Aer Lingus Rip Off
Aer Lingus are becoming the biggest rip off airline in the world. They are a scum bag company - I used to think that Ryan Air were bad, however now this scum are the worst.
They automatically add travel insurance to your ticket - you have to make sure that you find the place on the second or third page of the booking form and un-click the travel insurance option. This type of selling is immoral - they know better, but it seems that just can’t help being complete rip off merchants.
Now it is even worse.
If you want to chose your seat in advance, which has been a free option until now, you have to pay. My God now you have to pay for your seat on the plane - rip off, the actual ticket price does not cover booking a seat anymore. This was a free service and it made life easier for them - so what they have done is make people get used to booking their seat - and now they jump down and ram up the ticket price.
This illustrate how they are able to lie about their ticket prices in adverts. The European Union have been trying without much success to get companies like this to tell the real truth about the cost of tickets in their advert - and they find some other way to rip off you their customer. Booking a seat in advance now costs between €3 and €15 - taking the piss.
And what can we do about it…
Well not a lot it seems - write reviews like this - get them as much bad publicity as possible - it does seem to be the only thing that hurts - so get writing.
Comments: 11
- Airlines - Liars or Just Good Business?
- European English…
- AerLingus Aggressively Sells Insurance
- British Airways
- Being an expat
Comments
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Time: May 13, 2008, 10:11 am
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Comment from paul - problogger
Time: May 13, 2008, 10:45 am
It’s been like this for a bit.
You are paying for the convince and piece of mind, knowing that you will be sitting beside your partner, being at the top of the plane, or having an exit row.
paul
Comment from Admin
Time: May 13, 2008, 10:49 am
I had my last flight about four weeks ago and had booked 4/5 weeks before that - so I just discovered the change.
Just make the price transparent is all I ask for and stop lying in the adverts.
Comment from paul - problogger
Time: May 13, 2008, 11:21 am
Well I think the charge was there since last year, it was at Christmas when I flew with them. Actually here is the press release from April 2007.
Comment from jedrzej
Time: May 13, 2008, 11:32 am
I must say that I never could and still can’t understand this kind of moaning.
Ok - they add insurance automatically. It’s a lousy move, but not a rip off.
They made choosing your seat a paid service - so what? Lousy move again, but this has nothing to do with life, rip offs or whatever.
They lie in ads. And? Don’t fly with them, if you want to punish them.
Regards 
Comment from Admin
Time: May 13, 2008, 11:33 am
How did I miss this on all my other flights - I have flown with them about ten times during the last year - ah man I hate when I am so late to the party.
Comment from paul - problogger
Time: May 13, 2008, 11:38 am
I think they make it look more like you have to book the seat now, i.e. along the lines of the insurance. Thread on ABM
Comment from Longman Oz
Time: May 13, 2008, 12:02 pm
A few things:
(1) This system has been in place for quite some time now alright. I remember being somewhat cross about it when it was first brought in, but it came as no surprise at the same time.
(2) If you check in online, you can book your seat for free (!) then. This is what I do.
(3) My experience is that only the first 8-10 rows or so tend to be pre-booked by business people travelling without bags in the hold, etc. and just wanting to get off quickly. If your concern is simply a question of sitting beside your travel partner(s), I have never found this to be a problem, unless you turn up really late to check in.
(4) While I fully agree that the pricing of tickets has become quite far-fetched in terms of initial pricing / ultimate pricing, Aer Lingus staff on the craft / ground remain some of the nicest people that you meet when flying. I think that this represents a company ethos that has survived all of the turmoil of the past decade. Consequently, I would not call them a scumbag company without clarifying that remark somewhat.
(5) You presumably mean “in your opinion, the approach of Aer Lingus when it comes to advertising, could be considered a form of lying”?
Comment from Leslie
Time: May 13, 2008, 12:22 pm
So I have always checked in online - that is the problem this morning - just don’t know how I ended up there and where I would be normally, anyway…
Yes, some clarification. The staff I have dealt with at Aer Lingus are generally very helpful - man I don’t want to hurt myself on that one - that includes booking in and on the plane.
Scumbag refers to the people who make these stupid decisions about not being transparent about pricing. Is it not better public relations to stand up saying we want everyone to publish the full cost of flying on a route? Be the one leading the pack instead they resort to underhand selling practices.
As for the pricing - it is lying - and I am in good company with the EU trying to force transparent pricing.
Comment from Longman Oz
Time: May 13, 2008, 12:44 pm
I guess that I would draw a distinction between a distinct lack of transparency in the upfront price charged and what I would consider to be outright and deliberate lying.
For me, the latter would be if an airline was EXPLICITLY saying that the upfront price IS the cost knowing full well that it would then be lumping the customer with a whole bunch of extra costs afterwards. As far as I know, they make no such statement.
Indeed, while I do not have an advertisement to hand, I imagine that there is a “terms and conditions apply” worked in somewhere. The standard catch-all CYA!
Comment from Emilia
Time: June 30, 2008, 8:19 am
I like your writing, whatever the subject. The serious life in Japan make me hungry for spiritual/humorous debauchery.
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