Review of Aer Lingus flight Dublin Orlando in Economy

Airline Aer Lingus
Flight EI121
Class Economy
Seat 23K
Aircraft Airbus A330-200
Flight time 09:10
Take-off 09 Feb 13, 12:20
Arrival at 09 Feb 13, 16:30
EI   #86 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 102 reviews
ShamrockGoldCircle
Published on 24th July 2016

Welcome to my latest flight report, documenting a flight which I took to visit Orlando and Miami in early Spring 2013.



Check-in and security through Dublin's Terminal 2 went smoothly and without a hitch. Having some free time I went for a cappuccino and croissant at Lavazza Espression located half-way down T2's Pier E. After my coffee and a little planespotting - naturally - I headed for USCBP. At Dublin one can fully-clear US Customs and thus enter the USA as a domestic passenger. This is great to get done at the beginning of the journey as it means you can avoid CBP queues upon arrival in the US! The processing through CBP took in the region of 30mins. Boarding would commence soon afterwards so I headed to the departure gate.

The aircraft for today would be Airbus A330-200 EI-DUO, aged almost 6 years at the time. Boarding was completed with speed and not too long after we were on push-back from the stand.

The safety briefing was played on the PTV's as the aircraft started its engines and taxied to the runway. Takeoff was rather uneventful, soon breaking through the grey Irish cloud and up into the blue sky over the Atlantic Ocean.

I was quite impressed by EI's IFE offering. The only recently-released Lincoln was available so I started to watch that while the drink and snack service began.

photo 8644303046_8c20dc2051_k

photo 8514632261_36c2cec03c_k

I opted for a packet of bretzels and a Fanta. I was fascinated by the colour of the Fanta. In Europe they use actual orange fruit in the drink, but the US formula appears to consist merely of flavoured and coloured carbonated water!

photo 8643216893_896f7a59e6_k

After the snack and drink service the main meal was promptly served. I got the lamb casserole, which was more like hot dog food! I really hope this is the worst meal I'll ever have to eat on board a plane. It was awful!

photo 8537629088_d4db45c68c_k

Meanwhile we were soon approaching the Eastern-Canadian coast, where heavy snow clouds lay below. We experienced some turbulence here, although nothing major. I really love the little shamrock on EI's A330 wingtips! The mood in the cabin was very buoyant during the flight, with most looking forward to their holiday in Florida.

photo 8542002596_def1ee850d_k

photo 8643213419_8f18d390e2_k

photo 8542530385_a0bbbd7143_k

Passing above a snow-covered New York (inc. JFK airport)!

photo 8643215147_07df58d829_k

photo 8644326536_58ec99738b_k

As we entered the skies of Florida I was intrigued by what seemed to be large fires across the lands. A common sight?

photo 8534214294_c642add259_k

An hour before landing a snack of a scone and tea/coffee was handed out. It was fine.

photo 8644320428_a6491b4256_k

Here's the video of the landing:



photo 8643208981_a1db1ca203_k

After a particularly lengthy taxi to the stand - no complaints of course - we disembarked and within 30 mins we were outside arrivals in the warm balmy evening weather of the Sunshine State!
See more

Verdict

Aer Lingus

6.3/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering2.0

Dublin - DUB

9.5/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0

Orlando - MCO

5.5/10
Efficiency6.0
Access6.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness5.0

Conclusion

This was my first time to fly Aer Lingus long haul and I was impressed. The cabin and seats were very comfortable, although the food could have been a lot better. All in all, a great trip and I hope to fly Aer Lingus long-haul some time soon, especially since they have since added more routes and have introduced Boeing 757s in addition to new A330 aircraft!

Related

4 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 359387 by
    KL651 TEAM 4534 Comments
    Thanks for this FR.
    The entree looks indeed like dog food and with the cheap plastic cutlery it does make for a really bad and cheap looking meal.
  • Comment 359413 by
    757Fan 632 Comments
    Nice report! Whenever I've seen reports of Aer Lingus and their Economy Class product, I've never been that impressed by the look of the meals. If I flew them, it looks like I'd probably buy something at the airport, to take on board.

    Thank you for sharing.
  • Comment 360767 by
    jish.b 283 Comments
    Nice one, thanks for sharing!

    I've always stumbled across a India-AUH-DUB-USA itinerary, and wondered what service was like onboard Aer Lingus. I have an idea now, thanks to your report. Lunch seems to have been an absolute disaster! The cabin looks decent, and I love the Aer Lingus' colors!

    Great photographs to along, too!

Login to post a comment.