Aer Lingus Dublin-Manchester Economy

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  • PatJordan
    Participant

    DUB-MAN
    I used the Aer Lingus app on my smartphone to make the booking, and found it a simpler process that using my trusty laptop. I was very pleased at the ease of using the boarding passes generated by the app.
    There are three fare types are now named Saver, Plus & Advantage with each earning a different amount of tier credits. When selecting the Plus fare, all seats are now included as complimentary: heretofore the front rows had to be paid for. As I was travelling within the 30 day window, I was able to check in immediately and print my boarding passes (as a back up to those generated on my smartphone).
    I arrived at Dublin Airport at 07.45am for my 9.50am flight.
    My current Aer Club tier is Platinum which includes fast track security. The main security waiting time was displayed as being 15 minutes. Only a couple of passengers were in front of me in Fast Track and I was airside within a couple of minutes. I have always found the security staff in Dublin Airport to be both thorough and friendly, as they were on this occasion.
    As with many airports, the path from security to the departures area meanders through the duty free shopping area, which has recently been refurbished. I wanted to buy fragrance for Mrs J, and as well as a very keen price I took advantage of the “shop and collect” service. My purchase was wrapped and tagged, my mobile number taken, and would be ready for collection on my return later that evening.

    Lounge (Dublin)
    On entering the Aer Club Lounge I was warmly greeted.
    There is a water feature which extends over two floors, and is impressive. Upstairs is a quiet area, where shower suites are located.
    There are numerous power points for charging mobile devices, and a couple of computers with printing facilities for those wishing to work.
    There is a reasonably good range of food on offer to make a decent continental breakfast. A new development since my last visit is the addition of a manned Barista station between 4.15 am and 7.00am. Sadly I was too late to sample this, but the existing coffee machine makes a good espresso, so I was able to have a caffeine hit! No doubt a freshly prepared barista coffee would be very welcome before an early morning flight.
    Short Haul flights are not called from the lounge, but there are several flight information screens. However it is worth noting that the information displayed is not always correct. On the Aer Lingus app, my flight was showing as being delayed, whereas the information screen advised “go to gate”. After some time had passed, I asked the Lounge staff if they could let me know the correct position. In transpired that the incoming flight had been delayed thereby causing a consequential delay to the outbound one. The delay was about 25 minutes and of little trouble, but that the screens were displaying clearly inaccurate information is a cause for concern.

    I read for a while before making the very short walk to gate 333, where boarding was underway. This flight was operated by Stobart Air, and passengers are bussed to the aircraft which was parked on a remote stand.
    I was seated in 1A, and given a short briefing on how to remove the emergency exit door should it be required.
    After a safety briefing and flight information from the Captain, we were underway quickly.
    There is a very short menu on this flight, and I had a packet of pringles with a small bottle of Cava.
    We arrived at Manchester a little behind schedule, and once we reached our stand a bus was waiting to take us to the arrivals hall.

    Return Manchester- Dublin
    I arrives at Terminal 1 at 2.30pm for my 4.25pm flight. I wasn’t sure if my Aer Club Platinum card or Priority Boarding would be accepted for Fast Track security, but the self-scan machine allowed me access. There was a small number of passengers ahead of me, and I was airside within a few minutes

