Snapshot Review: Aer Lingus A321 neo LR Aer Space Business Class - London Heathrow to Dublin

After visiting the well-designed Aer Lingus Business Class Lounge with poor food, it was time to head off for my flight. In this review, I’ll be covering the interesting Aer Lingus A321 neo aircraft in their Business Class seat. Primarily, this aircraft is deployed on Transatlantic ‘long-haul, skinny’ routes where there is not sufficient demand to warrant a large widebody plane but enough for the smaller A321 jet. The Aer Lingus A321 neo LR is reliably deployed daily on their Dublin-London Heathrow-Dublin route on the morning departure with Business Class rebranded as Aer Space on this route. It is worth noting that the seat on the A321 neo is near-identical to that on the A330 widebody aircraft.

As the flight between London and Dublin is just over one hour long, this is a brief take on the aircraft seat. Thanks to the flight time, there is limited food and beverage service and little time to even put the seat in recline when compared to a usual A321 neo LR deployment across the Atlantic.

Aer Lingus flights depart from the A Gates at Heathrow Terminal 2 making it a short walk from the lounge. Note this flight does operate as a codeshare and can be booked on BA.com, making it eligible for Tier Points, in Economy only - no Aer Space/Business Class tickets.

We were flying on an aircraft with the new-ish livery of the airline. While it’s not as colourful as the previous, it certainly represents a more modern Aer Lingus. We waited on the airbridge for around 5 minutes before properly boarding.

Here’s that Business Class cabin looking very empty. Clad in a classy duo of emerald green and dark grey, I like the design and it’s great to see real lay flat seats on a small, narrow body plane like this when compared to the blocked middle seat usually found.

The Aer Lingus A321 neo LR Business Class has four seats across in rows 2, 4 and 6 (no row 1 on this plane) while two seats across in rows 3 and 5. This is a good mix as it means solo passengers can have some privacy while travelling duos can chat with their companions - a good compromise here.

Another look at the duo seats from above…

Alongside a look at the bright and airy feel on these modern A321 neo LR cabins.

I sat in one of the solo ‘throne’ seats. I can confirm these provide great privacy without the awkwardness of sitting next to a stranger. These seats also provide extra surface space around the seat which is an additional bonus.

At the seat you are greeted by a 16-inch HD display with a storage net underneath which is handy for loose items on a long flight.

The in-flight entertainment was working on my flight with a limited selection of programming - hopefully this is not the case when serving Transatlantic destinations. The interface is okay but not particularly user friendly with Aer Lingus not sharing the recently developed .air system with their sister IAG airlines, British Airways and Iberia.

The screen can be controlled via touch or using the remote control which is stored on the side console. I mostly used the touchscreen as it is more than close enough to reach.

If you download the Aer Lingus Play app on your mobile phone prior to departure, you can also opt to use your device to control the screen via Bluetooth. I tried it but it is gimmicky and slow.

Further round the seat, a reading light, charging port, audio jack and phone holder can be found in addition to the tray table.

A secondary seat control with more basic functions can be found closer to your seat, which is useful for when laying down.

The tray table is quite adjustable and was large enough to take a MacBook Pro. WiFi is also installed on this plane but I didn’t get a chance to test the speed on this short hop.

At floor level on the right side, more storage can be found which is suitable to store a laptop or tablet as well as a small bag. No additional storage or functions can be found above this on the console.

The seat can be reclined into full flat mode. The seat is relatively comfortable, but it is not the widest on the market which may not be suitable for some.

Also note the crumbs stuck in between the seat…

I quickly went into flatbed mode and found it private another being surrounded by the two side consoles without being claustrophobic. It’s worth noting that the footwell is quite tight, I only have UK Size 9/EU 42 feet and it was a bit squashed - but this is often a drawback of solo ‘throne’ seats.

The semi-reclined position actually proved to be a nice halfway house and I could probably doze off like this quite easily.

Although I didn’t particularly need anything, the food and beverage offering was poor when compared to the current BA service in Club Europe where you would get a small meal such as a salad.

One quick look at the bathroom and they are positively tiny on this aircraft. They feature the same Voya amenities as the Aer Lingus Lounge.

And with that, it was time to land in Dublin - my first time in the Republic of Ireland. While many airports have unique landings, I would argue that on a nice day Dublin is one of the most picturesque.

And with that, it was the end of the flight and thankfully prior to all the recent issues at Dublin Airport.

Conclusion

Firstly, I am never going to grumble about having this kind of seat on a European flight where the standard is low. If you need the extra baggage allowance and this aircraft type is available, then the Aer Space fare is excellent value with the good seat onboard. Aer Lingus do need to step up their food and beverage offering on their short haul routes which fall behind the competition (although technically Aer Space is not a direct Business Class product). It’s worth noting that even flying in Economy you get an upgrade on this flight with the better seats and in-flight entertainment - so everybody wins with the choice of this aircraft.

Would I feel the same about this aircraft on a Transatlantic service? It’s hard to tell from this short flight but I suspect I would prefer to fly on a larger aircraft such as the A350 or 787. However, the cozy cabin could make for a more prompt and personal service from cabin crew. The only way is for me to try out.

What are your thoughts on the Aer Lingus A321 neo LR? Let us know in the comments below.