American Airlines 777

If you get a chance to choose, go on American's 777. You can sit in business class for the price of coach - and those seats are fabulous - they even recline flat for sleeping!

We flew to Ireland from Boston (our flight to Kennedy in NY was cancelled at the last minute) and flew Aer Lingus to Shannon. That plane was old, dirty, didn't have decent earphones or personal screens and our reading light didn't work. (Business class would have been $6000 more - per person!). Our flight back, which was changed to route through Chicago included a stop in Dublin (so we flew over Ireland twice on the way home).

We had raided the duty free shop in Shannon for Irish adult beverages and overloaded the overhead then when we got to Dublin were told we had to get off with all our hand luggage. Then they herded us up and down stairs (great for those rolly bags) to wait in a room meant for 50 or so passengers with a group of at least 200 - holding on to our hand luggage and purchases - for about an hour.

Recommendations:
1. Check other airlines for travel to Ireland. Ryanair doesn't fly from the US, but Delta and Continental do. There are now no direct flights from DFW, so try for the AA 777 from DFW to wherever.
2. Take your own earphones. I took my CD player and a story CD, but lost the player with disc 9 of Prisoner of Birth. I have a feeling that the girl sitting next to me might have taken it, but I did find the earphones.
3. Take crackers and cheese. You never know if they'll have anything at all to eat or how long you might be trapped on the plane. Peanut butter sandwiches work, too.
4. You can take as many little bottles of Scotch or other adult beverages as you can fit into a quart sized Baggie in your carry on luggage. Take an empty water bottle and when you are through Security you can fill it up for free with water for a mixer. Remember to take a cup and you won't have to wait until the plane has reached cruising level.