Aer Lingus scam?
Today I got to the airport 70 mins before departure time for Aer Lingus EI 105 DUB -> JFK. I was told I had missed the check-in time, even though I had no luggage. I rebooked to fly to Boston (rebooking cost: 150 EUR), but when I got to the gates flight 105 hadn't even started boarding. So I ask at the gate if I can get on my original flight. Nobody is willing to help me. 90 minutes later -- the flight was long gone -- the duty manager (Alan Dodd) shows up to say that I had tried to board the plane with an invalid boarding pass and hints that I could be in real trouble. Apparently his staff had lied to him to cover their own rear-ends for their apathetic service. No offer of any kind of redress, just a veiled threat that I should be careful, that I was "walking a fine line."
This was the second time in a month that someone from my company encountered crazy cut-off criteria that resulted in missing an Aer Lingus flight (this one in Chicago).
I've since read that Aer Lingus uses these crazy cut-off criteria as a scam to sell stand-by seats and earn rebooking fees. Is there any truth to this?
Whatever the truth, I will try hard to never fly them again. (I have been flying them twice a month -- so much for rewarding loyalty!) A second-rate airline with abusive, apathetic service. Fly someone else!
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