Irish 10/17: Philadelphia here we come (again!) ...

BestWestern · Mon Oct 16, 2017 12:47 pm

OA260 wrote:
ORK this morning

QR EK EY VY all cancelled their flights to DUB for today.

I didn’t know RE flew ORK BHD

OA260 · Tue Oct 17, 2017 10:32 am

Some interesting videos from DUB yesterday which Im sure most saw. Then last night various aircraft circling around Dublin Bay. Hoping the areas that got battered around the country get back to normal soon.

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No compensation for air passengers affected by Ophelia

160 flights cancelled in Dublin. Duty-free has closed. Some parking costs are being waived

Ophelia has caused major disruptions in air travel today. So far hundreds of flights have been cancelled or delayed, affecting thousands of people’s plans.

However, no compensation is payable for flights cancelled due to weather. Compensation of between €250 and €600 is usually payable on top of the cost of a flight when the flight is cancelled or delayed. However, this is unlikely to be paid to passengers affected by Ophelia, as weather incompatible with the safe operation of a flight is exempt under passenger rights legislation.

It is important to note, however, that airlines will refund the cost of flights or will rebook passengers on other services – according to the passengers’ preferences.

All airports around the country have had cancellations and delays.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-sty ... -1.3258151

JAmie2k9 · Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:48 am

KLM‘s Dublin to Amsterdam Schiphol and Air France‘s Dublin to Paris Charles De Gaulle routes are outperforming its services from Britain to the Netherlands and France, revealed Benedicte Duval, Air France-KLM’s new General Manager for Ireland and Britain.

Ms Duval, who succeeds Warner Rootliep in the job, said load factors are running at about 87pc in the first nine months of the year. “The past 18 months the curve, following the economic recovery in Ireland, has been up,” she told Travel Extra during a meet-and-greet trip to Dublin.

Full Details
http://www.travelextra.ie/dublin-routes ... -klm-boss/

ThrottleHold · Wed Oct 18, 2017 4:45 am

Ticketyboo wrote:
... and yes, frankly if we're honest it is 3rd world, yes it is in all but location.
.

Have you ever been to an actual 3rd world airport? I severely doubt it if you think that's what DUB is.

Dhaka, Dakar, Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam, Entebbe, Trivandrum, Calicut, Kochin..... I've been through all of them and that's true 3rd world experience.
No air conditioning... mosquitoes on a feeding frenzy...bathrooms that make the one from Trainspotting look appealing...staff all looking for bribes...sh1t & p1ss everywhere..

I suggest you take a trip to one of these places, spend a few hours, and then come back to reality and explain how Dublin Airport is 3rd world.

Jesus wept.

BestWestern · Wed Oct 18, 2017 8:50 am

Whilst Dublin airport isn’t third world, it can hardly be called a first world gateway we can be proud of.

From an infrastructure perspective, the lack of air bridges for so many gates and non LCC Services, including long haul is a big surprise.

The patchwork nature of the airport is so visible in Terminal 1. Just look at the amount of floor coverings in the check-in area.

Hardware takes time to enhance, but where Dublin is failing badly is on software. Terminal 1 is grimy and there is no excuse for that. It’s particularly noticeable in the baggage hall and piers A and B.

Dirty tables in the resturaunt open areas in T1 is another example of the airports cost cutting that’s going to drive the ASQ scoring back down again.

gosimeon · Wed Oct 18, 2017 8:52 am

JAmie2k9 wrote:
KLM‘s Dublin to Amsterdam Schiphol and Air France‘s Dublin to Paris Charles De Gaulle routes are outperforming its services from Britain to the Netherlands and France, revealed Benedicte Duval, Air France-KLM’s new General Manager for Ireland and Britain.

Ms Duval, who succeeds Warner Rootliep in the job, said load factors are running at about 87pc in the first nine months of the year. “The past 18 months the curve, following the economic recovery in Ireland, has been up,” she told Travel Extra during a meet-and-greet trip to Dublin.

