Aer Lingus operates like a budget carrier in the UK and Europe, charging for food and drink. A full Irish breakfast is €9 and a panini €5. Alcohol is offered on all flights except those to and from Riga. There is no in-flight entertainment and you will have to pay for hold luggage (£8 per sector).

Aer Lingus's big differentiator with other no-frills airlines is free seat selection. Reserving rows one to five (which offer no extra room, but, if the rear doors are not opened, will allow you off first) costs £5 per single journey. If these seats are unreserved 48 hours before departure, they go on general release. Reserving the emergency exit seats will cost £10 per sector.

Another plus point with Aer Lingus is its slightly better than average legroom. It fits 174 seats on its Airbus A320s, compared with the 180 that the charter airlines cram in. Similarly, its bigger A321s carry 212 passengers, fewer than the maximum allowed.