DUB-MCO Business
Nov 3, 2013, 3:46 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: Aer Club Platinum, BAEC Silver, Star Alliance Gold, Flying Blue Gold
Posts: 123
DUB-MCO Business
DUB-MCO (Business )
Booking and check in
This is a route we have flown many times, however this particular trip was extra special as it marked both my wife’s 50th birthday and our 30th wedding anniversary. Our business class round trip was a mixture of cash and complimentary upgrade vouchers (which are a feature of the Elite tier of the Gold Circle club) .The booking was made through the Gold Circle help desk, and as always it is a pleasure to deal with the friendly team in this office. When speaking to any of the team, there is always a genuine interest in one’s enquiry and going the extra mile to assist.
www.aerlingus.com is an easy site to navigate and selecting a flight for our preferred dates and times was no trouble. Aer Lingus fly direct to Orlando from Dublin three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On other days, the routing is via JFK where one joins JetBlue, Aer Lingus’ codeshare partners. Through ticketing is available, but my wife and I prefer direct flights, so we chose this option.
We arrived at Dublin Airport Terminal 2 just before 9.00am for our 12.30pm flight. There is a new surface car park which is very close to the terminal building. In fact this car park is almost beside the Aer Lingus check in area: this makes it the most convenient car park for Aer Lingus passengers with bags to check in. Good value too at 100euro for 14 days when booked in advance.
There was no queue at the Gold Circle desk and our bags were taken, marked “Priority” and boarding passes issued within a couple of minutes. The lady on the desk was very friendly and in no time at all, we were issued boarding passes, luggage tags and wished a pleasant flight.
One of the benefits of Gold Circle membership is the use of the Fast track security lane. This was very quiet and we were airside within a minute. Previously, Dublin Airport came in for criticism for charging for plastic bags for putting toiletries into. These are now available at security screening and are complimentary.
There is a good range of shops, restaurants once airside, and we had a browse before going to the lounge.
Lounge (Dublin)
The Gold Circle Lounge in Dublin T2 is a large two storey area with good views of the apron. Lounge staff are very welcoming, and this warm attitude extends to the ladies who restock supplies and clear tables.
There is a water feature which extends over two floors, and is impressive.
Upstairs is a quiet area and has shower suites, which is a vast improvement on the previous lounge in T1.
The food on offer in the morning consists of:
• Fresh fruit
• Fruit salad
• Breads, scones, pastries
• Cereals
• Yogurts
• Cheese, crackers
• Muffins
• Savoury nibbles
A full range of soft and alcoholic drinks is available along with decent orange juice and excellent coffee. For a time, spirits and wines were not on display during the morning. Given that many people are transit passengers, coming from different time zones, etc, this decision was a little strange. Having listened to their customers, Aer Lingus have taken note of the concerns raised and acted positively. Well done!
There is a good continental breakfast on offer, which alone makes a visit worthwhile
Small bottles of still & sparkling water have been replaced with jugs of still water and large bottles of sparkling water. I imagine this represents a significant cost saving over the cost of small bottles. However, sparking water when opened quickly loses it’s fizz, particularly in a plastic bottle. Very possibly the numbers of small bottles of water travelling in passengers’ bags played a part in this decision. However, amongst the small cans of mixers available is Soda water which is quite acceptable instead.
Newspapers and magazines are available as well as internet access for those wishing to work.
Boarding
Pre customs clearance is a major benefit of flying Aer Lingus to USA. A call was made to proceed to this area at 11.30am. This was a swift and friendly process, and landing in the USA as a domestic passenger can save a lot of time.
Boarding began at 12.00, and families with small children followed by business class & Gold Circle passengers were invited to board first.
The Airbus 330 was immaculate and cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers. A nice touch was the enquiry whether we know where our seats were.
The Business Class cabin has 4 rows of seats, configured 2-2-2. Our allocation was 2A & 2C. The seats are angled lie flat, have a pitch of 58” and 21” wide. There is ample storage space, and within minutes of boarding pre-flight drinks were offered : a choice of water, juice or champagne (Jean Pernet).
We opted for champagne which is served in Louise Kennedy Crystal glasses.
At this point, bottled water and amenity kits were given out, along with the first of many hot towel services.
Inflight
The Captain gave a brief welcome and details of flight times, followed by a safety announcement from the cabin crew. We pushed back on time and were airborne quickly.
Julie and Margaret were the cabin crew in Business Class, and went out of their way to make take care of the passengers in the (almost full) cabin.