Full Details
http://www.travelextra.ie/dublin-routes ... -klm-boss/

I flew to Stockholm during the weekend via Amesterdam with KLM. Really nice product - new plane, free food and coffee, friendly service. I am glad to see they are doing well.

OA260 · Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:12 am

gosimeon wrote:

I flew to Stockholm during the weekend via Amesterdam with KLM. Really nice product - new plane, free food and coffee, friendly service. I am glad to see they are doing well.

Indeed as I stated some posts back its really been a success story for them at DUB. Also due to aggressive pricing and some great corporate and Nett fares they have managed to take a big slice of the pie. Back tracking DUB-AMS-USA continues to do well too.

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Aer Lingus to hire 100 new pilots at Dublin Airport base

The airline plans to recruit up to 200 pilots over the next three years

Aer Lingus is set to hire 100 new pilots at its home base in Dublin Airport.

The airline plans to recruit up to 200 pilots with an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) over the next three years.

The new hires can expect to start on around €72,000 if flying an Airbus and €59,000 for non-Airbus pilots.

They will be expected to fly between 800-900 hours per year, starting with flights to UK and European destinations at the start of their careers.

Employees will enjoy a contributory pension scheme with 21 per cent contribution from Aer Lingus plus 11 per cent employee contribution.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-ne ... w-11356806

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DAA planning overhaul of retail in Terminal 2

The DAA is to embark on a major revamp of its retail operations at Dublin Airport's T2. The project - overseen by the DAA's Aer Rianta International (ARI) unit - includes the development of a new 14,500 sq ft duty free outlet, a large liquor store as well as other new units for the sale of items such as perfume, luggage and jewellery.
Tender documents seen by the Irish Independent show the airport operator is seeking companies to work on an ongoing revamp over three years.
Its understood the DAA is looking to put together a panel of six providers under a so-called framework contract, who will then bid for the work in T2 as it arises.

The tender relates to work in the main retail areas of the departures lounge, a mix of space managed directly by the DAA and concession stores.
The refurbishments panel will work for the DAA, but it is likely they'll also be best placed to tender for work in the concessions, given the necessary familiarity with the airport, including its security processes, once contractors are short-listed.

T2 opened in 2010 at a cost of €600m, and can handle 15 million passengers a year. Its retail units are among the busiest in the State.

http://www.independent.ie/business/iris ... 37834.html

eirflot · Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:35 pm

ThrottleHold - fairly safe to say that Jesus is keeping out of this one and perhaps I should too!!!!
Ah...nah!

All the exciting, wonderful, entertaining and even dangerous places you mentioned are actually considered Third World locations ( not necessarily by me!) and therefore I would expect their facilities to be 'interesting' at best and when I am in that part of the world my expectations are different!!! Ireland I believe is considered part of the Developed World and so we should expect our facilities to match that standard!

Tiketyboo has slammed you and everything BestWestern has said is perfectly accurate. It is perhaps the best example of my third world comment. Frankfurt is a larger and busier airport yet the bathrooms don't smell and for the most part the eating areas are kept clean and tidy. Frankfurt has has many dark and dingy corridors and less than appealing spaces too. I know I am not supposed to compare Dublin to anywhere else, but how do we determine where Dublin Airport sits in the rankings!

It is possible that all of this is down to personal expectations and I guess each to his / her own standards!!

:bigthumbsup:

kaitak · Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:43 pm

eirflot wrote:
ThrottleHold - fairly safe to say that Jesus is keeping out of this one and perhaps I should too!!!!

Well, Jesus only has experience of TLV only; and he's probably tired of being harassed by security there, too.

To be honest, I've always found DUB ok. Sure, there are better airports and I wish they'd clean those bloody windows in the circular area at the end of the B pier (as people of my vintage probably still call it!), but there are so many worse. For an airport that has grown so much and is as busy, it's not bad at all.

