While discussing story ideas with Tourism Ireland (Fáilte Ireland) the topic of Aer Lingus’s soon to launch Dublin to Las Vegas non-stop flights arose and the initial thoughts centered around JAXFAX being on and reporting on the inaugural flight.

 

Sadly, the lead time too short to make that happen, but JAXFAX was eager to report on Aer Lingus’s continued westward US expansion and so a trip was planned about two weeks after the inaugural flights to/from Las Vegas.

 

Originally conceived as purely an Aer Lingus review, the trip now took on a larger scope and I decided to take an unusual approach to an Ireland story and approach the trip from an aviation enthusiast viewpoint.

 

 

Aer Lingus’s A330-300
First to my experience on Aer Lingus’s beautiful A330-300 flying non-stop from Fabulous Las Vegas to Dublin, Ireland. Aer Lingus Business Class offers a delightful experience, especially long haul to Europe. Some key highlights:

 

 

The lie-flat seats on their A330 aircraft are spacious and comfortable, perfect for long-haul flights, and the seats had lots of handy storage features. The cabin layout ensures privacy and easy aisle access with seat configurations of 1-2-2 or 1-2-1 depending on the row.

 

Aer Lingus offers a variety of meal options, featuring fresh ingredients and flavors that give you a taste of Ireland. The beverages, including a selection of fine wines and spirits, complement the meals perfectly.

 

The in-flight entertainment system provides a wide range of movies, TV shows, and music to keep you entertained throughout the flight. Nice selection of Irish TV shows to ease you into the Irish experience awaiting you.

 

One of the unique perks of flying Aer Lingus from Dublin or Shannon to the U.S. is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Preclearance. This allows you to complete all U.S. entry formalities before you board, making your arrival in the U.S. smooth and hassle-free.

 

 

A Paradise for Aviation Enthusiasts
As to why aviation enthusiasts love Ireland, it is simply because from 1939 until 1942 Ireland was home to the world’s busiest airport, the original Shannon Airport which was located in the town of Foynes. In the early days of aviation long haul travel was the domain of flying boats, airplanes with the lower fuselage designed much like the hull of a boat and the took off and landed on water. The dawn of transatlantic air travel began July 9th 1939 when Pan Am’s luxury flying boat the Boeing 314 ‘Yankee Clipper’ landed at Foynes to become the first commercial passenger flight on a direct route from USA to Europe.

 

When working with Tourism Ireland (Fáilte Ireland) on this trip I made only two requests- first that it include a visit to the Foynes Flying Boat Museum and that all accommodations would be at local Irish hotels. Tourism Ireland did not disappoint in either regard.

 

Dublin Airport proved to be a breeze upon arrival and quickly I was picking up my rental car for a couple of hours drive to my first stop, the Dunraven Arms Hotel, which is a charming and romantic hotel located in the picturesque village of Adare, County Limerick. This Four Star Luxury Hotel is one of the oldest establishments in Ireland and dates back to the Eighteenth Century.
www.DunravenHotel.com.

 

After an amazing dinner and a great nights sleep at the Dunraven, it was off to visit the Foynes Flying Boat Museum. The museum is about a 20 minute drivefrom Adare and it truly met all of my aviation geek expectations. The Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum is housed in the original terminal building and recalls the era when Foynes was at the very center of the aviation world from 1937 through 1945. Visitors learn the history of Flying Boats and the diverse range of people who arrived and departed from Foynes through their comprehensive collection of historical and interactive exhibits and memorabilia. While a number of Flying Boats and airlines visited Foynes during the war years, the Boeing 314 has undoubtedly become the quintessential Pan Am clipper flying boat. When most people conjure up an image of a classic flying boat they’re picturing the B314. Sadly, no B314 have survived, yet the centerpiece of the museum, and reason its on every aviation geeks bucket list, is that they built a full scale replica of this magnificent machine.
https://FlyingBoatMuseum.com/

 

 

Iconic Irish Locations
Of course when in Ireland, you have to visit some of the iconic locations, so after enjoying a couple of hours at the museum, it was time to further explore County Limerick and I headed over to King John’s Castle for a guided tour to learn more of the area’s history and get some fantastic views of Limerick City. I overnighted in Limerick at the Strand Hotel, which gave me ample time to conduct my own walking tour of the city and sample some of its lively pub culture.

 

Next up was a visit to The Cliffs of Moher, about an 1 ½ hour drive from Limerick City to view this truly majestic oceanside cliff attraction. The wild Atlantic and majestic cliffs make for a truly awe inspiring scenes. Next on the list was a drive to Ennistymon, in County Clare to check into another amazing property, The Falls Hotel. This property looks out upon the town’s beautiful waterfalls, and conceals within its walls an eighteenth century mansion, a late medieval castle and a formidable history of four and a half centuries embracing clans and warfare, landlords and tenants, poets, dreamers and entrepreneurs. Much like the Dunraven, it makes for a quite romantic hotel stay. www.FallsHotel.ie

 

The next morning it was off to check out Galway City, where the Irish business class hotel, The Galmont, proved to be an excellent choice and a great base from which to explore Galway, which this writer found to be an incredibly charming city, and very walkable.

 

Checking out in the morning I had nice three hour drive to Dublin airport for my return flight to Fabulous Las Vegas. Dublin airport is very easy to navigate the having the US pre-clearance facility is just an added bonus that all travelers will love. It’s just so great after a long flight to the US to simply get off the plane, grab your bags, and head to transportation without having to deal with customs and passport checks.

 

For those traveling in business class Aer Lingus has a second post US pre-clearance lounge. It’s quite spacious with nice views out to the tarmac. The lounge features a nice buffet and fully stocked bar. On the return flight, the Aer Lingus crew and the business class service was just as great returning home to Las Vegas as it was on the outbound. Between the great Aer Lingus service, the amazing charms of Ireland, and the Foynes Flying Boat Museum this was the perfect aviation niche get-away.