[PatJordan]

This morning, hot on the heels of Tom’s update, I received the following email from Aer Club:

Dear Patrick,

We hope you and yours are keeping safe and well. Your continued loyalty and support is really appreciated as we navigate unprecedented challenges during this extraordinary time.

As a thank you from all of us, we’d like to give you 200 bonus Tier Credits.

We know that your opportunity to fly with us may be limited in the coming weeks, so these Tier Credits will help you maintain Platinum status or progress to Concierge this anniversary year. Your bonus Tier Credits will be automatically credited to your account shortly – we’ve got you covered.

If your tier status expired in March and these Tier Credits would have maintained your tier, we will review your account on this basis within the next few days.

A few hours later I received a follow up email:

Dear Patrick,

We’re delighted to tell you that your travel with us means that you’ve retained your Platinum membership. Your new Platinum membership pack is on the way to you. In the meantime, you can avail of your travel benefits by logging into your AerClub profile via the Aer Lingus app when you’re at the airport!

Not only are Aer Lingus to be commended for taking this initiative, but for the speedy manner in which it was implemented.

I, for one am very impressed. Well done Aer Lingus.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Polly

[onajetplane]

Interesting blog on how Aer Lingus are also bringing in emergency supplies from Beijing: https://blog.aerlingus.com/our-critical-supply-operation-between-dublin-and-beijing-is-up-and-running/

1 user thanked author for this post.

Polly

[PatJordan]

Further email received from Aer Lingus today:

Dear Patrick,

As you know we contacted you in April to let you know that we had awarded bonus Tier Credits to your account, now we are delighted to let you know that we have even more good news about your AerClub membership.

As Aer Lingus starts to fly again to some of your favourite destinations, we wanted to make sure that you continue to enjoy the benefits of your Platinum tier. We are extending Platinum memberships that were due to expire between 01 Jul 2020 and 31 Jul 2021 by an additional 12 months.

Your Platinum expiry date is 31 May 2021 and we will be extending this to 31 May 2022. Any unredeemed benefits have also been extended to the new expiry date. Tier Credits will reset to zero on your next anniversary date as per our normal terms and conditions.

You don’t need to do anything. We will send you an updated card over the next few weeks with an extended expiry date of 31 May 2022.

We look forward to welcoming you on board again soon.

A very unexpected and welcome development from Aer Lingus. Well done to all concerned.

Stay safe everyone,

Pat

3 users thanked author for this post.

Polly, SimonS1, Jacob

[SimonS1]

Impressive stuff.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Polly

[PatJordan]

Mrs J and I were booked to fly Aer Lingus to Orlando later this month. As it became apparent that travelling to the USA would not be possible, I telephoned Aer Lingus to discuss the options available.

Given the current uncertainty rescheduling was not really feasible, so I was offered a full refund for both tickets. The very helpful agent set the process in motion without my having to take the time to complete any forms, and assured me that the money would be in my account within 7 to 10 working days.

Within a few minutes I received emails confirming the refund process was in hand.

I had used two complimentary Aer Club upgrade vouchers and sent an email requesting that these be re-instated to my Aer Club account. Barely an hour had passed before I received an email confirming that the upgrades were indeed re-instated.

This level of customer service during a very uncertain time is truly excellent, and is a great credit to Aer Lingus staff that they are so customer focused at such a time.

Hopefully some degree of normality will soon return and we can once again resume our travels. In the meantime stay safe everybody.

7 users thanked author for this post.

Polly, FaroFlyer, AllOverTheGaff, Johnnyg, ASK1945, Jacob, ImissConcorde

[PatJordan]

Less than a week since I was advised that my refund would be paid within “7-10 working days” the money arrived in my bank account in the early hours of this morning.

Well done Aer Lingus, and I look forward to resuming my travels once normality returns.

Stay safe everybody.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Polly

[SimonS1]

Just playing devil’s advocate here, and whilst understanding the crisis, is refunding a customer within a week really that incredible?

We had a dishwasher delivered from John Lewis this week and the side panel was damaged. As it wasn’t visible when under the counter we settled for a partial refund and the money was in our account within 24 hours.

