Never Flying Aer Lingus again

[hafez]

Ok, I need a bit of a rant. Was travelling aer lingus on the 4th of Aug to New York and back on the 10th... Never in my time travelling have I met FAs as unfriendly and unhelpful on these flights. An old lady asked for a blanket and pressed the button to call the FA and she came over and said "Don’t press that button unless it is an emergency" and the old lady asked could she have a blanket and the response was "WE DONT HAVE ANY" in a stern voice. Next was the fact that there were no personal screens which I am very used to flying with BA very regularly. The seats were also very uncomfortable and the flight was very bumpy on the 332 EI-EWR. The food was average and when I wouldn't put my shade down they started giving out to me but I stated that being by the window I have the right to control it but I closed it afterwards because I wanted to sleep which was hard without a blanket. There was much more which I cannot think of now but I will never ever fly aer lingus again. It is the same price to fly BA including transfers and all that so it will be BA or virgin in future. :mad:

[Gufo]

flight was very bumpy on the 332 EI-EWR

Only one thing to point out: it's not the airline who is to be addressed for the "bumpiness" ;)

Try relaxing and enjoying the ride. It's a flying machine, after all :ok:

[hafez]

Ok i can understand that but still, a 6 and a half hour flight with all that to cope with is very hard man.

[Omaha]

I wouldn't put my shade down they started giving out to me but I stated that being by the window I have the right to control it
Was this a night flight? Now I like a window seat though not on long flights anymore. I too like to be able to keep the blinds open but usually at night in the interest of ones fellow pax one is asked to close the blinds by the crew to simulate a nighttime & therefore sleeping environment. If for some reason during a day flight I'm asked to close the blinds by a fellow pax I feel it is better to consult that pax before reopening them, even partially, should say we be flying over a mountain range & I want to take in the view.

In this day of staff being asked to keep an eye out for troublesome pax & zero tolerance on airrage I believe its best to comply unquestioningly to reasonable orders the crew give in the interest of your fellow pax & crew. I believe it's best to bite your tongue, even if they don't suit yourself, otherwise you could single yourself out as a troublemaker.

[Fernando_Covas]

And because of that you are not going to fly with Aer Lingus ever again.......? I can think of worse airlines. :rolleyes:

[Toulouse]

Sorry about your bad experience.

Personnally, I fly EI frequently and I find their staff to be extreleky friendly, courteous and professional (that said, I only fly on continental European flights).

[MerchantVenturer]

I have a relative who is a very nervous flyer and a touch claustrophobic.

She doesn't fly much but occasionally has to undertake transatlantic flights. She has a doctor's letter concerning the claustrophobia and thus far this has enabled her to be allocated a window seat thanks to the good offices of the airlines involved.

She finds being able to look out of the window, even at night when it is dark, eases her fears somewhat. AFAIK she has never been asked to close the blinds on a night transatlantic flight but I wonder what would be the cabin crew's reaction bearing in mind her condition.

I have asked this question before on PPRuNe but never got an answer.

Would the crew still be likely to consider the needs of the other pax to sleep a reason to override one pax's phobia? In fact when it is dark outside I can't see closing the blinds makes much difference to people's ability to sleep anyway.

[BRUpax]

Closing the blinds is considered a courtesy for those around you who may want to rest or sleep, but also to better see the IFE screen. However, there is no law stating that you must lower it and cabin crew cannot force you to do so. Personally, I don't want to be in the dark when I'm on a daytime westbound flight of some 7 - 9 hours. Nevertheless (in business class) I'll close two blinds and leave a third one (nearest me) a third open. That's my compromise.

[hafez]

On the flight over it was at 14:30-ish I think and it was while I was reading a magazine that I was forced to close the blind so I turned on my light but I was not happy about that. On the way back it was a night flight so I didn’t mind as much but it was dark outside so did it really make a difference! I agree with MerchantVenturer as it’s the same level of light whether the blind is open or closed at night you see. Honestly though I would not recommend aer lingus for Trans-Atlantic, there are much better out there but I have to say they operate a good European service.

Now saying all that I have flown Egypt Air before and that was a far worse experience yet they had personal screens which made the journey allot shorter.

[MarkD]

MV

I imagine bringing a doctor's letter and giving it to the cabin crew member in her section would be of assistance, especially early in the flight before it becomes an issue. Proactive notification of neighbours too, obviously!

Also, when going YYZ-LHR BA 744 I often head to the back of the aircraft behind the bulkheads where the toilets are as the emergency doors there have no windows and I can look out without disturbing anyone unless the seatbelt sign comes on and it's necessary to return to seat.

[apaddyinuk]

Hafez,
Just for the record, some EI a330's do have personal IFE. And as for the crew being good on continental flights and bad on transatlantic flights, pish posh, the crew are generally pooled to operate both so I suggest you put it down to a bad experience. Also, was your flight operated by Dublin or Shannon crew? They are a law unto themselves in Shannon.
But I must admit, as a former EI employee, the airline itself has really lost its magic and gone down the ryanair way!

[MarkD]

I believe it is 332 EI-LAX with IFE.

[apaddyinuk]

Hey MarkD,
Actually if memory serves me correct it was EI-DAA as it was the last one to arrive! lol!!!

[MarkD]

whoops - quite right paddy.

[hafez]

Paddy,
On the way to NY it was a Shannon crew and returning I am sure it was mixed but on the way back it was a little more "civilised". I am very used to IFE you see travelling to Egypt very often with BA. What I found strange was it costs the same price for a lower quality as I said before. I just can't understand that. Aer Lingus really need to cop themselves on with transatlantic flights though.

[apaddyinuk]

Hafez,
I hate to say it but when you fly Aer Lingus to the states, your not paying for a top notch service, if you have lived in Ireland for any length of time you should know that Aer Lingus are a LOW COST airline and I find it hard to believe that people still expect the sun moon and stars from them. When you pay a high price with Aer Lingus you are paying for the convenience of flying Ireland DIRECT to the states and this as traditionally always cost more. However, Aer Lingus fares to the US have dropped dramatically in recent years and if you did pay a high fare I suggest you shop around next time.
As for BA, I happen to work for BA as crew on longhaul and I indeed know the difference in service between the two airlines however, as stated above, you need to remember that the two companies have a different product, its like trying to compare a Skoda to a BMW. You need to start thinking of Aer Lingus as a Ryanair style of airline now, even on longhaul. Just be greatful you were not on the Orlando route where you have to pay for snacks onboard!