In a sense, you can make a parallel with a plane: if you want one that's 100%, guaranteed safe, go luck in a hangar. Likewise with an airport ... if you want one that's clinically clean and perfect, try Cuidad Real in Spain. Airports are heavily used and Irish airports, thankfully, are much more used than in previous years and with the level of competition and increasing pressure from airlines (as the DAA is finding out, particularly with IAG), it has to plan its spending very carefully. My basic requirement of an airport is that it's bright and airy, staff are nice and they don't get worked up about people taking photos. If it satisfies these three, it's fine by me.

planemanofnz · Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:58 pm

BestWestern wrote:
You simply can’t compare the Asian orientation of NZ to Ireland.

Although New Zealand has about 8 times the number of ethnic Chinese that Ireland does, Ireland's trade with China is broadly similar in value to that of New Zealand's. In addition, a range of Chinese companies have strategic operations in Ireland, including technology companies (like Huawei, Tencent, Lenovo, Chinasoft, SATIR and Firecomms), as well as financial services companies (like ICBC, Bank of China (Aviation), China Development Bank and Bank of Communications) - New Zealand does not have this same quality of Chinese investment. I am not saying that DUB should be able to sustain the same level of Chinese services that AKL does (particularly given demographic differences between AKL and DUB), but to suggest that DUB cannot sustain a few flights each week to both HKG and SZX, particularly given the levels of trade and investment between China and Ireland cited above, IMO, is naive.

Cheers,

C.

EI564 · Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:50 pm

I think you can summarise the argument about Dublin Airport into "everyone wants the airport to be better". Most people recognise that "third world airport", whatever a previous poster meant, has very negative connotations, which are undeserved.

Some people will have had bad personal experiences to cloud their judgement, while others would have the exact opposite.

The only thing I will add is that the airport reflects the will of the airlines. The airport doesn't get any money from the government, so it needs to reflect what airlines want. And they don't want many air bridges (for example).

BestWestern · Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:55 pm

The Irish trade with China is from big ticket tax benefit items such as aircraft leases, medicine and software.

Irish indigenous companies have a very small presence in China. Prime (and shameful) example..... I was at an Irish presidential event in Shanghai. At the business breakfast they served NZ butter at it. Kerrygold butter in HK has a Union Jack on it.

Another issue is that Chinese people think ireland is Iceland ‘Educated’ ones think that Ireland is the UK.

Yes, the potential is there, but it’s a generation away.

snnjfk · Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:05 am

Not sure how I feel about the third world comment but here is a statement I would like to make a comparison.

How does Dublin compare to New York's LGA???

How does Dublin compare to terminal B in EWR where international carrier operate from???

Compare the population sets in both regions and per capita, the real question is how does it compare??? Dub will never be top but I am sure can hold its own.

BTW. I flew EWR - DUB - AMS return this summer for a weekend trip and would rate the three airports 1. AMS 2. DUB 3. EWR. Toilets were clean, shopping experience was good, transfers seemed seamless, food options sufficient. While it may never be best in class, I think it does a good job holding its own.

planemanofnz · Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:11 am

BestWestern wrote:
The Irish trade with China is from big ticket tax benefit items such as aircraft leases, medicine and software.

I disagree - the Irish dairy industry is "indigenous," and as one example, last year, Ireland overtook New Zealand to become the second largest exporter of infant formula to China. Indeed, China is now the second biggest export destination for Irish dairy, after the United Kingdom.

Take tourism as another prime example, which is the island of Ireland’s largest indigenous industry. China is now the world’s largest outbound travel market - approximately 55,000 Chinese tourists came to Ireland in 2016, and the number is expected to surge to 100,000 by 2020.

BestWestern wrote:
Another issue is that Chinese people think ireland is Iceland ‘Educated’ ones think that Ireland is the UK.

Again, I do not see this as a strong counter-argument. American people mistake New Zealand as being part of Australia, and I am sure that more Chinese people know about Ireland than they do about, say, Fiji, which has long-established scheduled and charter flights to and from China.

BestWestern wrote:
Yes, the potential is there, but it’s a generation away.

The time is now - while Brexit is threatening Ireland's relationship with its most important partner, growth in trade with China has surged, and is forecast to continue surging. Meanwhile, smaller airports like BUD, GVA, LIS and MSQ are securing Chinese flights too.

