Aer Lingus are extending their well regarded transatlantic business class seat to European flights. Arguably, this means Aer Lingus will have one of the best European business class seats in the market.
New Airbus A321LR aircraft will feature these so called sleeper seats. Prime European business routes will see the new jets, which are being used in between transatlantic crossings.
European Business Class Seat
Seating will be exactly the same as that offered on the current Airbus A330 and Boeing 757 fleet. With ample storage, inflight entertainment and the ability to lie-flat, it is very comfortable.
Looking at the seating plan available when booking a flight on the Aer Lingus web site shows a similar configuration to above. Single seats in row 3 and row 5 will be coveted by solo travellers, as they are today.
Economy class passengers won’t be left out either, as they will have an international standard seat on these flights. It will be a huge upgrade over the current Aer Lingus short haul cabins which are basic to say the least.
How Much Will It Cost?
The Irish carrier offers three types of fares on short haul flights. Saver is bare bones and is just your ticket with a carry on bag. Plus allows a 20 kilogram checked bag, priority boarding and seat selection. Advantage features the same as Plus, along with lounge access, priority security and flexibility.
People purchasing both Saver and Plus fares will need to fork out €74.99 for the premium seats. They are included free on Advantage fares, which makes sense as these are the most expensive. Is it worth it for a 1 hour and 45 minute flight to Paris? Time will tell.
Overall Thoughts
Speaking of Paris, this is one of the routes to get the aircraft. Mornings in December show Airbus A321LR on both the 06:40 and 08:00 departures from Dublin. London and other stations will also see the aircraft in Europe.
Service in the front seats will not be any different to the rest of the aircraft, with one important point. The items from the buy on board menu will be provided free.
Aer Lingus are improving the utilisation of the aircraft using them this way. Also, connecting transatlantic business class passengers will experience a much more consistent product on to their final destinations.
Would you pay €74.99 for seat selection on a flight? I know I’d be tempted. What do you think of Aer Lingus doing this? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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All images via Aer Lingus.
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Get them while you can, I believe this is just an interim fare structure until Aer Lingus unveil their official European Business Class fare and product for A321LR flights. Until then, Aer Lingus have simply duplicated the A330 seat fees we see on Malaga and Faro for the initial A321LR operations.
Now that’s interesting. Where did you hear this? I could see it going that way, but I could also see it remaining as it is. The reason is UK Air Passenger Duty, which is higher for business class passengers. Selling an economy ticket with a better seat is arguably not going to trigger the business class APD for flights from the UK. I’ll be interested to see if it does become some kind of business class in name as well, along with pricing if so. I did note on that A321LR seat map, there are some other coloured seats which… Read more »
[…] (Tip of the hat to The Flight Detective) […]