If you can take Indy's direct flight to Dublin, do it
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It was a windy but gorgeous day when we visited the Cliffs of Moher. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
I'm recently back from a trip to Ireland.
Why it matters: Direct access to Europe was reestablished in May when Aer Lingus began offering nonstop flights between Indianapolis International Airport and Dublin Airport.
- More than 150 direct flights carrying more than 20,000 passengers have been completed between the two cities.
Flying the news: I took the new(ish) flight earlier this month, so I can let you know exactly what it's like.
The latest: The Irish airline will add an extra nonstop flight each week starting next April and continuing through the summer travel season.
Zoom in: I flew to Dublin with my parents on a Friday evening.
- Our seats in economy were as comfortable as could be expected — we were provided with pillows, blankets and earbuds to plug into the screens loaded with plenty of TV and movie options.
- A full dinner was served (with a very tasty vegetarian pasta option), as were multiple snacks.
- The flight was around seven hours and, with the five-hour time difference, we arrived in Dublin mid-morning on Saturday.
What we found: If you've traveled abroad, you know the key to beating jetlag is adjusting to your new timezone as soon as possible. So, we set our watches to Dublin time and began exploring with a goal to stay awake until a reasonable bedtime.
- Dublin is a big city that's still small enough to be easy to explore on foot and hit many of the highlights (though we didn't get to everything we wanted to in four days before hopping on the train to Galway).
The intrigue: We also met plenty of Hoosiers.
- At a(n albeit famous) pub, we ran into a Westfield couple who took our same flight.
- At Dublin Castle, we met a couple from Elkhart, where my parents live.
- And on our hotel elevator, we ran into a couple from Greenwood.
Plus: Dublin Airport has a U.S. Preclearance facility that lets you clear all U.S. immigration, customs and agriculture checks before you fly, so you don't have to worry about dealing with any of that after landing back in Indy after a long flight.
The bottom line: If you're looking for a relatively easy way to experience Europe, Ireland is a gorgeous place to explore on its own or a perfect jumping-off point for other parts of the continent, and Indy's direct flight to Dublin makes it that much easier.