    Aspire Lounge Manchester
    Aer Lingus currently use the Aspire lounge, and it is very spacious, with a good selection of seat types and great views of the apron. The staff are welcoming but sadly on this occasion the range of newspapers and magazines was nothing short of deplorable: a large number of one individual magazine (promoting Manchester Business) and FOUR copies of worse for wear newspapers.
    Worse was the sight of an individual sitting with his stockinged feet on a table (from which other guests would eat and drink later) in full view of staff….
    I spoke to a supervisor about these two issues. I was told that newspapers “grew legs” as the day progressed. I asked about staggered delivery times, but was told that newspapers were delivered in the morning only. Surely, staggering the placing of papers would ensure that some were available for lounge guests during the latter parts of the day, but this was obviously not considered. Regarding the feet on table matter, it was only after some further conversation that this person was spoken to and he then removed his feet from the table. Shortly after this exchange a staff member (under the watchful eye of the supervisor) visited tables in my vicinity and wiped each of them, asking me to move my drink and plate of food whilst meticulously cleaning my table. If this was to make a point, I fail to see the relevance.
    The food on offer was:
    • Soup (Highland Vegetable)
    • Bread Rolls
    • Crackers
    • Scones (with clotted cream & jam)
    • Victoria Sponge
    • Cold meat & Salads
    • Pasta (tomato and chicken)
    • Mexican chilli and rice.
    I sampled the Ham & salad followed by Chilli & Rice. The Chilli was particularly nice and spicy and hit the spot nicely.
    Over many visits to the Aspire Lounge in Manchester, I have found it to be hit and miss. Sometimes, there is an abundance of magazines and newspapers to read, sometimes (as with this visit) there is little to read.
    In general the food is quite good, and the lounge itself is very pleasant indeed.
    I was less than impressed with the response of the lounge supervisor to the issues I raised. That the staff seemed to ignore the feet on table incident was, I felt below the standards to be expected in any public area.

    Boarding

    The priority boarding lane clearly marked, and the boarding process was completed quickly with both front and rear doors being used.

    Cabin crew greeted passengers very warmly, and being seated in 1A was pleased to note that the overhead bins marked “row 1 baggage only” were kept free for those of us sitting in Row 1.

    Shortly after boarding was complete, the Captain informed us that a small technical issue needed to be addressed before departure. This took about half an hour, and we were fully informed at all times.

    We landed in Dublin ahead of schedule, and our parking stand was close to the terminal building, thus it was a short walk to passport control. The newly installed self service machines make the process more efficient, and I was processed within a few minutes.
    All that remained was to drop into the Airport Shop and Collect and pick up my package.

    Conclusions
    My experiences at Dublin Airport both departing and arriving were very good indeed, particularly the passport control which in the past was a cause for concern. I also found the Shop and Collect service both excellent value and very convenient.
    The Aer Club lounge in Dublin is always a pleasant place to relax and wait for a flight. The new Barista service is an example of the airline’s consistent service enhancement. Hopefully this service will extend beyond 7am in the future!
    The Aspire Lounge in Manchester needs to achieve consistency in its service delivery: surely a choice of newspapers to read is not too much to ask from a lounge provider which markets itself as a premium product.
    Aer Lingus offer an excellent service on the Dublin Manchester route, and are constantly refining and improving their service delivery, thus making the flight experience very enjoyable indeed. Judging by the high loads on both flights, the travelling public think so too.


    Swissdiver
    Participant

    Thanks, Pat.

    The flight is operated by an ATR I think. Are the first rows seats wider as it is the case on the Stobart’s Embraers?


    travelworld2
    Participant

    I must confess my experience at the Aspire lounge at Manchester has not been good, mainly owing to the very large number of people who use it, preferring to pay the entry fee to get unlimited drink than use an airside bar. I can see why Manchester is building an ultra high cost lounge to give a genuinely premium experience.


    PatJordan
    Participant

    Hi Swissdiver,

    The flight was indeed operated by an ATR. The front seats are no bigger than the other rows but the bulkhead is a good distance away, thus giving more space.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    iflypremium
    Participant

    As per the following review,it isn’t the Aer Lingus shorthaul product that is under scrutiny.

    Really a poor experience this flyer had. And that too on the newly painted A330.

    Hair Lingus.. read review to see what I mean !

    https://flight-report.com/en/report/37548/aer-lingus-ei105-dublin-dub-new-york-jfk


    PatJordan
    Participant

    Having read this very detailed review, I noticed the very many times the reviewer praised the cabin crew. He was particularly pleased with the memorabilia he was given.

    Overall, I wouldn’t imagine that this could be deemed to be”really a poor experience”.

    Pat

    1 user thanked author for this post.
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