Perhaps it depends on the calibration used, in which case I appreciate airlines are generally underwhelming on the service front.

[PatJordan]

I take your point SimonS1, but in this case, Aer Lingus are dealing with a huge number of cancelled flights, and indeed their website asks passengers to allow several weeks for refunds to be processed.

I was initially surprised when a shorter timeframe for my refund was indicated to me, and when my refund arrived in an even shorter period, I was very pleased.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Polly

[SimonS1]

I understand your point Pat, but again in the interests of balance, Covid has been here for 7 months now, and businesses have had time to adapt.

It maybe as a result of status they have fast tracked your own refund, and thus pleased you personally with the outcome, however if they are still telling non-status customers that it takes several weeks to refund them for a cancelled flight I hardly think that is cause for celebration.

In fact in the CAA’s investigation report it was stated they had told Aer Lingus their refund times needed to be reduced and the airline had agreed to improve use of technology to do this.

Sadly this whole saga has again shown up airlines as being fairly uncooperative with their various tactics for obstructing refunds. If I was told several weeks I would definitely be organising a charge back with my card provider…..

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=1013432]Covid has been here for 7 months now, and businesses have had time to adapt.[/quote]

You would have thought so, but far too many firms are still using Covid 19 as an excuse for poor service. There are still too many firms using the “Due to Covid 19, we are unable” ……

Remember also that despite a firm making a refund, the time is takes for the funds to be credited to an individual’s bank account can vary depending on the technology used.

1 user thanked author for this post.

ImissConcorde

[VectorOne]

I wish that Aer Lingus would treat more of its passengers with the same speed and consideration which Pat’s experience suggests.

My husband and I have been waiting since March for our vouchers – almost 7 months.

And judging from the recent article in “The Irish Times” it seems that we are not alone in our experience.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/personal-finance/aer-lingus-struggles-to-resolve-ticket-refund-fiasco-1.4378564

We are not desperate for the money (thankfully). But it is a bit sickening to hear that Aer Lingus are quite capable of, and perhaps even choose to, refund some passengers significantly quicker than others. Just puts me right off.

3 users thanked author for this post.

Ekond222, Jacob, ASK1945

[SimonS1]

Seems not everyone was as impressed with Aer Lingus service…

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/personal-finance/aer-lingus-fails-to-deliver-service-on-cancelled-flights-1.4443147?mode=amp

[PatJordan]

A further email from Aer Lingus extending my Aer Club Platinum tier for a further year:

Dear Patrick,

As Aer Lingus starts to fly again to some of your favourite destinations, we want to make sure that you continue to enjoy the benefits of your Platinum tier.

We are delighted to let you know that we are extending tier status for another year for memberships due to expire between 01 July 2021 and 30 June 2022.

Your new tier expiry date will be 31/May/2023. Any unredeemed benefits have also been extended to the new expiry date; however no additional benefits will be added. Tier Credits will reset to zero on your next anniversary date as per our normal terms and conditions.

About your Membership card
We also have some more exciting news. Based on your feedback, AerClub is moving to a fully digital membership and will no longer issue plastic cards. The digital card will be just like the plastic version – it will have your name, membership number, tier status and expiry date but there’s no need to physically carry it in your wallet. You can access it when travelling, on your mobile, in the Aer Lingus app, or by logging on at aerlingus.com. This means less plastic and a more seamless travel experience!

You don’t need to do anything; we will be in touch with all the details of how to use your digital membership when we launch it. If travelling in the next few months you can log into your AerClub account as normal to show your tier and extended expiry date.

We look forward to welcoming you on board again soon.

This is a very welcome gesture, and I’d be interested to hear if other airlines are doing likewise?

2 users thanked author for this post.

DerekVH, MartynSinclair

[SimonRowberry]

Hi Pat,

Yes, Finnair are continually extending tier status, six months at a time. Points expiry deadlines are being similarly extended.

Safe travel,

Simon

1 user thanked author for this post.

PatJordan

[Author]

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