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Is economy class comfortable?
I've flown long-haul economy twice.
With Qantas, it was a great experience, spacious, nice seat with two arm-rests, personal tv with many channels, games, movies etc.
Lufthansa was the opposite.
One telly for every 8 or 9 rows in each aisle showing 2 movies over the 13 hours, cramped seats.
What should i expect on an Aerlingus long-haul?
There was a site around that I can't remember detailing all of this stuff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Risteard
Expect the unexpected.
Flew Aer Lingus from LA to Dublin, and had the one sh!tty drop down TV for multiple rows :mad: . Not an awful lot of leg room just about enough to let you sleep a bit here and there, grub was decent though in fairness. The flight back was the same fookin plane :mad:
But my brother once got one of the Aer Lingus with the head rest TV's (which had a heap of games on it too apparently - solitaire, tetris..that kinda stuff :confused: ). He thought it was class.
Basically - depends on what plane ye get, older one or a newer one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Risteard
Flew to New York twice with Aer Lingus and both times had the personal TV/entertainment thingy (games etc).
Flew to Chicago in December and there were shared TVs showing a couple of movies with some tv in between.
Leg room was OK (I'm 6 foot) and the service very good. Soft drinks are free. Alcohol available at air prices. Meal was typical airplane fare
That's strange.
I thought there would be consistent standards.
Was the flight with the drop down tvs considerably cheaper than the others?
I was very pleasantly surprised at the prices on aerlingus.com while ago but would happily pay a few hundred more to avoid the Lufthansa experience.
Surely, its not just pot luck though.Quote:
Originally Posted by dancinpants
I suppose I'll throw a query aerlingus' way unless there's a query surcharge.
Incidentally, what extra charges should i expect after whats quoted in a page like this?
Anything other than the circa e10 baggage fee and the $2.50 September 11th security fee:eek:?
Different destinations, so couldn't compare. I wouldn't have spent extra for the TVs. Buy a portable DVD player if its that big a deal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Risteard
Ah well its as much the seating arrangement and space as the entertainment. I presume a flight is likely to satisfy neither or both.
That Lufthansa flight was Frankfurt to Bangkok with a seat that reclined about a half-inch with my legs jammed in to the chair in front. Even though its just 10 hours, i'm not suffering through that again.
Also, (not ze Germans fault) it didn't help that I was sat 'sharing' an arm rest with a very very large Fijian lady whose sleeping head kept dropping onto my shoulder.
I **** you not, this woman actually apologised to me for her size later on.
Her loveliness made the episode even more frustrating.
The next flight was Qantas and exceeded what I would have imagined first class entailed.
Not flown AL for years but I would be surprised if economy great but then again if you only flying to the east coast it is not that long a journey.
Do AL still do Business/1st Class for transatlantic? That would be better but not if you have to pay for yourself.
As friend said to me recently - 1st class is for those paying for their own ticket, business class for those who have someone else paying for. :p
Flew Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Cape Town quite a few years ago and it was the pits, a HUGE German woman sat beside me, her stomach was so big it rolled over my armrest so I Couldn't use my controls for the radio/lights. She must have taken a tablet because she was out like a light and never budged until we touched down in Joburg. On my other side were a Honeymoon Couple who spent the 10 hours locked in a loving embrace that was impenatrable to outsiders, I read Roddy Doyle's A star called Henry cover to cover twice... Strangely I have not flown with Lufthansa since!
That was my firs ever LH experience but I've done it dozens of times since and will say it is the luck of the draw in Economy. BA are generally top notch, when ever I have a choice I pick BA, Quantas are pretty good too as are Cathay Pacific. If you are on a busy route you are more likely to get a new plane with all the bells and whistles, if you can sleep on a plane you're laughing, most of the planes on Long Haul have reasonable leg room.
I think the quality of service on the Transcontinental route for Aer Lingus has gone a lot in the time I've been doing it (15 years). I fly yearly JFK-SNN return and I long for the good old days of flying the Aer Lingus 747's. Lots of room on those monsters compared to the Airbuses plus I knew someone who used to work for them at JFK and got upgraded a lot.
Actually I havent used Aer Lingus for a while now, last time it was Continental and I'm going back for a weekend in October on Delta. Simply cheaper than Aer Lingus when I booked.
I've flown on all the carriers that go between Ireland and US (American, Delta, Continental, US Airways and Aer Lingus) and they are all fairly poor when compared with the BA's, Virgin's, Cathay, Emirates, Singapore etc.
I haven't flown on the new AL A330s that have the personal entertainment thingy though.
I just go by price nowadays and get there early and look for an exit row (on AL you can now pay extra for this, on the US airlines you need to be massive, or be in their frequent flier programme to get these seats).
www.seatguru.com is quite good on US airlines.
when i lived in the states i used to travel with continental. Price was great, especially as i was getting connecting internal flights through them. The legroom wasnt the best, but if you request the exit seat saying you have problems with knees etc :D u get much more leg room. Entertainment was grand, headrest tv's on nearly all the journeys i took with games and movies.food was sound, but that prob because id ate anything!:D
Get there early and ask for a bulkhead seat or one next to the emergency exit. Flew Virgin out of Gatwick to the states last year. Excellent, even provided a laptop when the entertainment in my seat failed.
I fly alot back and forth to the US and have yet to be on an AL flight with personal IFE in economy. Only one or two of their newer A330's have them at this stage.
