That was funny, though his colleague does look like a Vulcan with pointy ears.

Very supportive of Garda / Immigration, not an Aer Lingus issue and highlights issue which posted about a couple of days ago about Immigration booths in T1.

Are Aer Lingus finally outsourcing all of their ground staff to Swissport?

They want to, but not sure about the progress.

The 2.4 billion Metro North Project which is scheduled to start construction in 2021 (2026/7 completion) may be brought forward with construction starting in 2019 under new capital plans. Unlikely to get to a definite decision until June/July.

It's been 12 years since MN and MW were both first announced.....so take the current and new dates with a big "maybe". There does however appear more political will now than ever for it.

Is it true that a metro station was built under T1 in the 70s in anticipation of this? I know it sounds like a ridiculous rumour but I've heard it from more than one person who works in the airport? Supposedly directly beneath the disused spiral car parks between T1 and T2?

More than one tunnel under the airfield, Area 14 another example in T1 AFAIK.

Now the suitability for a Metro is questionable......

Buddy tells me there's platforms and everything under T1 ready to go?

May well be, don't have much detail but it's unlikely to be used.

Norwegian
 

OSL will increase from x3 to x6 weekly from late March.

The story I've heard is that they were for an internal airport shuttle (like what links T5 in Heathrow to the remote piers). Needless to say this was never built.

Heard along those lines as well as as there are more than one it could be right.

http://www.dublinlive.ie/lifestyle/travel/ryanair-launches-2999-dublin-porto-12542541

Aer Lingus cancelling the planned Porto route and cutting frequencies on other routes

Not exactly cutting capacity that didn't operate last year, unable to get the right aircraft.

Aer Lingus could be about to launch Las Vegas this winter. CEO has said the will likely take a "gamble" and possibly operate it as a winter only service.

Doesn't make much sense to me. Vegas isn't the nicest climate in the winter.

Would have thought that Dallas and Montreal would be a higher priority than Las Vegas.

CCR

Vegas is best to make a return with spare winter capacity, YUL would be sunmer seasonal and DFW possibly as well.

benjyyy

Most don't go for the climate, could be year round as well.

I can't imagine too many Business Class tickets to Las Vegas. Would it be a similar offering to Orlando? DFW would seem to have an advantage in this regard.

If they are going to start looking at long-haul leisure destinations, has anywhere in the Caribbean ever been considered?

EI will have to be more competitive on their fares. A recent flight from SFO / DUB only had about 60 PAX. Doesn't seem like a successful entry to a new market. There is a price tipping point for individuals / families that make going via FRA, LHR, AMS, CDG or with the likes of WOW more attractive Testing the market for DUB- LAS will indeed need some competitive pricing.

SFO is very successful, one flight is not a good judgment. It's operating over 90% over the summer, 80-85% outside this with prehaps Jan/Feb slightly but it's operating at a higher frequency Q1 than in 2016.

Will be priced like MCO I suspect which does well and couldn't see freq been more than x3 weekly.

You're judging a route on one flight? Interesting.

Also SFO has been operating for nearly three years, it was restarted in April 2014 so hardly an entry into a new market. All the evidence points to the route being very successful, daily within a year, increased frequencies in winter within two years and upgrading to A333 ops this year.

If the fares are too high for you, there's probably a reason for it.

Shamrock, I've no problem having a fully flat bed in economy but I guess that's not what EI had in mind.

Well the passengers who have made SFO one of the most profitable routes out of Ireland seem to have no problem with the price.

"A recent flight" in Feb is post xmas Jan, the quietest time of the year. I was on a half empty VS 744 and a BA 772 where I had a whole row to stretch out. North Atlantic travel remains seasonal, though not as bad as the B747 SNN stopover days (!)
Aer Lingus, is I believe, one of the better performers in terms of long haul profitability in IAG.

135,000 flew on DUB-SFO in 2015 (not sure about 2016). That is fairly successful in my opinion.

http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Stat...selections.asp

Just got through security at DUB T1 in less than a mi ute. Other airports should take note

That might be part of the problem re recent immigration issues...

