Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus AerClub/Avios, loyalty program of Aer Lingus, is a program that allows you to book Aer Lingus and partner airline flights (Avios miles used to fly on an Etihad flight).

Aer Lingus redemptions are unique because the program is distance-based.  If you have Avios that you’re looking to put to use, here are a few redemptions to consider.  One, Zone 5 off-peak.  Two, Zone 6 off-peak.  Three, intra Europe short haul.  Four, intra Europe medium haul.

Aer Lingus uses a distance-based program driven by three factors:

• mileage
• flight date (peak and off-peak pricing)
• fare class (economy / business)

Now that we have a basic overview of the Aer Lingus AerClub program, below are redemptions to consider.

You can book Aer Lingus flights by transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards directly to your Aer Lingus account.

Simply login to your Ultimate Rewards account, select “Use Points,” select “Transfer to Travel Partners,” select “Transfer Points” to the right of Aer Lingus, and transfer the points necessary for your redemption.  The Points Guy has a comprehensive post that I really like on how to do this.

 

Aer Lingus Mileage Chart

The route you fly in mileage determines the zone you will be using to price out your award.  For example, New York (JFK) to Dublin (DUB) is 3,180 miles putting this flight into Zone 5 in the chart above.  Boston (BOS) to Dublin is the notable exception to the distance rule as its distance is 2,993 miles but the flight is grouped into Zone 5.

Once you’ve determined the zone of your flight, you will use the peak and off-peak calendar to see which mileage will apply.  Roughly two-thirds of the calendar is off-peak pricing, meaning less Avios will be needed.  For Business and First class, you’ll need more Avios for the booking.

 

 

Aer Lingus Calendar

With your zone and date selected, you’ll use the award chart below to calculate the Avios required.  The chart is priced out for both Aer Lingus and British Airways flights, excluded the taxes and fees.

 

Aer Lingus Award Chart

Distance-based programs like Aer Lingus open up unique routings if you’re able to maximize the number of miles redeemed per booking.  Not only can you maximize the distance piece with Aer Lingus but you can also create more value by focusing your award search on the off-peak dates in their calendar.

1. Zone 5 Off-Peak

Aer Lingus operates the following routes, which are 26,000 Avios round-trip in economy / 100,000 Avios round-trip in business.

Taxes and fees came out to $282-$303 in economy and $328-$355 in business.  I recommend finding saver level flights on united.com and then book Aer Lingus flights on aerlingus.com.

• Boston (BOS) <> Dublin (DUB) / Shannon (SNN)
• Chicago (ORD) <> Dublin (DUB)
• New York (JFK) <> Dublin (DUB) / Shannon (SNN)
• Newark (EWR) <> Dublin (DUB)
• Toronto (YYZ) <> Dublin (DUB)
• Washington (IAD) <> Dublin (DUB)

2. Zone 6 Off-Peak

Flights that are between 4,001-5,500 fall into Zone 6 on the award chart.

Round-trip flights to/from the US in Zone 6 are 32,500 Avios round-trip in economy / 125,000 Avios round-trip in business.  Taxes and fees came out to $306-$329 in economy and $353-$379 in business to book Aer Lingus flights.

• Miami (MIA) <> Dublin (DUB)
• Orlando (MCO) <> Dublin (DUB)
• Los Angeles (LAX) <> Dublin (DUB)
• San Francisco (SFO) <> Dublin (DUB)

3. Intra Europe Short Haul

Short haul flights in Europe are another interesting way to maximize the off-peak structure of the chart.

Flights from Dublin (DUB) to cities like Paris (CDG), Brussels (BRU) and Amsterdam (AMS) in Zone 1 0-650 miles are 4,000 Avios one-way in economy / 7,750 Avios one-way in business.  I’d consider this option if the flight cost for the low-cost carriers is high for the dates that I want to fly.

4. Intra Europe Medium Haul

Medium haul flights in Europe are another option to check out.

Flights in Zone 2 651-1,151 miles from Dublin (DUB) to cities like Madrid (MAD), Barcelona (BCN), Venice (VCE), and Prague (PRG) are 6,500 Avios one-way in economy / 12,750 Avios one-way in business.

Conclusion

Adding Aer Lingus to the Ultimate Rewards family is a huge win for anyone who maximizes points from the bevy of Chase cards. Having more competitively priced economy and business class routes to Europe is a huge win for US-based travelers, especially those wanting to access Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Before booking the award ticket, I’d recommend checking the pricing from the low-cost carriers, particularly on the short to medium haul routes.

Have you utilized the new Aer Lingus partnership with Ultimate Rewards? If so, please let me know how in the comments below or by sending me an email pointswithq@gmail.com. As always, thanks for reading!