Aer Lingus’ AerSpace Seats On Europe Flights: Worth The Premium?

During my Aer Lingus & Iberia A321XLR adventure, the highlight, of course, was crossing the Atlantic on two A321XLRs. However, I also had a new (to me) intra-Europe experience, which I want to talk in this post.

Specifically, between Dublin (DUB) and Madrid (MAD), I flew Aer Lingus’ AerSpace product. What is this, exactly, and is it worth it? I’ll share some thoughts on that in this post, and then soon, I’ll have a full review.

The basics of Aer Lingus’ AerSpace product

Historically, Aer Lingus hasn’t offered a business class product on its routes within Europe. While that’s still the case, in 2019, the airline introduced AerSpace, intended to be its premium product on short haul flights. As you’d expect, this is an attempt to increase revenue, and to tap into the demand for premium products.

However, what’s interesting is that this is significantly scaled back compared to your typical intra-Europe business class. So think of it as being somewhere between economy and business class, in terms of quality.

What’s included with Aer Lingus AerSpace tickets

What’s included with Aer Lingus AerSpace tickets? The experience starts on the ground, as you receive free fast track security, as well as lounge access, including to Aer Lingus’ flagship lounge in Dublin. The lounge pass you receive when you book your AerSpace ticket indicates you can access the lounge for up to two hours, though I’m not sure to what extent that’s enforced.

Once onboard, you get a seat in the first row of the cabin of the Airbus A320, with the middle seat blocked, and a dedicated overhead bin.

This means that there are at most four AerSpace seats for sale. Given Aer Lingus’ very tight pitch in standard economy, this does offer a bit more space.

For example, on the flight I took, I was the only person in AerSpace, so I had the whole row to myself. Meanwhile the cabin was otherwise mostly full.

Once airborne, AerSpace passengers receive one complimentary drink (hot, cold, or alcoholic) and one snack (snack, sandwich, or wrap) from the buy on board menu. For example, I chose a canned ice coffee (yay Aer Lingus) and a salt and chilly chicken wrap.

Aer Lingus AerSpace tickets also come with free changes, automatic standby for earlier flights, and the option to refund. Then there’s a carry-on allowance of a 10kg bag and a personal item, plus a checked bag allowance of 20kg.

There’s nothing else exciting about AerSpace. Like, it’s not a dedicated cabin, there’s no curtain, no reserved lavatory, and you’re served in the same way as everyone else, but you’re just not charged for your first drink and snack. For that matter, Aer Lingus’ A320s are super bare bones, with no charging ports, and no Wi-Fi or streaming entertainment.

I’d highly recommend selecting a window seat rather than an aisle seat, as people constantly line up in the aisle to use the bathroom, so that’s not very pleasant for the person sitting in the aisle (especially on a morning flight, where people tend to, you know…).

The one exception worth calling out is that Aer Lingus sometimes operates its long haul configured A321LRs and A321XLRs on flights within Europe. In those situations, the fully flat business class seats are sold as AerSpace, and of course that’s an amazing experience, since it’s a very different product. In those cases, all 16 business class seats are sold as AerSpace seats.

How much Aer Lingus AerSpace tickets cost

Aer Lingus has a tiered fare structure on regional flights, with four options — Saver, Plus, Advantage, and AerSpace — with each fare offering incremental perks. Obviously pricing is dynamic, so varies based on the date, route, etc.

I booked my Aer Lingus AerSpace ticket pretty last minute, so fares were higher than usual. For the flight I was looking at, the Saver fare was €161, the Plus fare was €219, the Advantage fare was €252, and the AerSpace fare was €305.

One thing I notice is that AerSpace pricing tends to be most consistent across flights than the other fare types. That’s to say that if booking far in advance, and if Saver fares are €60, the AerSpace fare is still likely to be around €300. So there’s quite a difference in terms of incremental cost based on the entry level ticket cost.

My take on the value of Aer Lingus’ AerSpace product

Is Aer Lingus’ AerSpace product worth it? As you’d expect, the answer is “it depends.” The way I view it, the biggest factors include the following:

• What’s the price premium for AerSpace over the other fare bundle that you’d book, based on what you need?
• How much do you value the individual perks? For example, if you have elite status, you might already get priority boarding and lounge access

In my case, I thought the premium for AerSpace was quite fair. I appreciated having access to the Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin, and valued that at something. It was also nice to have the entire row to myself, with extra legroom as well. The inflight drink and snack I purchased would’ve otherwise retailed for €10 combined.

If I flew Aer Lingus short haul again, I’d probably pay the premium for AerSpace. However, my bigger takeaway is that I’d instead try to fly another airline in Europe that actually sells business class, especially since that can often be booked at a reasonable cost with miles & points. That’s partly a reflection of the premium product, but also partly a reflection of the lack of Wi-Fi, power ports, etc.

Bottom line

I finally had the chance to fly Aer Lingus AerSpace, which is the carrier’s short haul premium product. It’s not quite business class, but it offers lounge access, fast track security, a seat in the first row with a blocked middle, dedicated overhead bin space, and one complimentary drink and snack.

There are definitely some major differences compared to intra-Europe business class, like the lack of a curtain or dedicated lavatory, the limits on food and drinks, and lack of more attentive service. That being said, if the price is right, I could see myself paying for this product again.

What’s your take on Aer Lingus AerSpace?