DUB cannot afford to wait for a generation, for a mere 7x weekly flights to Greater China (with 4x to HKG and 3x to SZX).

Cheers,

C.

LH982 · Thu Oct 19, 2017 4:14 am

For Dublin the toilets are probably the biggest weakness. They can be good or shocking, particularly the main baggage hall toilets in T1.

Most everything else is okay to good. The old A pier is now just about finished, and on a par with the Cityhopper gates in Amsterdam or the bus area in Zurich. The old B pier needs some love, and even cleaning or replacing the glass would help a lot.

It's not HKG or SIN, but it's a long way from being bad. One thing I would applaud Dublin for is that it's generally possible to get something to drink or eat outside of peak hours. There are a lot of airports with good facilities, but they are often closed by about 8pm.

Irishbean · Thu Oct 19, 2017 11:20 am

Hi all, quick question, I am looking at United home from JFK to Dublin, from Newark next March in Business (its a booking with Lufthansa , DUB -FRA- SFO -PHX -EWR -DUB ) Outbound is in F, as I always wanted to try F with Lufthansa, but on return I am united in Business, is this the new Polaris seat? Thanks

OA260 · Thu Oct 19, 2017 11:27 am

Irishbean wrote:
Hi all, quick question, I am looking at United home from JFK to Dublin, from Newark next March in Business (its a booking with Lufthansa , DUB -FRA- SFO -PHX -EWR -DUB ) Outbound is in F, as I always wanted to try F with Lufthansa, but on return I am united in Business, is this the new Polaris seat? Thanks

http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris-tr ... ktop-4/p/3

JAmie2k9 · Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:21 pm

Note sure why my post was removed but Aegean increase ATH to 4 weekly (Jul-Sep) with the schedule split between night flights and day flights. Vueling also increase BCN to x9 weekly (Jun-Sep) and Norwegian increase PVD from 5 to 7 weekly from June.

All Bookable,

shamrock321 · Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:56 pm

The AF numbers are surprising to me, only 8% connect to long haul via CDG! I expected it to be much higher tbh!

alancostello · Thu Oct 19, 2017 2:08 pm

shamrock321 wrote:
The AF numbers are surprising to me, only 8% connect to long haul via CDG! I expected it to be much higher tbh!

From what I've seen their prices are consistently higher than KLM or BA on the same routes, sometimes by several hundred euro, can't imagine many would choose it unless they were the only ones flying the route.

OA260 · Thu Oct 19, 2017 8:05 pm

shamrock321 wrote:
The AF numbers are surprising to me, only 8% connect to long haul via CDG! I expected it to be much higher tbh!

KLM really take the lead for longhaul. AF do a lot of DUB-CDG-French Domestic to the likes of BOD NTE SXB etc.. and onto the TGV combo tickets. Pesonally I never liked CDG and would always prefer AMS for connections. Although recently I have heard from friends and colleagues that it is not such a nice experience as it once was. It has been over a year since I used AMS so cant comment on it currently.

dstc47 · Fri Oct 20, 2017 9:30 am

In a way the low AF connection figures are rather surprising, but then the long standing difficulties of transit over CDG, which predate the more recent security situation, plus the very frequent industrial action by French ATC and others surely put off a lot of regular travelers. AMS has offered a more reliable product than CDG or FRA, if rather worse now than before, to judge from recent comments.

Bricktop · Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:53 am

We just arrived at DUB from the US into terminal 2. What a piece of cake delightful experience. Sailed through immigration and customs, got a taxi right away. Third world my a$$.

If someone can get me the tail number of the Hong Kong Airways heavy I saw, I would be grateful.

LTenEleven · Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:13 am

What about the airport itself (which has improved a lot in recent years), the public transport links are very third world.

Ticketyboo · Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:38 am

OA260 wrote:
shamrock321 wrote:
The AF numbers are surprising to me, only 8% connect to long haul via CDG! I expected it to be much higher tbh!

