Wines were from Spain, France, and Italy and the the champagne, which I did not try, was from France. Irish tea and coffee (and of course Irish Coffee with Irish Whiskey) is available as well. Ingredients are locally sourced and sustained from the meat and fish to the vegetables and condiments like jam and butter. I chose not to sleep on this flight – I worked instead and watched a movie – but I have no doubt I would have slept on this flight had I tried.Įconomy Class, in case you are interested:Īer Lingus has reimagined its business class menu to give passengers a better taste of Ireland. In-seat power, with USB port, is available: Mood lighting and a reading light are available on the console and the tray table is hidden to the left or right of the seat and must be pulled out and then pivoted over the seat. Some complain the seat, also used by Delta, Austrian, and Brussels Airlines among others, is a bit claustrophobic in the sleep position, but I did not find it that way – not that I find anything all that claustrophobic. The controls are very touchy – easily activated by even a slight brush of the elbow, but just be aware of that – it was not terribly annoying. The seat is comfortable in all positions and Aer Lingus offers a great blanket and pillow. You can see there is ample storage including a pouch for headphones just below the monitor and room on the sides and under the seat for storage of smaller items. Bummer, but it was still a lie-flat seat and let this be a lesson to you – this could have happened months ago: I failed to keep checking on my seat assignment once it was assigned in April. The cabin was booked full so there was way to change back. The agents were apologetic, but unable to explain why the seat had changed. Not only would I lose my throne seat, I’d be immediately adjacent to the galley and not have a window to look out. I was transiting through Dublin and when I checked in and received my boarding pass, I was dismayed to see my seat had been switched to 2G, the worst business class seat on the plane. The layout of the cabin is in a staggered 1-2-1, 1-2-2 configuration and the prime seats are 3K and 5K, which offer ample space on either side of the seat. I booked my flight in April, prior to the British Airways Avios devaluation, for 25,000 points and immediately assigned myself Seat 3K, a “throne” seat. I’ve written about the Aer Lingus business class seat before, but got some first-hand photos on my flight. This felt special, and I consider service Aer Lingus’ best selling point. I’ve flown business class on dozens of carriers and for the most part, particularly when flying with European or North American carriers, business class is not really special, it is just a nicer seat and nicer food. I get the sense that Aer Lingus employees are deeply proud of their airline and love their jobs – this becomes evident in their interaction with each other and with their passengers. Put another way, this is the essence of good service and approached a first class level. But there was something special about the service on this flight, this my first longhaul journey with Aer Lingus (and hopefully my first of many).įrom the purser, to the team working business class, to even the captain, who stopped by to say hello, everyone made me feel welcome not like a casual acquaintance, not like a member of royalty, not like a movie star, but like an old friend, a deeper level of respect and service that seemed wholly void of any pretense. The IFE was decent, but I’ve seen better. The seat was nice, but hardly extraordinary. I start with service, because this is the Aer Lingus distinctive. They smiled, they were detail oriented (properly laying down the table settings or offering the bottle for inspection before pouring wine), and they were beautiful – every last wrinkle of beauty formed through years of hearty laughs. FAs were polite but friendly, polished but not stiff. This is the service I wanted, and this was the service I received. It wasn’t because of the seat, though, it was because of the service – if I can generalize, Irish people treat you like a friend from the moment they meet you. cities with 100% lie-flat beds in the A330 business class cabin. In that sense, my expectations were already high for the Irish national carrier, which flies to six U.S. I sense a deep kinship between Ireland and America and for all the 125 countries I have visited, Ireland is always one of my favorite countries to return to. If you’ve read a regular reader of my blog, you know that I love Ireland and the Irish People. I had the chance to sample it last week from Dublin to Boston and am pleased to report that I had a tremendous flight. Aer Lingus recently refreshed its transatlantic business class product with a new lie-flat bed and a reinvented onboard menu.
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