it often takes one bad customer service experience for me to hate a company, but Aer Lingus managed to make me love it with one amazing experience. i should note that it’s been more than a decade since my only previous transatlantic flight, but based on my continental experiences with domestic carriers, i’m gonna guess they’re not all this good.
here’s how the green-tipped plane won me over … 1. every seat on the plane came equipped with a blanket, a pillow, earphones and a personal on-demand entertainment system at no extra cost. 2. when departure was delayed on account of o’hare shutting down for the arrival of air force one, the attendants turned on the entertainment systems. 3. when the flight was further delayed by a severe thunderstorm, the attendants served everyone water. 4. when the flight was further delayed by a tornado warning, the attendants served snack sandwiches and orange juice. 5. when an unexpected but apparently narrow window for departure opened, the crew managed to get 45 rows worth of airbus passengers ready for takeoff in about three minutes. 6. during the entire delay, the crew provided regular updates of the situation, even if the news wasn’t good. 7. the entire crew was completely friendly at all times.
maybe it’s a testament to the laid-back nature of the irish, but despite the circumstances of an indefinite delay, the passengers were calm and mostly content the entire time. the round of applause at takeoff was as much for the crew as it was for the actual departure.
june 22, 2011, dublin airport, dublin, ireland
