How far in advance can you book flights with aer lingus?

Answer 1

Airline data systems are capable of completing a PNR (Passenger Name Record) up to 364 days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-nine minutes in advance.

This means the entirety of the booking you make cannot include any flight which arrives more than the aforementioned time period.

As an example, let's assume that today is 01 January 2013, and the time is currently 0800.

You may book Aer Lingus flight EI 137, for the 31st of December, departing Dublin at 14:00 and arriving Boston at 15:49

But you could not book EI 136 for the same evening, (31DEC), coming back from Boston to Dublin, departing Boston at 21:15 and arriving in Dublin the morning of the 1st of January 2014 at 08:23

This is because the return flight is scheduled to arrive back in Dublin beyond the maximum limits of the CRS (Computer Reservation System).

If you are booking a full-fare flight, where there is no advance purchase restrictions, no cancellation fees, and fully refundable, booking the flight in the full F/J/C/S/Y (First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy, or Economy, you will have little difficulty securing a booking up to 363 days in days in advance.

However, most tariff rules prevent you from converting a full-fare class booking to a discounted economy, yield managed, capacity controlled fare. In almost every instance, you would be required to cancel the entire full-fare booking and rebook in the actual class of service you're seeking.

It may be difficult to understand, but by holding the full-fare booking in advance, and then cancelling it and instantly requesting a discounted fare, believing that the seats will be available, will not guarantee you will achieve the lower fare and in some instances, you may find you now have virtually no way to take the flight at all.

If the journey you are planning requires you secure your booking this far in advance, it is highly advisable that you consider dealing with the airline directly and Not a travel agent. This is because Aer Lingus has been a perpetual target of a rather notorious individual, who has sought to buy the airline outright and convert it to a budget carrier. It is far far easier to deal with the airline direct, using a credit card for even more protection, and having trip insurance which covers cancelled flights, airline mergers, and failed carriers., etc.

The airline industry is still in a dramatic flux and in the absence of more promising global trends, it is most likely there will continue to be many more Mergers and Acquisitions among certain airlines. General rule is that the healthier the airline, the greater a chance of its survival.

If your interest is in a substantially discounted fare, which is virtually non-refundable, you are safest to contact Aer Lingus directly to discuss your travel plans.