Stewmca

Does anyone know if all Aer Lingus planes have upgraded lie flat business class seats? I have seen posts that say yes, but the EI web site says they are still flying one plane that isn’t upgraded. If not, what route is using the old configuration? I will be connecting via SFO so could use either ORD, BOS or JFK. Looks like I’ll be flying this a lot as I am moving to Dublin for a couple of years on an expat assignment.

colmc

They are all updated now

EI Premier

All aircraft are now upgraded as the last one (EI-DUB) with the older configuration has already been retired from the fleet...

With your moving to Ireland for a few years, I would advise you to join the Aer Lingus Gold Circle programme. Also, in terms of earning on this programme, you will earn the maxmium amount of points on the ORD route. Alternatively, if SFO is eventually re-introduced which it may very well be, then you can earn a significant amount of points, up to 1,600 each way on that route.

Regards,

EI Premier

Stewmca

Thanks very much. Do you know if I get EQM on United if I book with Aer Lingus codeshare?

EI Premier

No problem!

I'm not too sure about EQMS..

I know that you can definitely earn standard Mileage Plus miles. As an Elite you can earn extra miles on the regular EI flights where miles are applicable, but I think (I may be wrong on this) that EQMs/EQSs can only be earned on the Joint Venture MAD-IAD route which is operated by Aer Lingus and marketed by United.

Its a little out of the way for your intended routing but might be something to consider as a routing now and again..

Regards,

EI Premier

Stewmca

Thanks EI Premier, I wasn't aware of the IAD-MAD route. Re Gold Circle, looks like I would get 1200 points per flight, with additional points for the UA segments?

I'll also try the UA forum on EQM as it isn't clear on the UA website. BTW, I called EI yesterday about the plane that doesn't have the new business configuration. They did not indicate they are no longer flying it and said they could not supply the route it uses. I guess they are keeping their options open....

colmc

Lack of agent knowledge. They only have a few A330's. The last "dog" of a plane has long been shipped off to it's new owners in Russia.

eireman

I might be more inclined to credit my miles etc to UA instead of TAB. You can fly the UA code shares on EI

Much better earn/burn ratio and if flyng ex DUB to other places you can also use BMI etc to LHR and other *A members

EI Premier

No problem,

Yes you would get 1200 points per flight - 1,000 of these would be tier points and 200 bonus points. All of the 1,200 could be redeemed in the future however. If you were to have four round trips TATL in the year plus a few UA segments thrown in, you would earn, on the EI Gold Circle programme, 4 complimentary one-way transatlantic upgrades (You would have reached Elite level) along with a free ticket for one companion in the same class of travel each time you fly (excluding taxes and charges).

Very strange regarding the information that you were given, but the advisory has not been updated yet in my opinion, because the same advisory is still in effect on the United States section of the Aer Lingus website. I'd say its highly likely that you won't be able to earn EQMs on Aer Lingus metal, apart from the IAD-MAD route.

Hopefully you will enjoy your flights with Aer Lingus anyway, I have always found their transatlantic C service to be excellent.

Well they have a few in fairness and many of them are very new also..

EI-DUO (A332) - Delivered 2007
EI-LAX (A332)
EI-DAA (A332)
EI-ORD (A333)
EI-DUZ (A333) - Delivered 2007
EI-EAV (A333) - Delivered 2009
EI-EDY (A333) - Delivered 2009
EI-ELA (A333) - Delivered 2010

Also regarding EI-DUB which was sent to Vladivostok Avia earlier this year.... That plane was a fantastic workhorse. Okay, the interiors were old but only last October I came back from ORD on it and we were in VERY heavy turbulence for several hours, for at least 80% of the flight and there was a lot of shaking, wingflex etc and yet it handled it quite well.

EI Premier

Stewmca

Thanks for the helpful replies. I hadn't considered that I will need to choose either EI or UA FF plan, its either/or not both. Unfortunately, UA definitely does not give EQMs for codeshare with EI but it does give 150% miles in C. Eireman makes a good point about the advantages of UA and Star Alliance/BMI, as we will want to travel around Europe as much as we can. But EI Premiere, you are giving me lots of good reasons to choose Gold Circle! I am no longer UA Premier as I didn't fly much last year, I may want to book one RT via FRA to get that back.

eireman

But it will if you fly a UA flight number while traveling on EI and UA codes shares on all EI flights.

If flying J will not really matter if you are UA premier, but if you fly the UA code shares on EIin J that many times, you will surely regain elite status rather quickly.

With UA FFP also, you have more options to make your trip back to USA, you now have CO ex DUB and via LHR, you have UA metal itself, Air NZ etc

EI Premier

Hi Eireman,

Are you sure about this? United policy as stated online seems to indicate otherwise.

EI Premier

eireman

I really can not imagine that you don't earn EQM if flying on a UA flight #.
There are some fare code that do not earn, X,I,O,G,NY,XY,XC,XF
But OP is flying in J, so I don't see the problem.

I think the ref to code shares is to say exclude say a EI code share on another/3rd party carrier carrier, that could not be credied to the program. I once flew on a QF tix on Air tahiti, well that flight was not supposed to be possible to add to my AA account (only QF), but it went thru none the less.

If OP can not earn EQM flying EI on a UA flight #, then the whole understanding of code shares worldwide, across all airlines, is turned upside down

EI Premier

I understand your points as above Eireman,

But, as far as I understand it, the OP can only earn EQM miles flying on codeshare flights with all direct Star Alliance partners of United.

The agreement with Aer Lingus is a little different and while Mileage Plus miles can be earned on the codeshare UA/EI flights, EQMs can only be earned on the Joint Venture IAD-MAD UA/EI operated service.

EI Premier

eireman

Perhaps a posting in UA forum is in order