Dublin Airport said it learned its lesson after 118 passengers missed their flights on Sunday morning due to delays in airport security.
Passengers had to queue for up to two hours to cross security and many complained that most offices were unmanned despite the number of passengers.
Daa spokesman Kevin Cullinan said Monday that they know in advance how many passengers will be arriving Sunday morning, but they didn’t expect so many to arrive at once.
The number of passengers leaving the airport on Sunday was down 4 percent from the previous Sunday.
“We raise our hands and apologise. We obviously did not have the number of security lines for the number of passengers who presented themselves in the first batch on Sunday morning.
“We, Dublin Airport/Da, were wrong and we apologize unreservedly to passengers who were stuck in queues for that time period and those who missed their flights.
“This is not how we want to run our business. Yesterday wasn’t a good day for us at the airport. We had a perfect storm of people introducing themselves in some cases four or five hours before the flight or others leaving too late.
“We took lessons on board. We had extra security personnel deployed today and we had extra security lines open.”
Most of the passengers who missed their flights were rebooked on other flights, Cullinan said. We’ll talk to the airlines to see if something’s cool. It remains to be seen at this moment in time.
“Our week is getting busier a week. There are more people traveling and there are more regulations. People need to leave more time.”
Travel Tips
Daa (formerly Dublin Airport Authority), which operates Dublin Airport, has advised passengers to arrive at least two hours early on a European flight and three hours in advance on a long-haul flight.
Da stressed that since returning to international travel on July 19, there are new regulations and procedures that mean passengers must attend early.
A member of the security staff, who contacted The Irish Times but declined to be named, said the fault with the delays lay with management, not security staff.
« We are doing our best to transport passengers as efficiently as possible with 100 per cent compliance, » she said.
“Don’t you think last year and a half was hard on us when no one had been through the hall for that long? We still have to show up for our shifts as early as 3.10am to stand up for eight/nine hours a day and do nothing!
“Our wages have been cut, and our senior management has messed about the rolls with no regard for family life. And suddenly we’re exposed to such an influx of passengers that we can’t keep up because of the decisions the company has made?”
In response, Mr Cullinan said Dublin Airport had reduced by 1,000 staff as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, when air traffic had fallen by 95 per cent over the past 18 months.
« We certainly don’t want to repeat what people experienced on Sunday morning, » he said.
« Spécialiste de la télévision sans vergogne. Pionnier des zombies inconditionnels. Résolveur de problèmes d’une humilité exaspérante. »
More Stories
Gordon Moore, co-fondateur d’Intel, est décédé à l’âge de 94 ans
Croissance des mauvaises herbes : des perspectives positives, mais le pâturage reste un défi
L’Union européenne et l’Allemagne parviennent à un accord sur la suppression progressive des voitures alimentées par des carburants fossiles