“Aer Lingus is a great transatlantic flight option from Toronto, offering competitive fares, easy points redemptions and a solid in flight product. ”

— Distant Points

Finally, we were off on our European adventure! To start our two week trip I’ll be reviewing our flight on the pride of Ireland (at least compared to Ryanair), Toronto to Dublin on Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus is positioned in the marketplace as a low-cost full service carrier (or a Value Hybrid Airline), comparable to WestJet and TAP Portugal. I’ve flown them a few times before, but never on this Toronto flight, so I was excited to start this trip off with a review of one of the cheapest award redemptions to Europe and an airline that frequently has sub $400 roundtrip Toronto to Dublin fares.

Flight: Aer Lingus EI128

Origin: Toronto (YYZ)

Destination: Dublin (DUB)

Operated by: Airbus A330

Class: Aer Lingus Economy

Departure Time: 17:55

Booking

The route between Toronto and Dublin has become quite competitive since I spent a semester abroad at the University College Dublin. During the summer, there are three flights a day to Dublin leaving Toronto, Aer Lingus EI 128, an A330 departing at 17:30, Air Canada 842, a mainline A330 departing at 23:05 and Air Transat 332, an ancient A310 departing at 23:50 (this plane is so ancient that they’re the last scheduled operators in the western world, the average age of these planes is over 27 years old!).

Booking these flights are not cheap in the summer, especially when flying one way.

Summer time transatlantic flight prices friends!

The reason I wanted to take this route is because it’s a great way to get to Europe from Canada on points. I could have used Aeroplan points to fly on the AC flight, but that would have cost 30K in points plus an outrageous tax of $320, $265 of that is the famous Air Canada “carrier surcharge”.

United Miles are also a useful option to get from YYZ to DUB, as they allow you to book both Air Canada flights and Aer Lingus flights. That same Air Canada flight 842 is only 30K United Miles plus $41, talk about Aeroplan being a rip off.

Aer Lingus flight 128 is also 30K United Miles plus $41. That being said, United Miles are hard to earn as a Canadian, so I decided to go for another option.

Booking using Avios

Aer Lingus is owned by IAG, the sixth largest airline in the world, which means the flights are also available using British Airways Avios points. This route is frequently touted as one of the best deals for economy class flights across the point at 20,000 Avios points (per person each way) during peak season. Even better, these flights are only 13,000 Avios points (per person each way) during off-peak times (defined by Aer Lingus here). Business class flights cost 50K/60K for off peak and peak redemptions).

26,000 Avios points can easily be earned by first year free cards like the RBC Infinite Avion, or spending $1500 on the American Express Gold card (which can be obtained for free through programs like Perkopolis or EServus of which registered teachers are a member of).

To look for award ticket availability, use United’s “book with miles” function to find specific dates. In general Aer Lingus seems to release 4 seats on each plane. Once you have found dates, you need to phone to book. The phone number for British Airways Executive Club is 1 (800) 452-1201 and they are open from 07:30-20:00 EST. The booking process was quick and easy and the two tickets, which include luggage, from Toronto to Dublin cost 40,000 Avios points plus 179.32 (or 20,000 Avios plus $89.66 each).

40K points and less than $180 to get to Europe at the peak of Summer.

The Flight

We checked in online but we had to drop our bags off at the Aer Lingus desk in Toronto Pearson Terminal 3. Located smack dab in the middle of the terminal, the two Aer Lingus check-in agents were of the opposite personalities, one was extremely friendly while the other one was curt, she really didn’t seem like she wanted to be there. Nonetheless, there was no line to check-in when we arrived approximately two hours before our flight and we were through security within 15 minutes of our arrival at the airport.

The great thing about terminal three at Pearson is that there are several options lounge options for those who hold priority pass, the International Plaza Premium Lounge, the domestic Plaza Premium Lounge and the Air France/KLM lounge. While the Plaza Premium lounges aren’t bad (and the international one provides great shower facilities), the Air France/KLM lounge provides the best food options.

On this day there was a stir-fry rice and vegetables available. (I realise my pictures aren’t the best…I was hungry!) Along with a small salad bar with various meats and cheeses. If you want a drink (or three) before your flight, there is a wide selection of alcohol, including free pour hard alcohol and Ruffino prosecco.

The pictures aren’t great because AF and KLM had departing flights and the lounge was busy, still, I believe it’s the best Priority Pass Lounge at YYZ. To boot, it also gives great views of the tarmac, including our A330 that would be taking us to Dublin.

AerLingus A330 at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ)

On Board Aer Lingus

The boarding process was orderly and smooth. I’ll be honest, If I’m flying a full service carrier I hate being the first on the plane. Personally, I see no need to fight my way onto the plane I have checked my bag into the hold, but I digress. We boarded the plane when it was about 75% full and we quickly found our seats.

The door was closed on time, although it took a few minutes to push back from the gate, we were on our way just after 6 pm. Personally, I don’t love this time for a transatlantic flight. If you’re flying on a weekday you have to leave work a few hours early to get to the airport. More importantly, I can’t fall asleep on a plane unless I’m really tired and even after the meal service I wasn’t tired enough to fall asleep. Our 5:30 am local Dublin time arrival (12:30am in Toronto) left us very tired during our day in Dublin due to our lack of sleep. That being said, I can see how this flight is timed for connections onwards through Europe, and it’s a good option for cheap flights to Europe.

Our seats were typical of a legacy carrier and similar to what Air Canada flies on their A330s, in fact, our seat was 17 inches across and had 31 inches of pitch, which is slightly smaller than Air Canada’s 18 inches across and 32 inches of pitch. Waiting for us at our seats there was a blanket and a pillow, which were simple, but effective.

Every seat on EI 128 included a personal TV screen with movies, TV shows, games and the airshow. The TV screen was clean, easy to see and the content was impressive. What really stood out to me (they choose to highlight it on the back of the menus) is that they had the full first season of Game of Thrones, a great way to get addicted to a new show.

On board Aer Lingus 128 there was also Wifi available, although I can not comment on the speeds as I didn’t purchase it.

The meal service got off to a good start with a menu card distributed to all passengers with the menu of the flight. The menu was as follows:

I choose the beef option. The meal was flavourful while not being overly carb heavy, the desert was fresh and light, and the salad was sufficient.

The meal onboard Aer Lingus from Toronto

During service, the crew was transactional, unlike the famous hospitality that I’ve come to know Ireland for. They were able to service most questions, but when asked about a lactose intolerant meal for my girlfriend, they snapped back at me stating that I should have ordered it before.

Upon landing in Dublin, we taxied over to a gate, walked through customs and had our luggage less than 30 minutes from landing. In fact, after taking the 747 bus to the city centre, we were at our hotel, checked in less than an hour and a half after touching town, an absolute advantage of landing at 5:30am.

Bottom Line

Overall, Aer Lingus provides good value for a hybrid airline. Even though I think the timing of the flight is if you’re planning to maximize sleep, Aer Lingus is still one of the best options to redeem points from Toronto to Europe while also offering sub $400 round trip flights to Dublin. If you are looking for a cheap option with modern amenities, decent food and comfortable seats, I would highly recommend Aer Lingus.

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