[PatJordan]

Due to Covid restrictions and family issues, I hadn’t set foot on Aer Lingus metal since early 2020, and was looking forward to my trip to London.

I chose EI 154 as this particular flight uses an Airbus 321 Neo, and having selected the Aerspace fare meant that I would be in for front of the cabin, in a business class seat. Pure indulgence, but after a long absence I decided to enjoy the occasion.

I booked the flight on the Aer Lingus website (using my laptop). Aerspace in the Aer Lingus premium product, and guarantees that the middle seat in each row is empty, thus giving plenty of personal space. That is on a standard A320. However, the A321 Neo is used for TATL flights where Business Class is offered.

This alone makes Aerspace a worthwhile option on the A321 Neo. Advance Seat selection is another Feature of AerSpace. A small number of Business Class seats are single seats with huge space on both sides, and are colloquially known as “thrones” On seeing 5K (a “throne”) being available, I chose this.

Being a tad old fashioned, I prefer to print a boarding pass, just in case there is an issue with wifi, or if my battery expires. Online check-in is available 15 days before travel, so I checked in online and availed of the option to print a paper boarding pass. All that remained was to wait for the morning of travel.

And the morning arrived, I made my way to Dublin Airport, arriving around 5.30am for my 7.30am flight.

Fast track security had me airside within a few minutes, and I made a bee line for the Aer Lingus lounge. A bar code on my boarding pass was sufficient to allow me inside, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the seats had been refurbished since my last visit. As before there is a range of seat types, with a great many charging points.

There is a good range of cereals, bread, crackers, cheese, yogurts, juices, more than adequate for a continental breakfast. A full range of (excellent) coffee is available, and a water dispenser (both still and sparkling) which reduces the plethora of plastic bottles previously used. A very nice touch to reduce needless waste.

The time came to board, and the priority boarding lane was a very nice touch. I was warmly welcomed on board, and took my seat….and what a seat! A fully lie flat business class seat with a vast amount of storage space. If one needed to work, there would be ample space to do so.

The economy seats looked very attractive, and the mood lighting in the ceiling looked good also.

An interesting feature on these business class seats is a shoulder belt (similar to a car safety belt). This is required for take off & landing, and can be detached when cruising. After an announcement from the Captain, there was a safety demonstration, and shortly afterwards we began to taxi. The A321 Neo engines have a very distinctive sound when accelerating for take off, which I wasn’t expecting, and which might be deemed to be a bit of useless information by some!

The very friendly crew began cabin service, and I opted for the full Irish Breakfast which was very tasty indeed. As I was in self indulgent mode, I asked if I could have a glass of prosecco with my breakfast, and this was no problem whatever.

For the remainder of the flight, I adjusted the seat, settled in to read my book, and really enjoyed the short flight.

The A321 Neo is a very comfortable aircraft, and I have no doubt that a long haul flight would be very pleasant indeed.

My short flight to London was very enjoyable indeed. The Aerspace product represents excellent value: my return ticket cost 287Euro.

Despite being classed as an economy ticket, Aerspace on an Airbus A321 Neo is really Business Class in all but name. It is ideal for a business traveller, or for a leisure trip such as mine, when a nice treat is required.

7 users thanked author for this post.

esselle, AndrewinHK, MarkCymru, christ, cwoodward, L I Shigaev, Bullfrog

[MarkCymru]

It’s on Shannon to Heathrow once a day too

2 users thanked author for this post.

pat0406, PatJordan

[Andy McF]

One issue with AerSpace is the fares seem to hike up massively from the start of October – no idea why, but it becomes distinctly less appealing when the ‘Advantage’ fares are often half or less from then onwards, and are pretty much the same features other than on-board food/bev. Wonder why…

Anyway, I agree, it’s an amazing short-haul experience. Flew Dublin to London by chance this way earlier in the year, and really enjoyed it – also had the prosecco!

1 user thanked author for this post.

PatJordan

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