Donuts on the Mound 2 – Aer Lingus Regional EI3276 Dublin to Birmingham
In this donut filled adventure
- Continuing a new tradition
- Off to Birmingham Airport
- Aer Lingus EI263 Birmingham Airport to Dublin T2
- And there were planes. And Donuts
- Back to Dublin Airport
- Aer Lingus Regional EI6276 Dublin Airport to Birmingham Airport
- Back to the trains
- It’s Still About Community
EI3276 Dublin Airport Terminal 2 to Birmingham Airport
Aer Lingus Regional (Operated by Stobart Air), ATR72-600, Seat 11A, Economy Class
200 miles flown, 0 Avios Awarded, 0 Tier Points.
With the doors to the bus released, everyone headed out onto the tarmac, and to the waiting ATR72-600.
Nearly there.
Closing in.
Aer Lingus Regional operates a lot of flights on the Aer Lingus short-haul network, primarily serving destinations in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The plane itself is operated by Stobart Air, who in turn fly for Aer Lingus and FlyBe.
Boarding the plane, I headed to row 11, and met the familiar seats of Acro Seating Series 3.
Seating.
Acro Series 3 seating.
It’s an Acro seating product. Trust me.
Whilst it maybe a 30″ seat pitch it didn’t feel tight at all.
A note on the seat design. Yes. There’s a bulge at the back. Why? It’s more a bucket seat design, that gives space for the back to relax into, whilst tapering at the edges – allowing legs and knees not to be bashed.
Although having no-one sit next to you can be a bonus.
The seat themselves are fixed recline.
And you might have seen them on Frontier, Allegiant and Spirit to name a few airlines that fly the Acro Series 3 seat in different forms. Yes, it’s designed to cram passengers in, but with a bit of comfort. And having the seats not reclining is not a bad thing.
This being an ATR, there is a fully featured console above.
Air vents! Cue angelic chorus.
The plane filled up – but thankfully, the seat next to me remained free. Which was nice to see.
Safety belts on!
With the ATR loaded, the crew gave a safety demonstration. That done, EI3276 was under way.
The loaded cabin.
The safety card.
With departures heading toward the Irish sea, I would be passing my friends who were still on the mound watching planes depart.
Taxing past a taking off Aer Lingus Green Spirit Airbus A320.
I was over there earlier taking pictures of planes and hanging out with friends.
Ryanair Boeing 737-800 powering up.
Soon, it was out turn to head towards the runway.
With a roar, EI3276 powered up for its take-off run, and into the Irish skies.
Clibming out.
It’s going around. Trust me.
With power, the plane crossed the Irish Countryside, and out across the Irish Sea
That ship looks awful small below.
With the plane airborne, the crew begun its Bia service. This is a very cut-down version of the inflight service.
A lot smaller.
As I had got some water on the plane earlier, I deployed the tray table.
A Small table. Perfect for a drink to sit.
With the seat unoccupied next to me, TravelPeep whined about “Word domination” and “Letting me live” if I gave it a chance to ride in a seat. I therefore put it in the seat next to me. With the safety belt fastened.
Safety first TravelPeep. Even you’ve got to wear a seatbelt in the air.
The ride over the Irish sea and English countryside was quick, and with the cleanup in progress – we were descending back into Birmingham Airport.
Green and pleasant land. If a little parched.
Looks like Stafford. Probably.
Festival in progress.
With the plane lining up for Birmingham Airport, passengers were getting ready as were the engines.
Also, I wonder sometimes if people actually appreciate a window seat. I love a window seat – to the point where I won’t fly with anything else (unless there was no other seat available).
I was therefore hearted when the person in front peeked out to watch the unfurling landscape.
I like this photo. A lot.
With the final turns made, the plane begun its decent to Birmingham Airport.
Passing over one of the Birmingham Box motorways.
With a gentle bump, EI3276 landed at Birmingham.
The ATR72-600 peeled off the runway, and headed to the hard stands.
Taxing in – the Monarch Engineering Hanger in the background.
With a whine EI3276’s engines powered down. With the engines off and the seatbelt signs released, everyone was up and about.
And remember – you disembark from the back of the plane.
Thankfully, there was only a short wait before the bus was parked up next to the plane. With the doors open – I headed off the plane.
To the exit!
Overall: A great performance aboard EI3276, with the crew friendly, and the service arriving and departing on time. Combined with the comfortable seats (that dare I say – are slightly better than the ones used on the mainline Aer Lingus service), this makes for a great option for regional hops.
Next: Back to the trains
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