Complete Guide to Flying Between the US and Ireland

Best Flights from the US to Dublin & Shannon, Ireland: Airlines, Routes, & Tips

I have flown from the US to Ireland more than 100 times.

I know the best routes, airlines, and times for flying between the US and Ireland, whether you're in coach or business class. I've flown all the major airlines multiple times, starting in coach and thankfully more often these days, in business class.

I'm also an airplane geek. I'm the guy who reads flight reviews, picks flights based on which aircraft is flying and knows when cabins are being updated on different airlines.

Based on all that, here are my thoughts about picking the best flight from the US to Ireland.

US Destinations from Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport (DUB) offers direct flights to these US cities:

New York (JFK, EWR) | Boston (BOS) | Chicago (ORD) | Minneapolis (MSP) Hartford (BDL) | Seattle (SEA) | Denver (DEN) | Los Angeles (LAX) | Las Vegas (LAS) San Francisco (SFO) | Dallas (DFW) | Atlanta (ATL) | Charlotte (CLT) Orlando (MCO) | Miami (MIA) | Washington D.C. (IAD) | Philadelphia (PHL) | Cleveland (CLE) Detroit (DTW)| Nashville (BNA)

This extensive network covers major hubs and popular destinations across the United States, making Dublin an excellent gateway for transatlantic travel.

Be sure to read my guide to Dublin Airport for more tips.

How to Pick Your Flights From US to Ireland

It's not as simple as just booking the cheapest flights. There's a few factors that will make your journey more comfortable, less stressful and help you get to Ireland on time and with your luggage, ready to begin exploring Ireland.

1. Pick Your Time

Flights from the US to Ireland are red-eyes. Leaving the US in the evening and flying overnight. They tend to come in two waves.

The first wave lands in Dublin at peak rush hour, which is 4-5am.

The second wave lands later in the morning, 8-10am.

The First Wave

I like taking the first wave. You land around 4am, which is 11pm ET. This is the busiest time for transatlantic arrivals.

Don't sleep on the plane. It's a short flight, eat, watch a movie, get breakfast and you land in Dublin right at your normal bedtime.

Get to your hotel at 5am and sleep for a few hours. Yes, you'll pay extra for the hotel to let you check in early, maybe even an extra night, but it's worth it. You're ready to start exploring by 10am. And you are already on Irish time.

Another reason for the first wave, if there are delays, there are more rerouting options for the airline to get you to Ireland.

The Second Wave

You can take the second wave for sure, you may not have a choice. In that case, you're getting to your hotel around 10 or 11am. Just drop your bags off and go do something active until 3pm. Then check in and grab a few hours nap before you go out for the evening.

If I am flying business, I prefer a second wave flight. Because I get enough sleep on the plane that landing at 9am is perfect to start the day already rested.

2. Connection Time

I don't like international connections less than two hours. There are too many delays these days. Go ahead and book that flight with the longer layover. Relax at the connecting airport and be excited that you're going to Ireland!

If you miss your connection, you're scrambling to find a new way to get to Dublin. There's usually only one flight per day to Dublin. If you miss it, they're going to reroute you through London or Paris. Your long day just became a whole lot longer.

And who knows where your bags are going to end up. This is especially an issue if you have a tour booked leaving the day after you land.

3. Connection Airport

Pick your connection airport carefully.

• Be weather smart. Don't connect through Chicago in the winter.
• Be aware which airports have construction projects causing delays. EWR has been a mess recently.
• Spend more time on the big plane. Transatlantic planes are more comfortable than smaller domestic ones. Do a 1-hour domestic connection to an 8-hour transatlantic flight, instead of a 3-hour domestic flight to a 5-hour transatlantic flight.
• Connect close to home. When I lived in CHS, I was delighted when Charlotte announced flights to Dublin. If flights are delayed, I can drive home from CLT.
• Check flight frequency. Some routes only fly 3 times a week. If your flight is cancelled, can you wait 3 days until the next flight?
• Keep it in the same airline. I love Aer Lingus, but rarely fly them transatlantic, because the connecting flight is with a different airline. Don't get me started on the stories I could tell you about connecting airlines blaming each other.

