Well, I think we left close to on time. Crew was “eh”.
This is a bit of a rant, but I'll try to keep it civil. The flight was delayed for 2 hours with almost ZERO updates from agents. Just "there's technical issues, we don't know if or when it'll be resolved" once an hour maybe? And the gate signs, and app never updated to show the delay until it was finally resolved. So when I called Aer Lingus to see if I could rebook, I had literally the dumbest conversation with the person on the phone there where he says "It's showing your flight departed at 11:10. So it's already departed!", where I responded, "Well, it's 12:45 and I'm on the phone with you, standing in the airport, staring at the plane. So...I'm not sure what your system is saying, but we aren't in the air right now.". He said "Nothing I can do. Since it doesn't show delayed in my system, you would be charged to reschedule." Once we finally departed 2 hours late, things were going smoothly as I would expect, except in another very strange way. The stewardesses were rolling the cart down the aisle offering drinks and I asked for a water, to which they said "Sure, you can buy a bottle". I'm not sure if this is an Aer Lingus thing. Maybe something I'd expect from Ryan Air, but for a 3 hour international flight, to not have complimentary water available for customers is an absolute first, in 15 years of flying for me. I'm not upset with the plane staff at all. They were very friendly, but Aer Lingus' policies, how they handled the delay, and the unbelievable conversation with the customer service representative, leaves a lot to be desired in those areas. Also, I'm not upset about the delay. Things happen. Technical issues. But this is a place where airlines really need to clearly communicate with their customers. They also changed gates from 12N to 13N and there was no notification on any app, or announcement over the PA. End of rant. I hope they get some feedback on how to improve communication, because otherwise, they were great. And the second leg of my trip was incredibly smooth - no nickle and diming water, no communication issues. Very professional and efficient and even landed early
The folks and flights were fantastic. I unfortunately wasn’t able to order a meal that I could eat (I’m gluten free) because I got my ticket through kayak, but they tried their best to find something to help me get through the long flight and I’ll forever remember their kindness.
Flight takeoff was delayed an hour, but arrival time was not updated at the same time as departure time, so those picking me up at the other end were not alerted to the change in my arrival.
Seats are terribly cramped. I’m only 5’2” and my knees were practically in my face. No room to put a normal size bag under the seat and when the person in front of you reclined their seat your tray table was in your lap. This is the airline’s way of cramming more seats into the plane to make more money. I’ll think twice about taking Aer Lingus again since there are a few other options from Boston to the Emerald Isle.
Couldn’t check In online, message was couldn’t check in until Sunday morning though plane left Saturday night. Checked in okay at airport but caused slot if stress.
It all went very well, except for the ramp coordination upon landing in Boston. That, however, was resolved in fairly short order.
NOTE. Aer Lingus does not accept American Express. I was denied boarding because I could not pay the fee for my oversized bag. I did not have another credit or debit card. Moreover, at CDG, I needed to check my bag at one location, go to another location to check my oversized bag and a THIRD location to pay for my oversized bag. Hence, once I was denied boarding, my bags were already en route to the plane. To retrieve them I needed to go to a FOURTH location in another part of the terminal. Last, Aer Lingus will not reimburse me for any portion of my ticket. I lost $1000 bc Aer Lingus doesn’t accept American Express at the CDG counter even though I paid for my ticket through the Kayak link with Amex. Kayak should remedy this situation if they want to continue to partner with Aer Lingus.
The biking process was confusing and I was called for a seat assignment from I number I repeatedly though was spam, but the flight itself was great
It was poor overall. They cancelled our flight and changed it without notifying us. So we incurred extra costs by having to book a hotel for our layover. They say it's Kayak/Underpricer's responsibility to reimburse us. But Kayak/Underpricer have said it's Aer Lingus' responsibility because they are the ones with our 'booking information.' I find this situation confusing and unacceptable.
