Aer Lingus: Frankfurt to Chicago

The carrier: Aer Lingus

About

Ireland's legacy flag carrier Aer Lingus has been morphing over the course of the last several years into a low-cost airline. Flying to major airports across Europe, and as of recently North America and Dubai, Aer Lingus is dependable and well established. Fares can be quite low, though advance purchase fares don't quite compare to those offered by that other Irish low-cost carrier, Ryanair.

Upside

Airline is well established and serves major airports.

Downside

Connections beyond Europe are not very good, thus dulling one distinctive draw. Frequent delays and unhelpful staff are common complaints.

Baggage

* Carry-on: One bag up to 10 kg (7kg for regional flights), plus one personal item.
* Checked: €12 per bag booked online (€18 at airport). Max 9 bags with combined weight of 20 kg. Over 20 kgs, fees apply. No single bag over 32 kg (70 lbs) is allowed.

* Please visit Aer Lingus’s website for more information on its baggage policy.

Seating

You may select seats online at time of booking.

Check-in and Ticketing

Aer Lingus offers online-check in for most flights and is available from 30 hours in advance until 4 hours and 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time.  Times vary for US airports.  Checked baggage is accepted from passengers who check-in online.

Fun Fact

All Aer Lingus planes bear the name of an Irish saint.

Departure: Frankfurt, Germany - Frankfurt Intl (FRA)

In Brief: Germany's busiest airport, Frankfurt International ranks third within Europe in terms of passenger traffic. Unlike some other of Europe's bigger airports, there is not a separate terminal for low-cost airlines. There are, in fact, not a huge number of budget airlines offering flights in and out of Frankfurt, but those that do are distributed across terminals. Air Berlin, Clickair, and Niki fly to Frankfurt International. Transportation: The best way between the airport and the Frankfurt main train station is by S-Bahn. A one-way journey costs just €3.55 and takes about 10 minutes.

Arrival: Chicago, United States - O'Hare Intl (ORD)

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