4. Coach or Business

If I'm flying coach, I want the shortest and most direct routing. It's uncomfortable and I want to get there quickly. I usually fly CHS-EWR-DUB.

EWR-DUB often clocks at 5hr 30 mins. It's not enough time to take advantage of the lie-flat bed.

But when I fly business, I want a longer transatlantic leg, so I can sleep. I fly CHS-ATL-DUB.

ATL-DUB is closer to 7 hours, enough time to get a good 4-hour nap. I even once flew to DFW so I could have an 8-hour flight. I'm weird like that, don't do it yourself!

5. The Airplane

I am getting tech & geeky here. Some people don't know or care what plane they are on. I do!

United sometimes flies their 30-year-old 757s on their Dublin routes. Aer Lingus has had to charter planes from the infamous Vamos Air & Privilege Air to cover their busy summer season.

The business classes can vary wildly too. I'm picking on United again here, but I refused to fly their old 767 2-1-2 business class last year. Hello, the 80s called!

Whereas American flies newer 787s on most of their Dublin routes. Gorgeous airplanes.

Most of you will read this paragraph and think I'm crazy, but there's a lot of people who really care what they fly on. Whether you care or not, the airplane makes a huge difference to your comfort level.

6. The Airline

I've left the most contentious until the end. I had a post on FB that went viral last year. I wrote something about Aer Lingus that was accurate, but not very complimentary. 1 million views later, I'm more careful with my words now. But I'll still tell you the truth based on my experiences.

Here we go. In no order, I'll give you my pros and cons with each airline that flies to Dublin from the US.

American Airlines

I like flying American, even if their domestic flights and connecting airports aren't the best.

Pros

1. American flies a modern fleet across The Atlantic. I'm flying business on their 787 in a few months and I know it's going to be a nice ride.
2. Their online tech is good. You can change seats & flights without too many issues. With more delays, I am putting more and more value on this aspect of an airline.
3. Their AAdvantage miles program is one of the very few programs that still retains value, so I like earning their miles.

Cons

1. PHL & CLT are not great airports. Simple as that.
2. Their domestic planes are gaining notoriety for slim seats and tiny bathrooms. So keep the domestic leg as short as you can.
3. Just watch out for their Basic Economy fares. Make sure you know what you are getting for each fare.

Aer Lingus

I love being on board an Aer Lingus plane. I love it. As a 20-year emigrant, seeing that shamrock on the tail in JFK filled me with pride.

And the service, the friendly Irish welcome on board, is my favorite in the world. You're home in Ireland as soon as you step on board the plane in the US.

So, it kills me to say I cannot recommend Aer Lingus for your flight to Ireland. I just can't.

Cons

1. Their IT is totally outdated. I'd be typing all day if I went into more detail on my experiences over the years.Even just booking a flight often has issues. And to do pretty much anything, change a seat, a flight, upgrade, you have to contact them and their call center is not good.
2. If you are connecting within the US, it's on a different airline. Even though they will be partners, communication is often poor & they'll blame each other.
3. Last Summer, they had to wet lease inferior planes & crews from other airlines for weeks at a time due to shortage of their own aircraft.

Pros

1. They fly non-stop to many airports. If you live near one of those cities, consider yourself lucky that you can fly home directly.
2. They have a good upgrade bid system. I've often won bids to upgrade for $350.
3. And I'll mention again, how friendly the Aer Lingus staff are. I fly them within Europe a lot for this reason.

Delta Airlines

I used to fly Delta a lot. Then, they made the ATL-DUB flight seasonal, and devalued their miles program. I changed allegiance after that, so it's been a long time since I flew them across the pond.

If you live anywhere in the South, Atlanta is a great hub with multiple connections per day (see my earlier comments on connection times). I do like that. Some airports only have one or two flights a day. We used to have near hourly ATL-CHS flights so you never worried about missing a connection.

I'm not going to write too much because I'm outdated on DL. But they have a solid product & a good reputation. Their business class Delta One is excellent.

United Airlines

Pros

1. Their tech is the best of any airlines, which is important to me. Their app keeps you more updated about your flight than the captain of the plane.
2. If you fly business, the EWR Polaris lounge is excellent, with waiter service dining.
3. They serve ice cream on board. Big win!