KLM really take the lead for longhaul. AF do a lot of DUB-CDG-French Domestic to the likes of BOD NTE SXB etc.. and onto the TGV combo tickets. Pesonally I never liked CDG and would always prefer AMS for connections. Although recently I have heard from friends and colleagues that it is not such a nice experience as it once was. It has been over a year since I used AMS so cant comment on it currently.

I still enjoy connecting on long haul through AMS, KLM are for the most part a very dependable and 'friendly' airline with a nice product. Can be a bit of a trek to/from the lounge but it's still a broadly positive experience (I last used it in early summer), but depends upon time of day and if connecting or not (the SkyTeam element appears to work efficiently) as it can get incredibly crowded at the pinch-points.

kaitak · Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:58 am

Ticketyboo wrote:
OA260 wrote:
shamrock321 wrote:
The AF numbers are surprising to me, only 8% connect to long haul via CDG! I expected it to be much higher tbh!

KLM really take the lead for longhaul. AF do a lot of DUB-CDG-French Domestic to the likes of BOD NTE SXB etc.. and onto the TGV combo tickets. Pesonally I never liked CDG and would always prefer AMS for connections. Although recently I have heard from friends and colleagues that it is not such a nice experience as it once was. It has been over a year since I used AMS so cant comment on it currently.

I still enjoy connecting on long haul through AMS, KLM are for the most part a very dependable and 'friendly' airline with a nice product. Can be a bit of a trek to/from the lounge but it's still a broadly positive experience (I last used it in early summer), but depends upon time of day and if connecting or not (the SkyTeam element appears to work efficiently) as it can get incredibly crowded at the pinch-points.

I always like AMS; anytime (and unfortunately, not as often as I'd like) I get to connect there, I try and go to the end of the G pier and there's an opportunity for nice taxying shots. One thing that used to confuse me there was that KLM staff used to tell you that there was no photography allowed, but AMS Airport itself had absolutely no issues!

dergay · Fri Oct 20, 2017 3:16 pm

Bricktop wrote:
If someone can get me the tail number of the Hong Kong Airways heavy I saw, I would be grateful.

Most likely OE-IEG or OE-IFL, both A-330 aircraft.

OA260 · Fri Oct 20, 2017 3:48 pm

Ticketyboo wrote:

I still enjoy connecting on long haul through AMS, KLM are for the most part a very dependable and 'friendly' airline with a nice product. .

Yes the KLM brand was always far superior compared to the AF one. It also has a lot to do with mentality and attitudes.

OA260 · Fri Oct 20, 2017 3:51 pm

kaitak wrote:
One thing that used to confuse me there was that KLM staff used to tell you that there was no photography allowed, but AMS Airport itself had absolutely no issues!

People on power trips. I was once told by a cleaner in the former Flybe lounge at BHD that I was not allowed to take photos out of the lounge window.
I asked for it in writing but surprisingly they went off rather quickly and never bothered me again.

LH982 · Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:19 pm

AMS is generally good. Not as nice as it used to be, but it's handling a lot more passengers. Occasionally the EU self service gates aren't available, which causes big delays and a lot of very anxious passengers. I would still take it over CDG any day and probably a bit before FRA.

shamrock321 · Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:55 pm

According to a Facebook page, today's MIA returned after making contact with runway lights on takeoff! Any more info?

shamrock350 · Fri Oct 20, 2017 6:08 pm

Aer Lingus A333 EI-EDY has apparently been fitted with mood lighting.

shamrock321 wrote:
According to a Facebook page, today's MIA returned after making contact with runway lights on takeoff! Any more info?

The aircraft was EI-DAA, flight was about 40 minutes in when it was contacted by ATC about significant damage to runway lights at DUB and returned for inspection.

Pilot informed passengers the aircraft may have damaged a wheel after striking a light on take off. Landed safely.

shamrock350 · Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:55 pm

Some more info on the Miami flight return.

