There were no long delays reported at Dublin Airport this morning although “a small number” of passengers were put in a holding pattern outside Terminal 1 in the early morning to prioritise people with earlier departure times.
A spokesman for the DAA, the authority that runs Dublin Airport, said that Sunday was another busy day for the airport with 49,000 passengers expected to depart but he stressed that there were “were none of the delays” experience a week ago.
Last Sunday 1,400 passengers missed fights as a result of long queues that stretched all the way through the airport concourse and outside the terminal building.
[ Perception vs reality: How Ireland is marketed to tourists abroadOpens in new window ]
The four days of the June bank holiday are expected to be the busiest days at the airport since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 but, as on Friday and Saturday, the mechanisms at the airport appeared to be running smoothly.
Markets in Vienna or Christmas at The Shelbourne? 10 holiday escapes over the festive season
Stealth sackings: why do employers fire staff for minor misdemeanours?
Michael Harding: I went to the cinema to see Small Things Like These. By the time I emerged I had concluded the film was crap
Look inside: 1950s bungalow transformed into modern five-bed home in Greystones for €1.15m
A spokesman for the DAA said that the maximum queuing times during the first — and busiest — wave of departures on Sunday morning were three-quarters of an hour in Terminal 1 and less than 30 minutes in Terminal 2.
“Sunday morning saw another very busy first wave of departures from Dublin Airport, but there were none of the delays experienced last Sunday, Graeme McQueen said.
“Understandably there was early presentation of some passengers for airline check-in and bag drop desks in advance of security,” he continued adding that the numbers arriving were “dealt with efficiently by the airport team”.
He said “a small number of passengers who had arrived overly early for their flight being held for a short period, allowing us to prioritise passengers with earlier departure times. These passengers were asked to wait in the marquee outside of Terminal 1 for around 10 minutes.”
So far this weekend Dublin Airport has not had to use the pre-terminal areas that have been created as a further contingency in the short-term car park for use in the event the DAA needs to hold back passengers who arrive too early for flights.
[ Last week’s airport fiasco a sign of worse to come for CoalitionOpens in new window ]
The marquees are in the short-term multi-storey car parks opposite Terminals 1 and 2 and will remain available In weeks ahead as the busy summer season picks up further.
“Sunday morning saw queue times for security peaked at a maximum of 44 minutes in Terminal 1 at 04.05 and at 26 minutes in Terminal 2 at 04.43,” Mr McQueen said.
He expressed gratitude to passengers who are heeding the advice to arrive no more than two-and-a-half before a short-haul flight and three-and-a-half hours before a long-haul flight. Those checking a bag are advised to allow for up to an additional hour if they can by checking with their airline.