Cons

1. The major downside with United is you have to carefully keep an eye on what planes they are flying. They often put old planes on the Irish routes.

I'm not sure if this is a pro or a con, because a lot of people don't like EWR, but I do. I like it. It's not too big, the food options are decent. I've been lucky that I haven't had to take the AirTrain between terminals. That might change my opinion.

JetBlue

They just started flying. I haven't flown them yet and probably won't unless they have a good deal on their Mint business class product.

I hope all that helps. To summarize it:

• If I am flying coach, I like to fly via an east coast hub that has me arriving in Dublin early in the morning.
• If I am flying business, I prefer to take a later and longer transatlantic flight so I can get some sleep.
• And always check what the airplane is!

I'll Help You Decide

Leave a comment at the bottom of the page with your questions and I'll answer them

Dublin Airport US PreClearance Immigration and Customs - USCBP

You clear US immigration and customs in both Dublin & Shannon now.

I lived in the US for 20 years. I've taken at least 100 flights from Dublin to the US. Doing US immigration & customs in Dublin was literally life-changing for a frequent transatlantic traveler.

When you land in the US, you land as a domestic passenger. You don't have to wait in huge immigration lines, collect your luggage, recheck it, go through security again and run for your connecting flight.

Life-changing!!!!

Now, nothing is free in this life, so it does add a bit more pain on at the Dublin end, but that's OK. I'm going to walk you through the steps of my usual route, DUB-EWR-CHS to help explain.

1. Arrive at DUB airport 3 hours before your flight
2. Check in with your airline as normal
3. Go through regular airport security
4. Walk through the duty-free, shopping & restaurant areas
5. Look for the USCBP screens in this area. They will show what time you are to go to the USCBP area. Don't go early. It overcrowds the small area and adds delays.

6. At your appointed time, go down the stairs to DUB USCBP

7. You will go through another security here. It is only your bags & shoes though. You do not go through a scanner yourself.

Step 8. Go through US immigration and customs. Lines are split into US Citizens & Non-US citizens. There is Global Entry, but GE folks still have to queue as normal for the USCBP security.

Step 9. That's it. You are now considered in the US, even though you're in Dublin Airport.

Step 10. Board your flight to the US

Step 11. Say goodbye to Ireland until the next time

1. Land in EWR in the domestic terminal. Don't collect your checked luggage, just walk to your connecting gate for CHS.
2. Your bags are waiting for you when you land in CHS

Business Class Passengers at Dublin US PreClearance

You do have to queue up as normal with everyone else to enter the USCBP area, but once you enter it, there is a separate line for business. The line to enter USCBP can take a while though, so leave time.

Wait until you've gone through USCBP for the lounge, since the best lounge in Dublin Airport, 51st & Green, is located there. And you're through everything, so you can relax and just walk up to the gate in a few minutes. It's a nice lounge, with views out across the apron. I always get there very early when I fly business to the US to enjoy it.

3 Tips for Dublin Airport US Boarding Gate Area

1. It's busy here. Last time I flew to the US, I counted 22 flights to the US that day. The lower level is normally packed! It's more like T1 than T2, but here's your little secret.The upper level is usually a ghost town. So go up there and wait for your flight.Just don't miss your boarding time! These big planes bound for the US start boarding an hour before departure. They don't always make announcements.
2. There is another duty-free shop in this area.Which I find strange, because you've already cleared customs at this point. There are no more checks! So even if you've maxed out your allowance, you can buy more duty-free whiskey here and no one checks it.Not that we here approve of breaking laws…..…
3. The 51st & Green Lounge is worth paying for.I'm always at the airport early. I've been in the USCBP area 3 hours before take-off. Don't judge! I'm an on-time guy and I like airports.The lounge here is very nice. Today it's €41 to enter. Not cheap.But the following are included. I've added what they would cost to buy at the airport.You're at least breaking even and you're (very) relaxed getting on your flight.You can even have a shower.
   • Breakfast €20
   • A final Guinness €7
   • One last whiskey €8
   • A barista-made coffee & pastries €6
   • Water for the flight €5

Summary

I hope this has helped you. If you have questions at all, just leave a comment below and I'll get back to you shortly.