"Ground crews at Dublin reported finding tyre tracks in the grass adjacent to the runway. A runway excursion is when an aircraft or its undercarriage departs from the paved surface of a runway."

http://www.thejournal.ie/aer-lingus-fli ... 1-Oct2017/

No sign of EI-DAA back in the air and the return MIA-DUB has been cancelled.

ClassicLover · Sat Oct 21, 2017 2:48 pm

LH982 wrote:
AMS is generally good. Not as nice as it used to be, but it's handling a lot more passengers. Occasionally the EU self service gates aren't available, which causes big delays and a lot of very anxious passengers. I would still take it over CDG any day and probably a bit before FRA.

I don't really like using AMS at all, I find it too big and everything involves a lot of walking. Some of the setup is a little confusing as well and I go through there annually. I don't like FRA very much either.

While I do moan about it, I find LHR much easier to work with as the terminal signage makes things very easy to find. While connecting between terminals by bus is a really annoying, it would be difficult to get lost at Heathrow. I wouldn't say the same for AMS and FRA.

JAmie2k9 · Sat Oct 21, 2017 3:09 pm

Notice Aer Lingus brand will appear on X Factor this weekend. Girls category flew with them to SFO and filmed in London and Dublin.

Good marketing move promoting US traffic.

LH982 · Sat Oct 21, 2017 3:57 pm

ClassicLover wrote:

I don't really like using AMS at all, I find it too big and everything involves a lot of walking. Some of the setup is a little confusing as well and I go through there annually. I don't like FRA very much either.

While I do moan about it, I find LHR much easier to work with as the terminal signage makes things very easy to find. While connecting between terminals by bus is a really annoying, it would be difficult to get lost at Heathrow. I wouldn't say the same for AMS and FRA.

I'm probably not a great judge of AMS from that point of view, as I've spent lots of time there lately so I've probably built up a mental map.

Biggest pain in FRA is that LH keep moving the Dublin flights around. You can be on the same flight every week and find it leaving from a completely different part of the terminal.

Buses at Heathrow can loose you a lot of time. I often see people get the wrong bus and suddenly an easy transfer becomes a crisis. I also have little time for many of the jobsworths who work for the new BAA, and wouldn't know a customer service ethic if it ran over them.

BrianDromey · Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:05 pm

LH982 wrote:
.
Buses at Heathrow can loose you a lot of time. I often see people get the wrong bus and suddenly an easy transfer becomes a crisis. I also have little time for many of the jobsworths who work for the new BAA, and wouldn't know a customer service ethic if it ran over them.

I’d agree. T5-T5 is excellent, especially coming from UK domestic flights. I’ve never flown from Ireland into T5, but if it’s the same you’re straight into the lounge with no immigration, or security.

I’ve done T3-T5 in the past year. Oh dear. Walking and busses and queuing and miles of TENSA barriers in dark, shabby corridors, waiting for slow, rough busses. Staff barking instructions (all UK airports are similar in this regard) and just a poor experience. Even CDG does interterminal transfers and busses better than this.

OA260 · Sat Oct 21, 2017 5:11 pm

ClassicLover wrote:
While I do moan about it, I find LHR much easier to work with as the terminal signage makes things very easy to find. While connecting between terminals by bus is a really annoying, it would be difficult to get lost at Heathrow. I wouldn't say the same for AMS and FRA.

T2 and T5 at LHR are usually always good experiences for me. Really good selection of lounges in T2 also ( *G ) . I quite like FRA too maybe because I have been using it on and off for 25 years. Even with the expansion I still like it.

Galwayman · Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:42 pm

EI could obviously do Cancun, Dominican Republic and Barbados in the winter based on transfer trafic , long overdue and a welcome break from tedious USA

EI looked great on X factor, livery still very impressive but the green bag lady uniforms should have been trashed ten years ago

OA260 · Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:51 pm

Galwayman wrote:
EI could obviously do Cancun, Dominican Republic and Barbados in the winter based on transfer trafic , long overdue and a welcome break from tedious USA

EI looked great on X factor, livery still very impressive but the green bag lady uniforms should have been trashed ten years ago

