If you want to make a mileage redemption - meaning to redeem your Avios for a flight (whether on Aer Lingus or any other airline) - this has to be done on the Avios website. Aer Lingus no longer run their frequent flyer programme since they were taken over by IAG, the owners of BA, Iberia and Vueling; that is now the preserve of IAGLoyalty (previously known as AGL - Avios Group Limited) and they handle everything to do with Aer Club tickets. Note: when you make an Avios redemption, the ticket is issued on BA stock (125-) and you cannot manage the booking on the Aer Lingus website.

If you want to make a cash booking - which also includes reducing the amount of cash that needs to be paid by part-paying using Avios - this has to be done on the Aer Lingus website (when you are logged in on the Aer Lingus website using your Aer Club account credentials; it should give you several options, at the payment stage, to determine how many Avios you want to use to bring down the cash price - see an example below).

AVIOS: - booking on Avios is "cheaper" overall, but fewer seats are made available for Avios redemptions, and once they're gone, they're gone. You'll struggle to find business class availability, for example, unless you book almost as soon as the seats are released. Tickets bought from Avios do not conform to Aer Lingus's fare families (Saver/Smart/Flex/Plus/Advantage, etc) - tickets bought from Avios *always* include a checked bag (and on shorthaul includes a carry on bag with priority boarding); you can also always cancel these tickets (for payment of a fee of €42.50 or local equivalent) and get your Avios back; as such, these tickets are "flexible"; they are not "Aer Lingus" tickets per se, but come with the usual conditions that apply to all tickets issued by third parties (i.e. British Airways) for travel on Aer Lingus

AER LINGUS: booking for cash (with the option to reduce the cash amount by surrendering some Avios, if you want) means you have access to ALL seats. It's a worse use of Avios, but if you don't have many, or are looking to close out your account/empty your balance, it can be handy to use them to reduce your cash price, if you really have no other use for those Avios anyway. You can select any of the Aer Lingus ticket families - from Saver through to their most expensive/flexible.


You must always contact the entity that sold you the ticket. If you "bought" your ticket on the Avios website, then you have to talk to Avios to make any changes. If you bought your ticket directly from Aer Lingus, then you have to talk to Aer Lingus to make any changes. If you bought your ticket from a third party/travel agent, then you have to talk to that third party/travel agent to make any changes.


EXAMPLE

For EI841, AMS-ORK, 22MAY23 (one-way flight) here are your options:

AER LINGUS ("Saver" fare; limited flexibility, no baggage included but can be bought as add-ons)

• €98.05;
• €73.05 plus 3,900 Avios
• €49.05 plus 8,050 Avios
• €24.05 plus 12,600 Avios
• €0 plus 18,325 Avios

AVIOS (includes 1 20kg checked bag, 1 cabin bag, and priority boarding - so not a "Saver" fare):

• 4,000 Avios plus €62.05;
• 3,676 Avios plus €72.05
• 3,136 Avios plus €77.05
• 2,055 Avios plus €87.06
• 1,600 Avios plus €107.05
• 1,276 Avios plus €122.05