Catering
The Aer Lingus website promises
• The finest choice of restaurant quality food and drink available in-flight.
• Wines specially chosen and matched to each entrée to bring out the full flavour of the meal.
• All Business Class gourmet meals are served on custom made Crystal and Wedgwood China.About an hour into the flight, canapés were served with a bar service. In keeping with our celebratory mode, we again chose champagne, and commendably we were offered regular refills.
STARTERS:
Seafood Plate: slices of smoked salmon, smoked trout and peppered BBQ salmon served with a mustard grain mayonnaise, cherry tomato and lemon wedge
Smoked Chicken: sliced smoked chicken breast served with a plum chutney, cucumber, tomato and olive.
A selection of warm breads was also offered.
ENTREES:
Filet Steak: served with béarnaise sauce, gratin potatoes, French beans and shitake mushrooms.
Loin of Bacon: served with mustard grain sauce, colcannon mash, carrot and parsnip and garnished with caramelised apple.
Baked Halibut served with tomato tartar, broccoli and carrot & fennel rosti
Penne Pasta coated in a green pasta & béchamel sauce served with courgettes provencal and broccoli.
DESSERTS:
Warm chocolate heaven served with a crčme anglaise sauce
French Lemon Tart served with a summer fruit coulis
CHEESE PLATE:
Cahill’s Porter cheese
Wicklow Blue cheese
Accompanied with biscuits.
TEA or COFFEE
My wife chose the smoked chicken, I chose the seafood plate. The food is served on a tray with crisp white linen, Wedgewood china and is superbly presented.
We both chose fillet steak for main course. Main courses used to be served in pre-prepared casserole type dishes. Current practice is that each main course is plated separately and on individual plates. This gives a lovely dining experience, however it impacts negatively on the speed of service. One cabin crew member plates the food, the other serves it. Despite the best efforts of the two staff, both of whom were clearly working as fast as possible, the result was that rows 1 & 2 were finished eating while row 4 was being served.
This further impacts on dessert and coffee service as well as clearing tables so that passengers can read, work or relax.
The dining experience is absolutely perfect, save for the delays. In keeping with the excellent product, I feel that this service would be impeccable if manning levels were increased. Whilst this might increase costs, and this is an important for any business, it would be a pity to see the dilution of an otherwise impeccable premium service.
Entertainment
There is a good range of films, TV, Radio programmes on demand, but we didn’t take full advantage of this, opting instead to have a nap after lunch. The seat reclines fully, and the dark blue duvets ensure a good sleep.
About an hour and a half before landing, afternoon tea was served. This consisted of an open roast beef sandwich with warm scones, along with tea or coffee. Again, this was very well presented and very nice indeed.
We landed in Orlando almost half an hour ahead of schedule, and after a lengthy taxi were on stand. Commendably, Orlando International Airport makes regular announcements directing Aer Lingus passengers to their designated baggage collection area.
Baggage Collection
As we were amongst the first off the aircraft, and as there was no delay whatever in going to the baggage collection area, there was a short wait for the first bags to arrive. However, it was only five minutes till the first bags appeared, and these were the business class bags. From leaving the aircraft to car hire desk took only 20 minutes: this is very good indeed.
CONCLUSION
This was a most enjoyable flight. Aer Lingus Business Class is a high quality product, and our experience was enhanced by a very professional and pleasant crew. Julie and Margaret dealt with an almost full business cabin yet made sure that passengers’ needs were met in an unobtrusive but friendly way. The food is well presented, of top quality and the seat very comfortable for this long haul flight. My sole issue was the time taken to serve meals, but this is something which I trust Aer Lingus can address. Well done to all concerned.
Booking and check in
This is a route we have flown many times, however this particular trip was extra special as it marked both my wife’s 50th birthday and our 30th wedding anniversary. Our business class round trip was a mixture of cash and complimentary upgrade vouchers (which are a feature of the Elite tier of the Gold Circle club) .The booking was made through the Gold Circle help desk, and as always it is a pleasure to deal with the friendly team in this office. When speaking to any of the team, there is always a genuine interest in one’s enquiry and going the extra mile to assist.
www.aerlingus.com is an easy site to navigate and selecting a flight for our preferred dates and times was no trouble. Aer Lingus fly direct to Orlando from Dublin three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On other days, the routing is via JFK where one joins JetBlue, Aer Lingus’ codeshare partners. Through ticketing is available, but my wife and I prefer direct flights, so we chose this option.
