Travelling this weekend? Here's what you need to know if you are flying from Dublin Airport

Fri, 03 Jun, 2022 - 07:45

Michelle McGlynn

The June bank holiday is upon us and thousands of people are hoping to go abroad for the break.

Dublin Airport expects to see close to 200,000 people pass through its doors over the coming days with 52,000 to fly out of the airport today alone.

Following chaotic scenes at Dublin Airport last weekend, passengers are understandably apprehensive, unsure of whether their own journey will be impacted.

Staffing shortages have been blamed for the chaotic scenes and long queues experienced last Sunday in particular.

On Wednesday, Dalton Phillips, the CEO of Daa, outlined the plans that will be in place to avoid travel chaos this weekend.

Plans include:

Maximising the availability of staff resources
Increasing the number of security lanes open at peak times
Improving queue management

Here is what you need to know if you are planning to fly out from Dublin Airport.

The advice from Dublin Airport is to arrive no earlier than 2.5 hours before a short-haul flight and 3.5 hours before a long-haul flight. Picture: Fran Veale

How early should I arrive to the airport?

While it seems logical to arrive at the airport well in advance in anticipation of long queuing times, the advice from Dublin Airport is to arrive no earlier than 2.5 hours before a short-haul flight and 3.5 hours before a long-haul flight.

Passengers who are checking in a bag are advised to add an additional hour to the recommended arrival times.

Airline check-in desk and bag drop opening times will vary so it is important to find out from your airline when these services open for your flight as you will not be able to check-in or check your bag before this time.

Will I be left waiting outside if I arrive at the airport earlier than the recommended time?

The Daa is putting contingency plans in place in the event of the terminals becoming too busy.

Passengers who arrive too early for their flights will be asked to wait in a "dedicated passenger holding area". However, special consideration will be given to those passengers who require special assistance and those Important Flyers travelling with autism.

People will be asked to present documentation indicating the time of flight such as a booking confirmation or boarding card in order to access the terminal.

According to Mr Philips, the Daa "will put in place bad weather cover, seating, and toilets in the holding area as quickly as possible in the coming days following trialling of this system over the June bank holiday weekend."

Graeme McQueen, Media Relations Manager at Dublin Airport has said the use of holding zones will only kick in "if we absolutely have to and they will only affect people who have arrived really, really early."

What are the queue times like?

The estimated security queue times represent the average wait time that it took passengers to complete the screening process in the previous 15 minutes. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

There has been no sign of the long queues that were seen snaking around the terminals on Sunday which will come as a relief to many.

At lunchtime on Friday, estimated times for getting through security are 10 minutes in Terminal One and 10 minutes in Terminal Two.

The estimated security queue times represent the average wait time that it took passengers to complete the screening process in the previous 15 minutes.

You can keep an eye on the estimated times here.

Passengers travelling to the US will need to allow time to go through preclearance.

Is there anything that I can do to help speed up the process?

There is little passengers can do to address the ongoing staffing issues in the airport but there are small steps each passenger can take to help screening go smoother.

It may seem like it goes without saying but anyone who has been through security screening will know that it doesn't - while in the queue, get yourself and your belongings ready before you reach the top of the queue.

Make sure you have your liquids in the designated bag and have that bag to hand. Take any wallets, coins, phones out of your pockets. Take off any jewellery that may set off the detector and put it in a safe place.

Take off any belts and boots/high heels. If you are travelling with a laptop or tablet, take it out of your bag.

Listen to the instructions from staff members and keep in mind that they are under extreme pressure.

When is security open?

Security in Terminal One is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Security in Terminal Two opens from 4am.

What are the peak times?

Airline check-in desk and bag drop opening times will vary so it is important to find out from your airline to see when these services open for your flight

At present, peak times at security in Terminal One are 5am to 8am for morning flights and between 3pm and 7pm for evening flights.

In Terminal Two, peak times are 5am to midday for morning and early afternoon flights.

Weekends, especially bank holiday weekends, can be busy at all times.

Can I purchase Fast Track?

The purchase of Fast Track passes are temporarily suspended. However, bookings that have already been confirmed will be honoured.

Airport Club customers who present their membership card will also have access but are warned there may be longer queues than normal.

Airline business class and first-class passengers can also use Fast Track.

Finally, if your travel plans have been impacted by security queues, here is how to claim a refund

Those who have been impacted can request a refund by downloading and completing this form.

Any receipts should be included for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred such as a rebooked flight, additional accommodation, and transport costs.

The completed form and receipts should be submitted to customerexperience@dublinairport.com.

The Daa says that each submission will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and people will be contacted in due course.