Regional airports such as Knock and Shannon are experiencing increasing passenger numbers as a result of ongoing travel chaos Dublin Airport†
Assgers faced more trouble in the capital yesterday with flight cancellations, lengthy security delays and hundreds of travelers reporting lost luggage.
The armed forces are now on “standby” at Dublin Airport to protect passengers’ travel plans and avoid “reputational damage” to the Irish aviation sector, the Dáil heard yesterday.
A Shannon spokesperson said many passengers are choosing to fly from a regional airport for the first time.
“Since the start of our summer schedule at the end of March, we have seen a noticeable increase in traffic, with our Ryanair, Aer Lingus and United services performing exceptionally well,” the spokesperson said.
“Undoubtedly, some of that growth can be attributed to new customers trying the Shannon Airport experience for the first time. We are committed to making our airport experience easy for our passengers.
“For example, our passengers traveling to the US enjoy the convenience of using our non-congested pre-clearance facilities in the US, and our investment in a new security control system that halves the time spent in this area has cut the 100 ml rule for liquids/gels eliminated. and allows people to keep these and electronic devices in their hand luggage.
“We are the only state airport in Ireland to have this advanced technology and it is proving very popular with new and existing customers.
“In addition, our airport car parks are doing very well, which is a good indication of the pent-up demand for travel.”
A Knock Airport spokesman said passenger numbers have been “very strong” since March when travel restrictions were lifted.
“During the months of April to June, passenger levels recovered to 95 percent of what they were in 2019, which is remarkable given that most experts expected it to be at least 2024 before seeing a return to 2019 passenger levels,” the spokesperson said. .
“We have seen a noticeable increase in the number of people using the airport in recent weeks from the likes of Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Galway, Westmeath, Offaly and even Tyrone, with online parking bookings from these counties in particular doubling. over the past eight weeks compared to 2019 levels.
“Passengers report a very positive experience using the airport.”
Travel expert Eoghan Corry said that while regional airports offer easier travel experiences, they don’t offer the same destination options for vacationers everywhere nearby.
“The choice is not there,” he said yesterday. “Knock is a beautiful airport, but it has 17 routes. Dublin has over 120 routes and 309 flights have started today.
“The sheer volume of what Dublin Airport does is not available at regional airports in terms of route choice and frequency. One flight a week is not enough for people going on holiday.”
dr. Bronagh McShane, who flew from Dublin to Lisbon on Tuesday evening, said she would do “everything” to avoid the “nightmare” situation in the future.
“I live in Galway and I will definitely be watching Shannon and Knock first in the future,” she said. “I’ve looked for this flight, but they don’t fly to Lisbon.
“There are limited options from the regional airports but I will do everything I can to avoid Dublin Airport in the future as it is a nightmare.”
dr. McShane traveled from Terminal 1 and described scenes of “chaos and disorder”.
“Once we got through, there was a huge line for luggage drop-off and another for security. It was quite stressful, but I gave myself enough time. There is a general sense of disorder and chaos at the airport. The place is packed and there are huge queues for the bathrooms and there is trash everywhere.
“It’s so dirty outside. As an Irishman I am ashamed that tourists see this when they arrive. What kind of welcome is this to Ireland? The place looks filthy.”