Your Weekend Travel made its way to Europe and detailed the experience of flying from New York to Amsterdam aboard Aer Lingus.The trip was broken up into two flights, one flight was nonstop from New York to Dublin and the other was from Dublin to Amsterdam.The overall trip experience was very good. We highly recommend using Aer Lingus for flying to Europe. In this flight review, we will separately review the flight from each leg, analyzing the best qualities and some of the not-so-great aspects of the trip.Planning and Booking our Flight from New York to AmsterdamThe story of booking our flight to Amsterdam was very interesting. We initially booked a flight on Condor Airlines direct from New York to Frankfurt, Germany. We were then supposed to fly on Lufthansa Airlines from Frankfurt to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. However, on the way to JFK Airport, we received an email from Condor Airlines saying that our flight to Frankfurt was delayed due to a pending transit strike in Germany. It became very clear that we were most likely going to be missing our connecting flight to Amsterdam and be stuck in Germany.We took action immediately and decided to purchase a new flight on Aer Lingus at the last moment. They were the only airline with seats available on a flight that would get us to Amsterdam on time, not affecting some of our planned activities.In-flight Experience from New York to Dublin on Aer LingusSeating on Aer Lingus Airbus A330 Since we purchased our flight last minute, we were unfortunately relegated to the middle seats in the middle column of the Airbus A330.We were flying in economy class which is set up as a 2 - 4 - 2 on the Aer Lingus Airbus A330.The seats were our biggest complaint about our entire journey to Dublin. They were very small and uncomfortable. The legroom was very minimal. Our backs and body ached towards the end of the flight. We looked forward to getting off the airplane to stretch our legs out fully.Flight Conditions from New York to DublinBesides the issues with the seating, the flight was smooth and pleasant. We had a long taxi at JFK airport, which is typical. We took off successfully even after a noticeable bang just as we lifted which sounded like it came from the landing gear. It must have been baggage shifting in the cargo hold.But after takeoff, there were hardly any bumps or turbulence. In-flight amenities on Aer LingusFree Blankets, Pillows, and HeadphonesOn arrival to our seats, Aer Lingus provides everyone with a pillow and blanket. Since it was a red-eye flight, it was nice of them to provide these especially if you planned on getting some sleep on the way.They also provided headphone jacks for use in their flight entertainment system. More to come on that.Complementary Meal Service - Dinner & BreakfastWhen we approached our cruise altitude, Aer Lingus began their meal service. You have three options, chicken, salmon, or vegetation. We tried the chicken option.The dish tasted very good. It was grilled chicken in red sauce, with rice. There also was a piece of bread, chocolate mousse dessert, and a carton of water. As we approached Dublin, they gave us another complementary meal, this time it was a muffin and orange juice. The orange juice was some of the best-tasting juice I’ve ever had. But it was nice they were able to give us two complementary meals on our flight.Flight Entertainment CenterEach seat had an inflight entertainment system. It had lots of options including movies, tv shows, music, podcasts, and games. Throughout the flight I mostly watched the flight tracking map, but tried to watch the movie “Amsterdam” but halfway through had a hard time following the plot and gave up.The only gripe about the entertainment system was the headphone jack ports. They didn’t seem to work too well, as sometimes you had to adjust your headphone wire in the port to ensure the sound comes out of each headphone.On-time performanceA great thing about our flight to Dublin was that we arrived well ahead of schedule. The flight was supposed to have us landing in Dublin a quarter after 4 am Irish Time. However, we landed close to an hour earlier than expected at around 3:30 am Irish time. This was important to us because it eliminated the worry of missing our connecting flight. With the earlier-than-anticipated arrival, we now had plenty of time to wait before they started boarding our next flight.Arrival Experience at Dublin AirportOur route took us right off the coast of Iceland and down to Ireland.It was very dark out and since we were in the middle column of seats, it was hard to get a good view out of the window.From what we did see, it was cloudy, damp, and misty outside. Our plane slowed down, the cabin crew prepared the passengers for landing and we touched down in what we can consider one of the best landings we’ve ever experienced. The pilot put the Airbus down very softly and we came to a very quick stop.We had a 5-minute taxi from the runway to the terminal. Once we deplaned, we were ushered to our connecting flight, and with one scan of our boarding pass, we were waiting at our gate. Overall, it was a pleasant arrival experience.In-flight Experience from Dublin to Amsterdam on Aer LingusOur connecting flight was also on Aer Lingus and it was service from Dublin to Amsterdam. It was about 6 am Irish Time and the flight was scheduled to get us into Amsterdam Schipol Airport at around 8 am Irish Time.It was a relatively short flight which was truly welcomed as we began to feel drained from the overnight transatlantic flight. Our aircraft was an Airbus A320 which has always been a personal favorite to fly on.Overall Flight ExperienceConsiderably Crowded Flight to AmsterdamThe flight to Amsterdam was surprisingly crowded on an early Sunday morning. It could have been a result of it being spring break and Amsterdam is a popular tourist attraction to the 18 - 30-year-old audience.We were seated towards the back of the plane with seats across the aisle. We noticed there was one empty row in the back, and after the flight attendants ensured everyone was accounted for on the flight, we politely asked to move to the empty row, which they obliged.Our Departure from DublinOn pushback and engine start, there was this very pronounced smell of jet fuel. Not sure if was because we were flying on an older Airbus A320 or if someone mishandled and spill jet fuel on the tarmac.It was a short taxi to the runway and we were off to Amsterdam. We had a beautiful morning view of Dublin as we climbed out.Cruising Over the United KingdomOnce we reached cruising altitude over the Irish Sea, the cabin crew provided some water and coffee. That was just about it since it was too short of a flight to have a full breakfast entree at the ready.We flew over Liverpool, Manchester, and London. I noticed on several occasions how much air traffic was with us by looking at the contrails and even some of the close calls. On at least two occasions we were within a few miles of an oncoming aircraft. Close enough to make out what airline the plane was.It was a very cloudy flight for the most part, we were basically out of view of the ground and sea from Dublin until we started our descent into Amsterdam over the English Channel. We were provided a quick glimpse of ferry traffic heading into the mainland of Europe.Arrival experience at Amsterdam Schipol AirportApproach and Arrival at Amsterdam Airport SchipholOnce we broke through the cloud layer descending into Amsterdam, we saw views of The Hague and the Netherland shoreline. We were then again dipping inside and out of clouds until we were fully enveloped in a cloud layer.We were on final for landing and broke out of the cloud bank only a mere hundred feet above the runway threshold and landed a bit roughly. The views coming out of the cloud layer were beautiful with the Green Netherland grass being the first thing the eye saw.The aircraft taxied quickly to the gate. We were deplaned and made our way to Netherland Customs. Getting Through Customs at Amsterdam Airport SchipholThe experience in customs was extremely efficient. There were 6 counters where people could get their passports stamped. The line was very long but we got through customs within 15 to 20 minutes.After we passed through customs, we went to the baggage claim to find our bags. We then had to catch an Uber to get us to Amsterdam. Amsterdam Schipol Airport looks like a shopping mall, it has very high ceilings and many stores that you can shop in. Overall, the arrival experience was very pleasant as well.Final Thoughts on Aer Lingus Flight from New York to AmsterdamOur flight experience from New York to Amsterdam on Aer Lingus was a pretty good one considering the trouble we could have gotten into flying to Germany as our original plan suggested.Flying transatlantic from New York to Dublin was great. The entire Aer Lingus staff made the flight very smooth and headache free.The flight out of Dublin to Amsterdam did the trick as well. We arrived on time. If given the option to fly again on Aer Lingus, we definitely would and recommend you do the same!