Definitely, especially considering passengers need to go through security to get into the country :confused::confused::confused:

I'm assuming the under one minute didn't include hand luggage screening and was timed at being at the actual security equipment only, otherwise I don't see how it's physically possible to complete the whole process in under one minute?

I departed last Friday evening and security was quick, now I didn't time it but I wasn't standing in a line, there was 6-7 lanes open at around 20.00. If anything slightly to many for the time of day.

Immigration when I arrived last Thursday morning was busy but again lines kept moving, probally only around 5 minutes. It was also well staffed.

T1 in general has greatly improved, differently up to standard as T2, while lots of shops it's not the pain that LGW South Terminal and they have done a good job with the arrivals area.

Any idea when segregation of A gates will be complete and I assume BA are getting air bridge?, also A gates 221-224 are new (?) took a stroll down and BA, KLM and EI around each gate yet only KLM appear to be actively operating there.

South Terminal is easy to go through and has been for a while, immigration lots of gates using passport making it easy.

Anyway as regards EI A330s in winter, they have at least 2 idle every day and 3 on some, great for heavy maintenance in winter but there's still flexibility there. With no Novair contract anymore it's either use them or lose them within IAG. I half expected a winter southern hemisphere route but USA is their goldmine.

Walked up, scanned boarding pass, hand luggage etc into the tray, walked through. Lots of lanes open, everyone passing through quickly (apart from those who set the alarm off obviously.

Hell of a walk from there to the boarding gates though (used 104 this evening).

FR cabin crew must love the thursday/friday evening DUB-NCL flight, full of stag parties...the drinks trolley must have been emptied before we got across the Irish sea!

Not at Dub nor will mention airport but was in UK.

Gone through security and just collecting my stuff when all the alarms go off as 2 guys come through the security gates all tooled up with guns but they cops (thank F***).

Just looked at them and grinned which one stopped and asked why................. I just said "it sounds scary going off, least the equipment works but what happens when you walk through and nothing goes off "

His response was reassuring.

I'm not sure anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere could work from Dublin.

Australia and New Zealand are too far. There are very few European carriers who go the whole way there now, even from much bigger markets.

I can't imagine any significant demand for South America and IAG would probably regard expansion at Madrid as the best way to serve it.

The only place that might work on paper is South Africa. However, there's a problem of which airport there. Fly to Johannesburg and you lose a lot of Cape Town (which is the largest source of demand) traffic, as it's as you may as well connect in Heathrow, Frankfurt or Schiphol and avoid the unpleasantness of OR Tambo altogether. Fly to Cape Town and there are very few connections possibilities, so you lose the large chunk of people who were looking to go elsewhere.

Did we have regular Cape Town service during early 2000's?

I believe there was one Winter when LTU were operating a once a week direct charter for Slattery's.

Charters ran in other years as well, but IIRC, they was usually a stop in Manchester.

Yes, there was a direct CPT service run on a charter basis.

Winter use for the 330 fleet is going to be an issue as it expands. There may be limited use to LHR, or even MAD for IAG Cargo. I see them expanding use to the likes of FAO, AGP and maybe even down to the canaries.

South Africa would seem to be the most obvious long-haul service, traditional schedules to/from ZA are overnight both ways, which means a day 'wasted' in CPT or JNB. KLM do a daytime southbound flight to CPT, I don't know of any others. I imagine for utilisation purposes EI would operate daytime in one direction.

There are many connections over LHR to KUL and SIN, so those could also be options for direct service. SIN would connect to BA services to SYD. Realistically, these routes would need both the A350 and the new runway at DUB.

January traffic up 9% to almost 1.9 million.

UK - 741,000 +8%
Europe - 873,000 +7%
Transatlantic - 165,000 +28%
M.E/Africa - 72,000 +2%
Domestic - 6,000 +3%

https://www.dublinairport.com/latest...p-9-in-january