Certainly good PR for EI and good to see them doing this kind of advertising. I did think that Turkish Airlines was more memorable though. I felt that EI could have got better shots of their aircraft and product. No one apart from Aerclub members would know they were in the EI lounges in LHR and DUB.

shamrock350 · Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:28 pm

Galwayman wrote:
EI could obviously do Cancun, Dominican Republic and Barbados in the winter based on transfer trafic , long overdue and a welcome break from tedious USA

EI looked great on X factor, livery still very impressive but the green bag lady uniforms should have been trashed ten years ago

If Aer Lingus were to consider any seasonal long haul offering it would be LAS first I'm sure. At the moment the focus seems to be year round routes and there's plenty more opportunities in that department before they need to go looking at seasonal.

Aer Lingus did look good on ITV tonight, along with official X Factor social media channels and Aer Lingus' own video.

https://twitter.com/AerLingus/status/921835985905729536

The X Factor has fallen from its highs of a few years ago but still rates exceptionally well in the younger demographics, something the Aer Lingus brand has been targeting these past few years. At least it was fair product placement unlike BA's sneaky advertising on Strictly Come Dancing (BBC) tonight!

ClassicLover · Sun Oct 22, 2017 7:55 pm

LH982 wrote:
Buses at Heathrow can lose you a lot of time. I often see people get the wrong bus and suddenly an easy transfer becomes a crisis.

I agree that the buses can be time consuming and it's not a great thing to have to do. How I wish you could transfer air side between terminals at Heathrow!

BrianDromey wrote:
I’d agree. T5-T5 is excellent, especially coming from UK domestic flights. I’ve never flown from Ireland into T5, but if it’s the same you’re straight into the lounge with no immigration, or security.

T5-T5 is superb when arriving from a UK Domestic flight. You pop straight out into departures with no additional checks. It's amazing!

Unfortunately, it is a different story for Dublin. Despite the Common Travel Area, the Dublin flights arrive just like any other airline meaning you get to experience both Passport control and Security before popping into departures. That part I really loathe at Heathrow.

Perhaps with Brexit and the continuation of no border between the countries that perhaps Dublin will be classed as Domestic at BA so we can transfer with ease. Not holding my breath though!

OA260 wrote:
T2 and T5 at LHR are usually always good experiences for me. Really good selection of lounges in T2 also ( *G ) . I quite like FRA too maybe because I have been using it on and off for 25 years. Even with the expansion I still like it.

True, I generally only use T2 and T5. Very occasionally T3... I haven't seen the inside of T4 in years and years now. You can tell which airlines I don't fly by that

Galwayman wrote:
EI looked great on X factor, livery still very impressive but the green bag lady uniforms should have been trashed ten years ago

Hear, hear! I think the uniforms are a disgrace.

shamrock350 wrote:
The X Factor has fallen from its highs of a few years ago but still rates exceptionally well in the younger demographics, something the Aer Lingus brand has been targeting these past few years.

Makes sense for them to do it and it is a nice little piece of promotion for the airline for their stop in Dublin on the way to the USA thing.

tonystan · Sun Oct 22, 2017 9:27 pm

ClassicLover wrote:
How I wish you could transfer air side between terminals at Heathrow!

Unfortunately, it is a different story for Dublin. Despite the Common Travel Area, the Dublin flights arrive just like any other airline meaning you get to experience both Passport control and Security before popping into departures. That part I really loathe at Heathrow.

Perhaps with Brexit and the continuation of no border between the countries that perhaps Dublin will be classed as Domestic at BA so we can transfer with ease. Not holding my breath though!

You can/do transfer airside at LHR. You still end up getting a bus if it’s intra-Terminal but it’s still considered airside.

As for the CTA arrivals, there is no passport check (not at T5 anyways) when transiting but as you are arriving from a foreign country you are very much still required to clear security to meet UK standards and I would be concerned if this ever changed, not that I think security at ROI airports in inferior in any way.

KIRFlyer · Tue Oct 24, 2017 1:17 pm

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... bag-policy

Ryanair has delayed its stricter cabin bag policy in the latest turnabout by the beleagured budget airline.

