Established in 1936, the airline is the flag carrier of Ireland and second largest in Ireland. The airline was privatized in 2015. It is now a subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG), which is the parent company of British Airways. Aer Lingus is the subsidiary of International Airlines Group.
The airline has its hub at Dublin Airport, Ireland. The airline carried 10.1 million passengers in 2015. The airline adopted the small frills approach which is a traditional legacy airline and a low-cost carrier. Aer Lingus became the first airline to have a presence on social media website.
The fleet
Currently, the airline has over 47 Airbus aircraft at its disposal. In February 2015, Airbus A350 will begin its delivery in 2018. At present, the airline has the series of Airbus A320-200,A321-200, A330-200, and A330-300. In 2014, the airline started to damp-lease 3 Boeing 757 planes from Air Contractors. This was done to support the long-haul destinations in USA and Canada.
Destinations
The airline covers 92 destinations globally serving both international and domestic passengers. During the September 11 attacks the fleet and destinations reduced but revived later. The airline currently serves North Africa, Asia, Europe and USA destinations. The airline ignored the potential European destinations and focused on serving the East coast of USA.
Business Class
Aer Lingus does not have a business class on short-haul destinations. But in 2016, the airline announced of having business class in short-haul destinations as well called “Aer Space”. The passengers in business class can enjoy priority baggage check-in, storage on board, lounge access, and ticket flexibility. The passengers can also enjoy in-flight entertainment and complimentary meals and drinks. Fly Connected Wi-Fi is also available on board.
Onboard Facilities
In the economy class which is short-haul, the meals would have to be purchased. Besides, no in-flight entertainment is available. The seat pitch is between 29” to 30”. But in A330, the economy class can enjoy in-flight entertainment free meals and drinks and KidZone. The kids can enjoy Disney movies, games and TV shows. The Wi-Fi is available on payment.
Online booking and Check In
The passengers can avail the self-check-in option at the airport. The web check-in facility is available 2 hours and 30 minutes before departure for destinations within Europe. Some airports allow check-in 4 hours before departure. For long-haul destinations, the passengers can web check-in online 24 hours before take-off. On selected European routes one can use 30-day or 30-hours advance check-in option. The seat fee will be charged to avail this service. Plan and book the flights online at Musafir.