Aer Lingus opens its new Dublin lounge and delays the launch of its Manchester to US routes
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Aer Lingus has unveiled its refurbished lounge in Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport.
Features include new ‘seating pods’, wireless charging points, contactless food and drink ordering and access to newspapers and magazines via PressReader.
The food and drink service seems poorer than that offered by British Airways at Heathrow. The promo video for the lounge only talks of ‘salads and sandwiches’. Instead of having your food brought to your seat, it must be collected from a pick-up point.
The lounge is open daily from 4.15am to 9pm. You find it by taking the escalator down once you have passed through the shopping area and then turning right.
You can can watch a 1 minute video of the new lounge via this Twitter post. I haven’t embedded it as it would not work for our email readers.
You can find out more on the ‘Lounges’ page of aerlingus.com here.
Can British Airways passengers use the new Aer Lingus Dublin lounge?
Aer Lingus is not in the oneworld alliance, despite being a sister company to British Airways and Iberia. This means that British Airways Executive Club status members do not have a right to use the lounge.
However, British Airways Executive Club Gold and Silver members travelling to Heathrow or Gatwick on Aer Lingus are allowed in. You are not allowed in if you are travelling on any other UK routes.
No official photographs have been released to the media and there have been no media visits. Hopefully we can take a look before too long.
Aer Lingus delays its new routes from Manchester …. again
Unsurprisingly, but still disappointingly, Aer Lingus has bowed to the inevitable and announced a further delay in the launch of its direct flights from Manchester to North America.
These are non-stop routes and do not go via Ireland. They use aircraft which are currently not required for the reduced Aer Lingus long-haul schedule being operated from Dublin.
The plan was to launch the following from Manchester:
- New York, daily from 29th July
- Orlando, 5x weekly (Thu-Mon) from 29th July
- Barbados, 3x weekly (Wed/Fri/Sun) from 20th October
Boston had also been announced from Summer 2022.
In terms of planned aircraft:
- New York is on a single-aisle A321LR
- Orlando is on a standard two-aisle A330-300
- Barbados is on a standard two-aisle A330-300
The A321LR business class cabin – the A330 is very similar – is decent, especially for solo travellers, and is shown above.
The dates were originally pushed back to September for New York and Orlando, with Barbados remaining on track for 20th October.
Irish news outlet RTE has reported a revised launch plan:
- New York will now launch on 1st December
- Orlando will now launch on 11th December
- Barbados will launch as planned on 20th October
- Boston is still planned to launch in Summer 2022
Passengers booked for October / November are being offered a full refund, re-accommodation on an alternative service or the option of an Aer Lingus voucher with an additional 10% bonus added.
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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2025)
Here are the five options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.
The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.
You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges. Our American Express Platinum review is here.
You can apply here.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.
Additional lounge visits are charged at £24. You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.
There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus. Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network. Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.
The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer. Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard
A good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review
Got a small business?
If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.
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