Wayne and I just completed our trip to Portugal. We flew Air Lingus through Chicago and Dublin over to Portugal and American Airlines back through Philadelphia economy. Took about 12 hours total each way with layovers. The first flight from Lexington to Chicago was excellent - short, good legroom, snacks and we got to sit together.
The next leg had a lot to be desired on Air Lingus from Chicago to Dublin. it was 6 hours long, cramped seats and little legroom. Food was good and we were only a row from each other but could have been better if we could sit together. Food was the option of chicken or pasta. Wayne opted for the kosher meal which was good with a chicken entree with a dessert. Breakfast was also served as a bagel sandwich. There were also free movies or TV with free earphones provided.
The last leg from Dublin to Lisbon was a little cramped but better than the previous plane. We got to sit together but was drinks only with alcohol and snacks available for a fee. We had a great conversation with our seat partner who spoke broken English. Never had any issues communicating since almost everyone spoke some degree of English.
Passport control in Lisbon was a long line but moved fairly quickly. You had to scan your passport to gain entry and Wayne got through quickly but I had a lot of trouble getting my passport to scan and ended up holding up the line.
Rented a car for the trip and it was pretty smooth getting us checked in since everyone spoke English with us. We got a Nissan and it had plenty of room for our luggage. But next time we are going to bypass the rental and go places via Uber.
The trip back was easier. Returning the car was a snap but finding our terminal was a little hairy. We had to go through passport control which this time was manual as well as a security check. The passport line was at least a 45 minute wait line and that was moving quickly. We got to the airport 3 hours before our flight but still it took all that time to get through the lines and to our terminal. Was able to get some candy as a souvenir in the duty free area.
The flight was around 6.5 hours long to Philadelphia. Very little leg room, cramped seats and we were separated by several rows. So book early so you can sit together. The food was good - chicken or pasta - with the kosher meal being chicken with a salad including some cold salmon. There was a snack of chocolate dairy free "ice cream" followed by a snack wrap later of tex me chicken or veggies. Wayne got a hoagie of salmon and a brownie. All very good.
The last leg from Philadelphia to Lexington was drinks and pretzels only but the trip was short. The legroom was small and seats cramped but we were almost home.
Overall, the economy flight had little legroom and cramped seating but for a small fee you can be upgraded. This is what Wayne and I will be doing the next time.