We arrived at Dublin Airport Terminal 2 just before 9.00am for our 12.30pm flight. There is a new surface car park which is very close to the terminal building. In fact this car park is almost beside the Aer Lingus check in area: this makes it the most convenient car park for Aer Lingus passengers with bags to check in. Good value too at 100euro for 14 days when booked in advance.
There was no queue at the Gold Circle desk and our bags were taken, marked “Priority” and boarding passes issued within a couple of minutes. The lady on the desk was very friendly and in no time at all, we were issued boarding passes, luggage tags and wished a pleasant flight.
One of the benefits of Gold Circle membership is the use of the Fast track security lane. This was very quiet and we were airside within a minute. Previously, Dublin Airport came in for criticism for charging for plastic bags for putting toiletries into. These are now available at security screening and are complimentary.
There is a good range of shops, restaurants once airside, and we had a browse before going to the lounge.
Lounge (Dublin)
The Gold Circle Lounge in Dublin T2 is a large two storey area with good views of the apron. Lounge staff are very welcoming, and this warm attitude extends to the ladies who restock supplies and clear tables.
There is a water feature which extends over two floors, and is impressive.
Upstairs is a quiet area and has shower suites, which is a vast improvement on the previous lounge in T1.
The food on offer in the morning consists of:
• Fresh fruit
• Fruit salad
• Breads, scones, pastries
• Cereals
• Yogurts
• Cheese, crackers
• Muffins
• Savoury nibbles
A full range of soft and alcoholic drinks is available along with decent orange juice and excellent coffee. For a time, spirits and wines were not on display during the morning. Given that many people are transit passengers, coming from different time zones, etc, this decision was a little strange. Having listened to their customers, Aer Lingus have taken note of the concerns raised and acted positively. Well done!
There is a good continental breakfast on offer, which alone makes a visit worthwhile
Small bottles of still & sparkling water have been replaced with jugs of still water and large bottles of sparkling water. I imagine this represents a significant cost saving over the cost of small bottles. However, sparking water when opened quickly loses it’s fizz, particularly in a plastic bottle. Very possibly the numbers of small bottles of water travelling in passengers’ bags played a part in this decision. However, amongst the small cans of mixers available is Soda water which is quite acceptable instead.
Newspapers and magazines are available as well as internet access for those wishing to work.
Boarding
Pre customs clearance is a major benefit of flying Aer Lingus to USA. A call was made to proceed to this area at 11.30am. This was a swift and friendly process, and landing in the USA as a domestic passenger can save a lot of time.
Boarding began at 12.00, and families with small children followed by business class & Gold Circle passengers were invited to board first.
The Airbus 330 was immaculate and cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers. A nice touch was the enquiry whether we know where our seats were.
The Business Class cabin has 4 rows of seats, configured 2-2-2. Our allocation was 2A & 2C. The seats are angled lie flat, have a pitch of 58” and 21” wide. There is ample storage space, and within minutes of boarding pre-flight drinks were offered : a choice of water, juice or champagne (Jean Pernet).
We opted for champagne which is served in Louise Kennedy Crystal glasses.
At this point, bottled water and amenity kits were given out, along with the first of many hot towel services.
Inflight
The Captain gave a brief welcome and details of flight times, followed by a safety announcement from the cabin crew. We pushed back on time and were airborne quickly.
Julie and Margaret were the cabin crew in Business Class, and went out of their way to make take care of the passengers in the (almost full) cabin.
Catering
The Aer Lingus website promises
• The finest choice of restaurant quality food and drink available in-flight.
• Wines specially chosen and matched to each entrée to bring out the full flavour of the meal.
• All Business Class gourmet meals are served on custom made Crystal and Wedgwood China.About an hour into the flight, canapés were served with a bar service. In keeping with our celebratory mode, we again chose champagne, and commendably we were offered regular refills.
STARTERS:
Seafood Plate: slices of smoked salmon, smoked trout and peppered BBQ salmon served with a mustard grain mayonnaise, cherry tomato and lemon wedge
Smoked Chicken: sliced smoked chicken breast served with a plum chutney, cucumber, tomato and olive.
A selection of warm breads was also offered.
ENTREES:
Filet Steak: served with béarnaise sauce, gratin potatoes, French beans and shitake mushrooms.
Loin of Bacon: served with mustard grain sauce, colcannon mash, carrot and parsnip and garnished with caramelised apple.
