Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Aer Lingus's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Aer Lingus

  300 Jericho Quadrangle Ste 130 Jericho, NY 11753-2716

• 

  Aer Lingus

  10000 Bessie Coleman Dr Ohare Airport Chicago, IL 60666

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/08/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a round trip ticket for May 2020, so I could return home for my Father's funeral. Covid travel restrictions prevented me from going to the funeral, and Aer Lingus allowed me to travel at a later date, but when I attempted to use the travel credit, they limited usage to the end of October 2021, and at that time Covid restrictions meant I couldn't fly until November 2021, when restrictions to and form ****** were lifted. All i want is to use the money I have already paid Aer Lingus (via Expedia) towards another flight.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/07/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked flights for 5 people on Aer Lingus from ** to ******. The departing flight was on August 22nd (flight EI 118) and the return flight was on August 28th (EI119). These flights were over **** per person. We arrived at the airport and the gate was filled with Aer Lingus flight attendants (as expected). Upon boarding the plane, we were informed that the Aer Lingus aircraft was unavailable and we would be flying Wamos Air. ********************* was horrible, we had Wamos flight attendants (that did not know what was going on), they charged us for drinks that were said to be complimentary and they were generally unhelpful throughout the flight. This was a 7+ hour flight and the in-flight entertainment system did not work. We were under the assumption this was a one-off situation given what the Aer Lingus representative said but when it was time to fly back we were informed once we boarded the plane that the Aer Lingus aircraft was unavailable and we would yet again fly Wamos Air. The inflight entertainment system didn't work, we arrived late and the pilot announced that were landing in a different airport than we actually were. Beyond the inconveniences on the flight, this was extremely deceiving of Aer Lingus. We were not made aware of the change in airline until after boarding the plane. Aer Lingus has completely ignored all my attempts to contact them. I feel that ********************* I had was of way less value than what I paid and partial reimbursement is necessary.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On August 20, 2022 I purchased 2 round ******** fares to ******, Ireland via Aer Lingus. The fare I chose is called "Smart Fare". If needing to cancel your flight, as stated on their website, "... Smart Fares are eligible for a voucher refund once it is requested NO LESS THAN 2 HOURS before your scheduled departure date. This information is found under theirs tabs: "SUPPORT" 'BOOKING" "FLEXIBILITY (or) CANCELING YOUR BOOKING". Under, "I want to cancel my flight" it lists Transatlantic flights and specifically has that information on "Smart Fares".On March 20th, 2023 I needed to cancel our trip. This was 5 days before our schedule departure. Which is within their "2 hour" stipulation. I requested a voucher refund. This was denied, telling me that the cancellation policy is 14 days prior to departure. This was debated with a customer rep, and then asked for a copy of that policy to be provided. They refused. This trip was planned with another couple. She (*************************) handled the communications with Aer Lingus. Eventually (three days after Contact 6 became involved), she was given a full voucher refund as a "medical consideration". This took 5 months of requests to Aer Lingus, which ******************* did on my behalf also as we both cancelled our trips with 5 days notice. They have still denied my voucher request, still citing a 14 day cancellation policy. This would have been my 7th trip to Ireland, flying with Aer Lingus. I'm an experienced traveler, and have even obtained a refund voucher for another trip that was cancelled and later re-booked. I'm familiar with the process. I would like Aer Lingus to honor the information on their website stating a voucher within a 2 hour cancellation with Smart Fare.In frustration, I no longer have my total cost information. I've requested this from Aer Lingus (it would be in my case), but they haven't replied.. My case number is #******** and flight #******.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  8/12/2023 I called Aer Lingus to request a *********They said they would confirm. I also requested a specific seat, and they charged me for those seats.The seat I requested was not given to me, but a different seat. No big deal.8/13/2023 I called Aer Lingus back, and asked to move the seat to the right seat.They said they could not.The gentleman on the phone said "It" was not confirmed. I asked him to clarify what it is.He said he does not have time to talk to me all day and explain everything to me.Then he hung up.We called back and spoke to a woman who seemingly threatened to cancel our flight, and made it sound like we were bothering her by calling.This is horrible service. I can't believe something like this could even happen.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Aer Lingus regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked an Aer Lingus flight from ******** to ************ with an afternoon connection in ****** through the Aer Lingus website. The flight from ****** to ************ (EI0115) was unexpectedly canceled less than an hour before scheduled departure at 16:20. No prior notifications were given. The airline said they will reach out with information about the next available flight. This never happened. Aer Lingus proved unreachable by phone and unresponsive on whatsapp. It was critical for me to arrive in ************, if not the same day, at least by the end of the next day, to reunite with my children. After spending a sleepless night trying to reach an agent, I had to walk to the airline counter when the desks opened at the airport at 4:30, just to speak to someone.The Aer Lingus agent I spoke to booked me on an American Airlines flight to ************ with a connection in ****** the next day. When I landed in ********, an American Airlines representative informed me that Aer Lingus has mistakenly booked me on a non-existent flight (a flight that "wasn't going", to use their words) and that it was Are Lingus' problem, not theirs. The boarding pass to ************ that I was issued by Aer Lingus in ****** apparently wasn't valid. I was told to leave the terminal, take a bus, walk for over an hour through passport control to another distant terminal, to speak to Aer Lingus representatives in ******. After much effort, they managed to put me on a United flight to ****** (***), which is about 115km away from ************ where I live. To get home, I had to take a taxi (costing $135.63). No other reasonable transportation options were available, since the train would haven taken much longer than the taxi and would have cost more, given the last minute booking. I am asking Aer Lingus to provide me with the *** 600 compensation to which I am entitled under ** Regulation 261/2004 and to reimburse me for my taxi ride from ****** to ************ ($135.63).

