On the aer lingus site they say they only allow one piece of carry on luggage and give the size and weight. They do not say anything about a 'personal item'. I know carriers like easyjet really mean ONE bag - your purse, computer, etc must fit inside it. And they clearly state this on their website. But I've never known a transatlantic flight to not allow a small personal item as well as the 'one bag'. Has anyone flown Aer Lingus recently that could clarify this for me? Thanks

Never mind, their baggage rules are in two different places and in the second place it does say you can bring a personal item.

We are flying with them in May to Paris for first time....are they ok?

sure, they're a regular national airline that has been around for years and years. I flew them once NYC to Ireland, perfectly normal flight as far as I remember. One thing that was nice was that the luggage was delayed a day upon arrival (not their fault as I recall, I had a tight connection, it was the connecting airline's fault as they were late), and they paid without any question some expenses I submitted for things I had to buy that one day. Now I didn't ask for much as I had a carryon, but I did have to buy a new pair of shoes as I had a "nice" dinner out planned in a restaurant and was wearing sneakers on board. They paid for that without any question, which I thought was nice as one could argue that wasn't an emergency.

We have been on Aer Lingus twice. Both times, my husband and I each had carry on bags (small backpacks) and I had a pocketbook. We checked our luggage. We found the flights to be comfortable and pleasant.

Advice to musicians - avoid Aer Lingus Regional Flights (run by Aer Arann). My wife and I have flown Aer Lingus for years and have always regarded them as a quality carrier who would allow a violin (thin, but longer than hand-luggage allowance, but goes under a standard seat). Just told by baggage (reservations didn't know and Aer Lingus DOESN'T HAVE a customer services call centre!) that this isn't allowed. Have to book a seat or check-in. So, Aer Lingus are now offering a poor RyanAir style service. Sad news. Oh - and NO REFUNDS on a low fare. Terrible service.

So because they will not agree in advance to your breaking their rules, you feel entitled to condemn Aer Lingus?

AL have been forced by competitive pressure to adopt a busines model similar to that of Ryanair. But I have yet to experience their staff take the tough attitude that some Ryanair staff take. The chances of your turning up with a standard violin case and experiencing a problem are just about non-existent. Just don't expect them to commit in writing to allowing you to break their rules.

We've flown Aer Lingus several times from Chicago to Dublin and it has always been pleasant. Best fares around. Just booked them again today for a trip in June. I carry on a bag and a small purse and have never had a problem.