Anyone flown on Aer Lingus?

[KevJan]

Airfare to Ireland seems to have the best prices on Aer Lingus and I was wondering if anyone has flown with them. If so, where are the best seats in the economy class? Is row 11 right in front of the exit row and won't recline? How do you get an exit row? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[rklein001]

We flew Aer Lingus JFK to Dublin and return. It was the usual cramped economy seating; I don't recall if it was especially bad. If you know what aircraft they're using you can check seat guru's listings for a comparable plane; somehow they don't list Aer Lingus separately.

Two red flags: The baggage allowance is extremely strict, and you'll pay a handsome surcharge at checkin if you're over. And Dublin airport is horrible--cramped, noisy, and the longest lines imaginable. For your return flight, get to the airport 3 hours before boarding time!

[scotlass]

We have flown them twice in the past 6 months, just returned on Sunday from the second one. Our opinion is that the seats seem a little larger than some airlines. We were in row 17 which was about 6 rows back from the exit row, so row 11 might be an exit row. The plane was a 330 air bus from Shannon to Boston. We had no problems and don't recall Dublin being especially crowded although that flight was in March. We had no problems with baggage and our carryons were quite heavy and so was the bag we checked in. I was more concerned with the Ryanair flights we had to Scotland, but we had no problems there either. Meals were not bad compared to some we have had. I hope this helps.

[beejaybeeohio]

Our outbound flight from JFK to DUB had extremely cramped seats but the return flight provided more room-that was in '04. We also flew Aer Lingus to/from Edinborough and that short flight was similar to Ryanair in terms of amnenities.
Barb

[dive-in]

Try their web site http://www.aerlingus.com/

Two possible ways to get the information there,

Create a new reservation (w/o completing it) on the same flights you're currently on. Most reservation systems have an interactive seat selection.

Or, click Manage Booking, Select your seat, enter your information, and see what it shows you.

My guess is that either way it will indicate the exit row. Without a reservation, I couldn't tell.

[rklein001]

I see a 70-pound baggage allowance on their website, so in describing the strict weight limits I must have been thinking of the Ryanair leg of our trip, from Dublin to Aberdeen.

[KevJan]

Thanks for everyone's response! I've gone ahead and booked my tickets on Aer Lingus. I saved $30 on each ticket by booking on their website. When you get to selecting your seats, the exit rows don't show as being available and so I called them. I was informed that I should select a seat and then when checking in for boarding, I can request an exit row seat. No guarantees. Does anyone know if Row 11 is a good choice, if it isn't, I can still make changes. Thanks!