlines Go and Ryanair announced they were launching a connection between the two cities last autumn, putting an end to the Aer Lingus monopoly, my credit card sighed with relief.
As the low-fare pair cut the price to as little as GBP 5 there was only one question. Should you rush for the cheap seats or do you get what you pay for? The Evening News decided to investigate.
Aer Lingus
My first flight was with Aer Lingus. Its immediate advantage was that I could get the flights on the dates and at the times I wanted. Securing a weekend away with the other two involved protracted phone calls while timetables were checked and negotiations with the office boss and diary. Then on the day I was due to take off I found another good reason to shell out for A L. Had I been on the 11.50am Ryanair service to Dublin that Friday I could have faced a two -month delay.
Ryanair described the incident as a "one off" and hoped enough people would fail to turn up for other flights over the ensuing 48 hours to squeeze on the disappointed 11.50am lot. However, the only guaranteed seats were two months away.
So it was with a sense of superior security that I turned up for my frills-n -all service to find a big queue. When I reached the desk I was told of a 30- minute delay and directed to the business lounge.
On this particular day Gate 1C was cold and full but thanks to my new found business status I boarded quickly and enjoyed a nice bottle of free Chilean wine during my flight.
Baggage reclaim is traditionally the most depressing part of my Aer Lingus arrivals in Dublin. No notice telling me where to go and the screeching of one carousel, but my bag appeared quickly.
On my return journey again there was a delay, this time after boarding because some baggage had gone missing. However, take off and journey were as smooth as a glass of Baileys. Aer Lingus serve a micro muffin on this mid -morning connection. At other times there is no food, except for Premier passengers.
Aer Lingus is currently charging GBP 39 for midweek trips to Dublin and GBP 64 at weekends. This is a considerable reduction following the autumn competition. Tickets used to be closer to the GBP 100 mark.
GO
Go flew me to Dublin on a Thursday at 6.50pm. I whizzed through check-in, but security was slower.
By 7.05pm I was on the plane, delighted with my window seat and timely boarding. It is, however, only in the world of flying where one counts oneself lucky to be on the runway of Edinburgh airport 15 minutes after one should have left the ground.
Even the pilot sounded irritated as he explained turn around had been delayed by Servisair staff who took a long time to produce steps and help him get ready for departure. We landed at 8.10pm after a fine but bumpy flight.
My new belt set off the security alarm as I went to gate C41 for the return journey. The information screens were giving out the wrong information, but you can't have everything. Again, the Go pilot won points for friendliness.
Collecting my luggage from Edinburgh's slick and tranquil baggage reclaim I mused one may as well fly Go to Dublin. It's cheaper and the only thing missing is a free glass of wine.
In fact it is a pity more people haven't Go-ed it to Dublin, because the service is being withdrawn from March.
RYANAIR
Ryanair prides itself on being the quintessential no-frills airline. That it undoubtedly is. In fact, if they took away any more frills, passengers would be sitting on the floor and yelling directions to the pilot.
Considering the cost of your average Ryanair flight to the Emerald Isle is ridiculously cheap, slagging off the seats or cabin crew seems churlish.
But in saying this, the flight from Edinburgh to Dublin, was very pleasant. There was a 40-minute delay, but even a cynic would be hard pushed to blame this on the company. Like its famously hands-on chief Michael O'Leary, Ryanair is no-nonsense; for GBP 10 a flight the company can't afford to dole out nonsense to customers.
But that's no excuse not to offer punters at the back of the plane drinks. The drinks lady was happily pushing her refreshment trolley towards us when suddenly, off came the brake and she began pulling instead of shoving. So there were four rows of disgruntled and thirsty passengers. Anyhow, the punctual pilot managed to make up 20 minutes, and there we were, thirsty, but safely across the Irish Sea.
Ryanair offers five return flights from Edinburgh to Dublin daily. Although my trip cost GBP 9.99 each way, prices can be as low as GBP 5 one-way. But beware, the usual heavy restrictions apply and a quick look at <a href="http://www.ryanair.com" target="_blank">www.ryanair.com</a> should clear everything up.