Baked Halibut served with tomato tartar, broccoli and carrot & fennel rosti
Penne Pasta coated in a green pasta & béchamel sauce served with courgettes provencal and broccoli.
DESSERTS:
Warm chocolate heaven served with a crčme anglaise sauce
French Lemon Tart served with a summer fruit coulis
CHEESE PLATE:
Cahill’s Porter cheese
Wicklow Blue cheese
Accompanied with biscuits.
TEA or COFFEE
My wife chose the smoked chicken, I chose the seafood plate. The food is served on a tray with crisp white linen, Wedgewood china and is superbly presented.
We both chose fillet steak for main course. Main courses used to be served in pre-prepared casserole type dishes. Current practice is that each main course is plated separately and on individual plates. This gives a lovely dining experience, however it impacts negatively on the speed of service. One cabin crew member plates the food, the other serves it. Despite the best efforts of the two staff, both of whom were clearly working as fast as possible, the result was that rows 1 & 2 were finished eating while row 4 was being served.
This further impacts on dessert and coffee service as well as clearing tables so that passengers can read, work or relax.
The dining experience is absolutely perfect, save for the delays. In keeping with the excellent product, I feel that this service would be impeccable if manning levels were increased. Whilst this might increase costs, and this is an important for any business, it would be a pity to see the dilution of an otherwise impeccable premium service.
Entertainment
There is a good range of films, TV, Radio programmes on demand, but we didn’t take full advantage of this, opting instead to have a nap after lunch. The seat reclines fully, and the dark blue duvets ensure a good sleep.
About an hour and a half before landing, afternoon tea was served. This consisted of an open roast beef sandwich with warm scones, along with tea or coffee. Again, this was very well presented and very nice indeed.
We landed in Orlando almost half an hour ahead of schedule, and after a lengthy taxi were on stand. Commendably, Orlando International Airport makes regular announcements directing Aer Lingus passengers to their designated baggage collection area.
Baggage Collection
As we were amongst the first off the aircraft, and as there was no delay whatever in going to the baggage collection area, there was a short wait for the first bags to arrive. However, it was only five minutes till the first bags appeared, and these were the business class bags. From leaving the aircraft to car hire desk took only 20 minutes: this is very good indeed.
CONCLUSION
This was a most enjoyable flight. Aer Lingus Business Class is a high quality product, and our experience was enhanced by a very professional and pleasant crew. Julie and Margaret dealt with an almost full business cabin yet made sure that passengers’ needs were met in an unobtrusive but friendly way. The food is well presented, of top quality and the seat very comfortable for this long haul flight. My sole issue was the time taken to serve meals, but this is something which I trust Aer Lingus can address. Well done to all concerned.
Nov 5, 2013, 2:44 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: BA Exec Club
Posts: 59
Excellent report, MRS ABZ1C & I flew EI to & from JFK in business a couple of years ago & were very impressed with the service.
We're doing the Orlando route next year with the in-laws who have never flown business class before so they are very excited about the whole thing.
We flew to Miami last year with BA in Club World & although the BA seat is superior we preferred the food & service on EI.
When we are looking into flight options for next year & realised that we could fly with EI, MRS ABZ1C put her foot down & demanded that we go with them & not BA.
We're doing the Orlando route next year with the in-laws who have never flown business class before so they are very excited about the whole thing.
We flew to Miami last year with BA in Club World & although the BA seat is superior we preferred the food & service on EI.
When we are looking into flight options for next year & realised that we could fly with EI, MRS ABZ1C put her foot down & demanded that we go with them & not BA.
Nov 5, 2013, 4:01 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: Aer Club Platinum, BAEC Silver, Star Alliance Gold, Flying Blue Gold
Posts: 123
Thanks ABZIC.
US Pre-clearance makes a huge difference in terms of time saved.
If you intend to hire a car in Orlando, have a look at Avis. If you join their Avis Preferred scheme, you avoid the queue at the rental desk. Go directly to the garage (a few steps from the terminal), there's a big screen displaying Preferred member's names and the number of the space where the car is parked. Get into the car, check out at the exit and off you go. It's as simple as that.
Enjoy the trip!
US Pre-clearance makes a huge difference in terms of time saved.
If you intend to hire a car in Orlando, have a look at Avis. If you join their Avis Preferred scheme, you avoid the queue at the rental desk. Go directly to the garage (a few steps from the terminal), there's a big screen displaying Preferred member's names and the number of the space where the car is parked. Get into the car, check out at the exit and off you go. It's as simple as that.