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/28/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  One bag (File ref **********, BagTag ********) is still missing 10 days after the flight. On Jul 18, my family took flight EI381 (London ***->*******), then flight EI111 (*******->***). All three pieces of checked-in baggage were missing.We tried to open a case for this situation at Aer Lingus Baggage Claim desk at *********** around 15:30. Only one desk was open. The clerk was slow (> 40min per custom) to input data to computer. Despite long wait line, the manager ************* was just standing by and doing nothing, or incapable of anything. When we complained and asked for supervisor, his response was quite rude and claim he didn't have any supervisor. Sounds like he is the president of Aer Lingus. After waiting for the clerk for almost 2 hours, we gave up. Just filled a paper form and handed over. A bulletin with instruction and website link will be much helpful than such awful team. Around 2:40AM (really not a good time!) on Jul 19, I got a call from Ireland about my baggage. I reported my three missing bags again on the phone. The form I filled at *********** was probably thrown to trash bin by the team at ***. In multiple calls with Aer Lingus customer service, we were told all 3 bags had been located and would be delivered to us soon. On Jul 23, only two bags were delivered to us. When I contacted Aer Lingus again, I was told that the other bag had been sent to *********** on Jul 19 and it was at ground deliver company site. But that was not the case. Aer Lingus doesn't seem to have an efficient way to track bags. I got different answers from different customer service agents. It turned out that they took "Forwarding Message" about new flight as actual transport. There was no actual load scan or arrival scan.The latest status: Aer Lingus sent request to ********************** to query the baggage on Jul 26, still waiting for response. 2 days and still waiting ...Aer Lingus' service is so disappointing. No wonder 1.18/5 custom reviews on BBB

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/22/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, my complaint, ID ******** regarding Aer Lingus has been resolved.
  

  (By clicking "OK", your complaint will be closed as Resolved.)

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ***

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/24/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I used Avios points to book a flight on Aerlingus. Much to my dismay, once I did that Aerlingus views THEIR PARTNER ***** as a THIRD PARTY travel agent. This means 1) I cannot manage my reservation online 2) as I cannot manage my reservation online, I have to PAY MORE FOR SEATS AND I CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY UPGRADE. This is completely unacceptable. I do NOT view Avios as separate, and I do not recall ANY DISCLOSURES OF THIS LIMIATION WHEN BOOKING MY FLIGHTS VIA AVIOS. This shoudl be illegal as it is misleading to the customers and a money grab for Aerlingus that is PENALIZING customers using thousands of points for their flights. When I call Aerlingus, they refer me to Avios. When I call Avios, they refer me to Aerlingus. I wish I never booked using Avios and will never again. Further, I have asked Aerlingus for a supervisor call back AT LEAST THREE TIMES and Aerlingus just LIES. They never call. It is complete BS and the avios extra charges are fraud. They aren NOT a third-party travel agend.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/21/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  1/2020 we purchased 2 round trip tickets from ****** to ******, *******. Covid forced a cancellation.We were advised we would get a voucher to use our tickets later. Just went to use the voucher and woman states our original reference has someone elses name and email address and she can't find anything under our names and because it was in 2020 they can't access our ticket information. I asked for a Supervisor and she doesn't have one and that isn't their procedure. She will give my phone number to another department. Paid $1170.00 for tickets they couldn't honor due to covid and now they say they don't have any information for us so we can take our vacation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/15/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Aer Lingus regarding complaint ID ********.  However, I repeatedly called back for several days, until I could get through to a different customer service rep for this company.  He was able to help me and provided me with the information I needed to book my flight.  I am concerned the prior customer service representative was trying to scam us out of our airline vouchers.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked a flight on May 23. I had to cancel on May 24 and promptly filed for a voucher. After a call in mid June, an email received June 25 confirmed the voucher was approved for more than $1700.00. The email stated I would receive the issuance via email within seven days which would have been July 2, and a SEPARATE email would contain the **** More than two weeks later nothing. I called customer services and was professional but was hung up on when they couldnt answer why it would take another 7 - 10 days to hear from someone. Which would bring us to two months on from the original cancellation. Completely unacceptable. Is this airline filing for bankruptcy? It is very upsetting because I needed to use the funds to book another trip this evening.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/09/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Booking: ****** Refund Case ID: ******** 6/11/23: Booked a Saver Fare flight with Aer Lingus for $1563.57. 6/28/2023: Called Aer Lingus US support, spoke with representative. I inquired about my refund options if I upgraded my fare. The representative advised: that even with an upgraded, I could not get a cash refund; but, if I upgraded to Smart Fare, I could get a voucher refund for the entire cost of my original ticket. I asked to clarify-- the whole amount? All $1563.57, not just the taxes? The representative reiterated his response, that yes, I the refund voucher would be for the whole ticket amount, The representative offered to do this process on the phone for me, but I elected to wait as I needed to decide if I wanted to. Later that day, on June 28, 2023, I payed Aer Lingus $389.00 (using their website) to upgrade my ticket to the Smart Fare option. The same day, I submitted a refund voucher request. I acted based on the Aer Lingus' representatives verbal commitment that Aer Lingus would provide me with a refund voucher, as long as I upgraded to a Smart Fare first. On July 9, 2023, Aer Lingus responded to my voucher request with the following message:"Upon review of your booking, we have determined that you do not qualify for the refund you requested, as per the terms and conditions of the fare you purchased originally is a Saver Fare. Only the fare difference eligible for a voucher."I responded to this message reitirating what I wrote in this complaint-- that their customer support representative advised me that I could upgrade and get a refund voucher as included with a Smart Fare pass, regardless of my original purchase, and that this refund voucher would be worth the cost of my entire original ticket, to be used within the next 5 years ($1563.37).

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/03/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Aer Lingus regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************************