Wow! Amazing service in Aer Lingus business class from Washington to Dublin

Aer Lingus business class features fully flat seats, decent catering, free Wi-Fi and a nicely curated selection of inflight entertainment. While that is similar to most airlines worth their salt, where the Irish airline truly shines is with its cabin crew.

I flew out to Washington on the new A321XLR and found flying on the new aircraft to be great. Much to my surprise, I found the overnight service on the return to be far better. It’s the people and food that make it for me, and that was the case here.

Washington Dulles

While Dulles has its detractors, I love the airport. It has been featured in loads of movies, has a visually interesting design and the main terminal still looks like its designer intended, right down to the fonts used in signage. That’s rather cool!

After a friend dropped me off, I was checked-in at the business class counters by a friendly agent. From there, I proceeded to security where I was the only person there, so I was straight through, something I just adore! From there it was the underground train to the satellite terminal and into the British Airways lounge for a couple of hours. Eventually it was time to board.

EI118 – Washington DC to Dublin (IAD-DUB)
23 August 2025
Airbus A321neo LR – EI-LRC – St. Fiacre
Seat: Business Class 3A
Departure: 20:25 Arrival: 08:20+1

There were quite a lot of people at the gate, as some other airline’s flight was delayed. I found a seat by the business class line and once announced sauntered happily on board.

Aer Lingus Business Class

There are 16 business class seats, arranged in pairs or single throne seats. You can see these laid out on the seating plan at AeroLOPA right here. While an older generation of seat, they still tick all the boxes, especially if you have a throne, like I did.

The lead crew member, Cian, came around offering welcome drinks and I went for a Champagne. I relaxed while the rest of boarding took place and it all went by calmly. Before the door was closed, I nipped to the loo as you never know how long you might be taxiing around an airport before take-off. Eventually we took to the night sky and it was a perfectly clear summer evening. Happily I could match the map to what I was seeing outside, which was a bit of fun. Drinks service commenced and I stuck with the bubbles. The drinks biscuits come with Onion Jam from Burren Balsamics, which is quite nice.

The Express Meal

As the flight time is a short 6 hours and 50 minutes, Aer Lingus business class passengers get an express meal. All this means is that rather than being served course by course, you get it all on one tray. This saves time and lets people get off to sleep faster than they would otherwise.

Cian came by and I selected the, “Sweet and smoky slow-roast barbecue beef brisket in braising sauce, alongside black garlic mash potato, sautéed swiss chard and roast butternut squash” as the main. This came with a seasonal salad – “Salad of mixed leaves, wine-poached pear, tangy feta and a truffle honey vinaigrette on the side” and two types of bread.

Dessert was a “Cocoa-dusted Baileys tiramisu mousse on a sponge base paired with a coffee crème anglaise”. There was no choice apart from the main dishes, with the others being a celeriac soup or a salmon dish.

How was the meal? STUNNING! I was genuinely delighted at the explosion of taste that was that beef brisket dish with the black garlic mash. It was one of the best meals I have ever had on a flight, and I’ve had a lot of inflight food in my time. Honestly, out of this world!! The rest was fabulous as well, so I was in quite a happy mood by this time in the flight!

Snacks and sleep

The snack basket featured plenty of Irish snacks such as Keogh’s crisps, Lily O’Brien’s chocolates, and Good 4U snacks. I tried a couple of bits of chocolate, but that’s about it as I was quite full.

Once done, I decided to settle in for a nap. A complimentary bottle of water is provided in business class which I always think is quite thoughtful. There is no mattress topper, but the duvet and pillow provided are perfect. In the end I had a good few hours shuteye.

Breakfast time!

Who likes a Champagne breakfast? I do! So much so that I completely forgot to order myself a peach, mango and coconut yoghurt smoothie. Not to worry! Breakfast comprised of a “Crunchy toasted quinoa granola with whipped vanilla bean yoghurt and a sour cherry compote” along with “Our famously tasty bacon roll.” You can also have tea or coffee so I had a green tea.

While the breakfast is hardly huge, it really hits the spot and is more than enough food considering the feast I’d had with my express meal only a few hours beforehand. A UNICEF collection was taken from anyone who was interested and then we descended and landed in Dublin on time.

Overall Thoughts

Aer Lingus business class is a very decent product across the Atlantic. While it is not the most modern seat out there, the service and food more than make up for any perceived shortcomings there. In actual fact, for people travelling as a pair, the two seats next two each other make for a much more cosy experience than the more modern configurations.

Cian is one of those super cabin crew who are attentive yet unobtrusive. Without fail he would check to see if I needed a top up when passing by and happily delivered it. I tried both the red and white wine, and generally found that he treated everyone with stellar service. It really was perfection, which only elevated the excellence of everything else. What a wonderful flight!

What do you think of this flight in Aer Lingus business class? Have you flown the Irish airline before? What do you think of them? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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