Enjoy the trip!
Nov 6, 2013, 2:50 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Manchester,UK and NYC
Programs: One Pass, BAEC, AA
Posts: 708
I was going to do a trip report for DUB-BOS, but it would simply be a duplicate of Pat Jordan's excellent write up.
The on board crew were just fantastic - the meals are nicely presented. I would comment that the Filet steak is cooked WELL DONE. For those who do prefer their meats with some red in the middle, perhaps consider another choice.
The on board crew were just fantastic - the meals are nicely presented. I would comment that the Filet steak is cooked WELL DONE. For those who do prefer their meats with some red in the middle, perhaps consider another choice.
Nov 7, 2013, 12:01 am
#5
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM, AA 600k, DL 500k, Hyatt GP 1M, HH Gold, Rad. Gold, CP Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 9,950
Brilliant, pat jordan. Thank you. 
Not sure whether the one minor flaw was due to staffing or organisation. Most airlines first deploy the Coach staff to assist in completing the service up front before they move to the Coach service, even on less than long haul, such as North American transcon. As to being at the zero sum effect, I've never felt abused at the other end of this arrangement.
Not sure whether the one minor flaw was due to staffing or organisation. Most airlines first deploy the Coach staff to assist in completing the service up front before they move to the Coach service, even on less than long haul, such as North American transcon. As to being at the zero sum effect, I've never felt abused at the other end of this arrangement.
Nov 7, 2013, 2:52 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ireland
Programs: No longer bothered chasing FF status.
Posts: 2,345
I would have to chime in here, with a big ^ for EI's Business product.
The service, the food, the attitude of the crew, everything about it is absolutely top class. They really could show the likes of BA's crew & caterers how it should be done. ^
The seat while not lie flat, is perfectly comfortable for the length of flights they operate. However, I believe that a new lie flat product is in the pipeline, which would be super & most welcome especially on the new SFO route, starting up next year.
Sadly though, I've seen that their fares in "Discounted Business" are creeping up considerably in the past few months. MCO, a route we've flown with them a couple of times, is now much more expensive, even at the "base, booked months in advance fare". In fact it is over double what we paid previously.
DUB-BOS similarly so !
We had an EI/B6 itinerary booked (DUB-BWI) for later this month, that we had to cancel due to the 137 DUB-BOS flight being dropped from the schedule. Now when I look at the booking engine for DUB-BOS flights for next year for a future trip, I see that the fares are considerably more expensive than what we had paid back in August, when we booked the now cancelled trip for later this month.
So there's a definite ratcheting up of the fares going on. Which is a real shame, as they had a win, win, situation, with a truly super product at a very competitive fare. A fare that despite being a restricted business class fare, brought with it a large degree of flexibility, when compared to the totally restricted / non-refundable fares offered by other airlines, such as BA's "I class" CW fare. Sadly now, the financial portion of their competitive edge, has narrowed somewhat
Still though, it's a truly great Business class product ^
The service, the food, the attitude of the crew, everything about it is absolutely top class. They really could show the likes of BA's crew & caterers how it should be done. ^
The seat while not lie flat, is perfectly comfortable for the length of flights they operate. However, I believe that a new lie flat product is in the pipeline, which would be super & most welcome especially on the new SFO route, starting up next year.
Sadly though, I've seen that their fares in "Discounted Business" are creeping up considerably in the past few months. MCO, a route we've flown with them a couple of times, is now much more expensive, even at the "base, booked months in advance fare". In fact it is over double what we paid previously.
DUB-BOS similarly so !
We had an EI/B6 itinerary booked (DUB-BWI) for later this month, that we had to cancel due to the 137 DUB-BOS flight being dropped from the schedule. Now when I look at the booking engine for DUB-BOS flights for next year for a future trip, I see that the fares are considerably more expensive than what we had paid back in August, when we booked the now cancelled trip for later this month.
So there's a definite ratcheting up of the fares going on. Which is a real shame, as they had a win, win, situation, with a truly super product at a very competitive fare. A fare that despite being a restricted business class fare, brought with it a large degree of flexibility, when compared to the totally restricted / non-refundable fares offered by other airlines, such as BA's "I class" CW fare. Sadly now, the financial portion of their competitive edge, has narrowed somewhat
Still though, it's a truly great Business class product ^
Last edited by kered; Nov 7, 2013 at 3:02 am