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Aer Lingus releases details of new lie-flat seats for your Avios redemptions

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I reported back in April that the Aer Lingus CEO had told the media that the airline was planning to introduce lie-flat seating.  There was no further information given apart from a hint that San Francisco would be the first route to get the new seats – a logical choice given the distance.

Aer Lingus has now launched a website highlighting the new seat.

There is even a video:

It looks pretty darn good especially the solo seats by the windows in certain rows.  The bed is 6 foot 5 inches which should keep most people happy, and all seats face forward.  Your feet slot under the seat in front when the seat is in bed mode which allows the airline to maximise the number of seats.

Note, too, that business class passengers will receive free in-air wifi!  BA becomes less attractive by the minute ….

Aer Lingus is, of course, a British Airways redemption partner.  Dublin to Boston is possibly the best Avios redemption you can do, coming in at just 50,000 Avios return in business class or 25,000 Avios return in economy.

Taxes and surcharges are generally around £75 return, saving almost £500 per person on a comparable BA Club World redemption – although you need to get yourself to Dublin of course.

You will also clear US immigration in Dublin, allowing you to land as a domestic passenger and walk straight out of the airport – potentially saving you an hour queuing in Passport Control.

Full details of how and where to redeem on Aer Lingus can be found in this Avios Redemption University article.  You cannot book online and you cannot even search for availability online – the Qantas website shows some Aer Lingus reward seats but that does not match what BA can access.

The airline has historically made two business class seats available per flight for redemption.  Given that the new business class cabins looks large – the video implies that the current 24-seat business class cabin will be expanded to 32 seats – I am hopeful that this situation will not change.

The only downside from this news is that the launch date has slipped from 2014 to March 2015 – but it looks worth the wait.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

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Barclaycard Avios card

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There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

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The Platinum Card from American Express

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We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

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You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

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American Express Business Gold

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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

Category

Aer Lingus and AerClub

Comments (41)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Dominic says:
    12 Aug12 August 06:33

    Remind me… Can you earn as well as burn on EI?

    • tony says:
      12 Aug12 August 07:26

      Yes you do earn miles on EI. IIRC it’s 125% for a business class ticket.

      Service & food is streets ahead of BA CW, and they have run some very aggressive sale fares from the UK in the past, too.

  • Nick says:
    12 Aug12 August 07:20

    I agree Rob, it looks nice.

  • Richie says:
    12 Aug12 August 07:44

    Looks much better than their previous product. Handy for me aswell with Cambridge airport flights to Dublin for £99 return. Free parking at Cambridge too!

    • Felix Flyer says:
      12 Aug12 August 08:12

      Thanks for the tip about Cambridge airport. Handy for me too. Only downside for me about Aer Lingus is that we are a family of 3.

    • DeltaCharlie says:
      12 Aug12 August 13:23

      Another Cambridge resident here, and been contemplating a Boston trip for a while………….

      • Richie says:
        12 Aug12 August 17:04

        Exactly my thinking.
        I used Darwin to fly to Amsterdam and it was an ok experience. Only me and one other on the plane. I keep hearing the adverts on the radio so let’s hope it becomes popular and flights continue.

        • Rob says:
          12 Aug12 August 17:58

          Don’t forget to claim those Etihad miles – you can cash them out via PointsPay for money at 0.41p per mile ….

  • Paul says:
    12 Aug12 August 08:07

    BA will need to address this issue pretty soon. They must be losing a lot of customers.

    • callum says:
      12 Aug12 August 12:34

      To Aer Lingus, I highly doubt it. What makes you say that?

      • John says:
        12 Aug12 August 15:28

        Stand in Dublin airport any morning and watch increasing numbers of connecting (often premium) passengers from Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester etc heading for their US customs cleared transatlantic flights and you’ll understand.

        I’m sure ex-EI CEO Willie Walsh does! But then he’s lumbered with Heathrow and insane taxes (and self-inflicted charges)

  • Steve says:
    12 Aug12 August 08:42

    We have just come back from Orlando with Aer Lingus. Dublin is far more convenient for us, as our nearest Airport is Manchester. BA was always a none starter as they have stopped there flights from Manchester to Gatwick

  • BD says:
    12 Aug12 August 08:53

    At the moment all the A330 fleet has 24 seats. With the new seat this will change. The -200s will retain 24 seats and the -300 fleet will expand to 30 seats.
    The 757s (all SNN routes, Toronto and selected winter DUB-JFK flights) will retain their current 12 seat “almost” lie-flat seat. This seems to be the seat VS used prior to Upper Class Suite. These do have AVOD, but no WiFi.

  • Rick T says:
    12 Aug12 August 09:14

    Can you not add on a Heathrow (or wherever) connection to DUB as part of a redemption booking?

    • Adam says:
      12 Aug12 August 09:22

      If you could, would that mean it was an ex-UK flight resulting in you losing the benefit of lower taxes/avoiding APD?

      • Rob says:
        12 Aug12 August 09:28

        You would have to pay APD which adds £170 or so, and of course the extra flight would cost 9,000 Avios return. You still would not pay a fuel surcharge.

        • tony says:
          12 Aug12 August 10:15

          So presumably the best thing to do with a redemption is book DUB-USA-DUB-UK, then grab a cheap flight over to Ireland the night before. The Radisson is solid enough and is walking distance from the terminal.

          • Rob says:
            12 Aug12 August 11:47

            If booking UK Dublin on Aer Lingus I would be happy doing it same day – even though it is not the same ticket, Aer Lingus would take moral responsibility for helping you out.

  • nick says:
    12 Aug12 August 10:35

    This is exciting – some rare good news for long haul avios redemptions. Fantastic!

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