The company told its passengers in September that from 1 November they would have to pay £5 for priority boarding to avoid having their main cabin bag checked in to the hold at their departure gate.

eirflot · Tue Oct 24, 2017 3:49 pm

Passed through Dublin on Friday, returned Yesterday morning - Terminal 1

Check in was efficient
Security efficient and actually friendly
DAA Lounge was adequate - not sure about the new style salads though!
Gate and boarding were pure chaos as usual

Arrival yesterday morning (10.00am) was uneventful
Immigration was quick but even though the uniforms are new they still manage to make them look sloppy and untidy
Baggage was not too slow

Other:

An Aer Lingus transatlantic arrived just before us and I was amazed at the level of connecting / transfer traffic - stampede numbers!!!!!

More than 35 years of using Frankfurt and I still don't like the airport - a truly mountainous experience!

Lufthansa were very disappointing which was unexpected and annoying. We were an hour late leaving Dublin (the 5.55pm flight is rarely ever on time these days) Cabin crew tried to assist but were provided with little assistance, we were dumped in the middle of no where with false information, connecting gate was closed, ground staff were most unhelpful and the Sheraton at Frankfurt Airport is interesting. All in all a very poor showing from an airline that I have always held in high regard. There were 10 of us up front and all 10 us of missed our connections. Might have to look at KLM /AIR France again

:crazy:

OA260 · Tue Oct 24, 2017 5:45 pm

eirflot wrote:

We were an hour late leaving Dublin (the 5.55pm flight is rarely ever on time these days) Cabin crew tried to assist but were provided with little assistance, we were dumped in the middle of no where with false information, connecting gate was closed, ground staff were most unhelpful and the Sheraton at Frankfurt Airport is interesting. All in all a very poor showing from an airline that I have always held in high regard. There were 10 of us up front and all 10 us of missed our connections. Might have to look at KLM /AIR France again

Personally I always allow 2 hours connecting and allow for a one hour delay. I know its not always easy where no other connections exist but whenever possible it saves a lot of hassle.

Flew out of DUB T2 myself yesterday and was pretty hassle free. We boarded via steps at the 300 gates as there were too many aircraft parked there to use the bridges. Flight was good and crew too. Aircraft clean and landed 25 mins early. Priority boarding strictly enforced which was a bonus!

OA260 · Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:05 pm

Following a very successful Summer 2017 schedule, Volotea, the Spanish low-cost carrier has confirmed that their weekly Verona service to Cork will increase to twice weekly for Summer 2018. Cork to Verona will operate every Saturday from May 26 to August 29, with an additional flight on Wednesdays during peak season commencing on June 27.

http://www.corkairport.com/

eirflot · Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:16 pm

OA260 - 2 hours should be enough. However most of the CE, EE and CIS connections are either very early or very late and the connecting times for Lufthansa, SWISS or in the old days Austrian was as little as 45 minutes but usually in the 60 to 70 minute time frame. I guess my point was not as much that we were delayed, as this happens, but rather that Lufthansa were very disappointing in their customer service - something I am simply not used to from them.

I don't use Air France because of CDG, FRAt is difficult and because Lufthansa never seem to use the same arrival point from Dublin it is hard to gauge timings! AMS is still good though a bit of a walk at times and ZRH remains my airport for connecting. Though I also like LCY. Destination usually determines which connecting airport.

:airplane:

dstc47 · Wed Oct 25, 2017 9:43 am

The old terminal at Cork Airport is to be demolished.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/co ... 61610.html

OA260 · Wed Oct 25, 2017 7:59 pm

With increasing passenger demand over the New Year period to and from Dubai (DXB)
Emirates has introduced an extra flight for Sale on the 06th January 2018.

Flight Number Date Departure & Arrival
EK 2501 06 Jan 2018 DXB 15:35 DUB 19:55
EK 2502 06 Jan 2018 DUB 21:50 DXB #0920

Flights are now open for sale subject to Government approval.

Source Emirates.com

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