AL service is still way better than any US airline flying transatlantic. Service on US airlines' long haul flights is the worst I have experienced.
I have never travelled on them but I have heard US airlines very basic. Can't believe AL have no tv screen in the back of seats yet. Most long haul airlines had them 10 years ago. AL are cheap enough though & used to allow you take return trip back from different airport for small charge which is good option.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dotsy
I just booked a return flight to Toronto with airtransat. Too late to change it anyway but does anyone have experience flying with this lot? Entertainment, Leg room etc?
AL do on New York flights, but not on Chicago. American Airlines don't. (Flew once to Dublin and once to Paris)Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
I think all the Aer Lingus flights to LA are now using the new airbus,so they should all have the seat back entertainment system. Hope so, anyway as im travelling in October.
They didn't have them on my flight to NY from Dublin the end of August.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
They didn't in May....so don't be getting your hopes up.Quote:
Originally Posted by scousedub
I'm 6'4'', would I be able to fit?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Also, I bet the length of the flight has something to do with the entertainment.
If you don't have a bulkhead seat you'll be very, very uncomfortable (I'm a similar height and I dread long flights).Quote:
Originally Posted by theworm2345
I believe you can pay for the seats on Aer Lingus, well worth it.
All the US carriers keep them for frequently fliers and occasionally tall people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid
Sorry RAM, but my experience with this lot ( same route as you ) was the worst I have ever had!!!! The aircraft ( all old planes ) was boiling hot as the air con didn't function correctly except at the rear.The staff on board were horrendous ( French/Canadian with abundance of arrogance )....we pre-ordered a vegetarian meal for my wife which never arrived, and when I asked what could she eat during the seven hours, they suggested taking the ham out of a "Ham roll"!:mad:
On the return flight we arrived at Toronto Airport 4 hours before take-off to try to ensure we were at the cooler rear end of the plane.However, when we boarded and looked for Row 32 ( as stated on our Boarding Cards ) but were amazed to find that the Rows stopped at 29!! They apparently changed the aircraft type at the last moment, without notifying the check-in staff, and the cabin staff said we should try and find any spare seat as several people would have to get off!!!!:eek:
Good luck my friend!!!;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sligo Hornet
I had to ask didn't I :( :)
Ah well at least i'll be travelling on my own so i'll be the only one subjected to the torture. only €430 all in inc return flights to from Gatwick so at least its cheap.
just back from flying virgin transatlantic its like the aerlingus airbus but with more legroom. Do they have games on the aer lingus one?
Yes....."Hide and Seek" and "Pass the Parcel"........only way they can make the food go around!;)Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
When I flew VirginTransatlantic it was on a 747. Have they switched to the Airbus.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
The have both now.Quote:
Originally Posted by onceahoop
Replacing the 747s with Airbus A340s and eventually the A380.
thats the one i was on.Quote:
A340
Used Delta for my JFK-SNN weekend trip and had an excellent trip with them. I must say I was pleasantly surprised, a much better service compared to Aer Lingus IMO e.g. better food, better organized. Also better time of flight imo as we arrived in NY around 11am when JFK is much less busier and baggage comes out faster as opposed to 4pm-ish . One downfall is the Delta terminal at JFK is in need of some serious remodeling.
Just back from LA with Aer Lingus and surprise surprise thay did have the seat back entertainment systems. On the outbound flight we had the older airbus which had the seat back system with movies,tv and a few games but on the way back we had one of the new planes,which had an excellent selection of movies, tv and games(which could all be paused when required and watched whenever you wanted).Also great leg room compared to the older planes. At long last Aer Lingus are updating their fleet and they are well worth travelling with if you get one of these new planes as it makes a big difference on a long flightQuote:
Originally Posted by dancinpants
Virgin Atlantic are quality, never had a bad flight with them
I like flying BA as well but London is a disaster. I'll take the little bit of discomfort in exchange for a shorter journey and immigration finished before you step on the plane
The free booze is a huge plus too
Oh yeah! Gives a good run to cellar door as the sweetest two words in the English language to juxtapose. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Soko
I love a drink as much as the next man but haven't touched a drink on a long-haul flight for at least 5 years and it helps me feel fresher when I arrive.
Bearing in mind the increased dehydrating impact because of the oxygen, drinking a lot on a plane isn't good for your body at all.
I don't think many people drink that much on long haul flights. Most people would have a few drinks with meal or maybe at the start.Quote:
Originally Posted by OneRedArmy
OneRedArmy is spot on about the science. I think everyone likes a little bit to knock themselves out after the dinner though.
Soko said the free booze was great cos he lines his bags with it to take home. :p
Aer Lingus have a good trans-Atlantic offering as far as I know. They have PTVs on the New York flights and are in the process of upgrading their remaining trans Atlantic fleet.
I'm flying out with Delta on the 19th. No personal Tvs or anything. :(
It's unpredictable even within an airline on long haul flights, not just AL, I'd say. I've flown SAA a few times to Johannesburg and Cape Town on an A340-600 and 747s and the experience varies for leg room particularly.
Upstairs they offer more leg room on the 747, but pack in sardines below. The 600 is very comfortable throughout for a 13 hour flight though and I'm 6'4 - you needn't even look for bulkhead seats etc. Service very good too..though not necessarily the food
The day AL invests in a A340-600 though....:D