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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Travel
Helen Coffey

Dublin airport chaos continues after passengers were warned they ‘may miss flights’ due to queues

Twitter/@dr_barrett

The chaos continues at Dublin airport today, as snaking queues reportedly started building up in the early hours of this morning.

A passenger shared video filmed at 3.40am, in which long lines can be seen waiting for security.

“Queues thick with people growing in depth too,” tweeted Dr Barrett, alongside the footage. “Management well aware for months – worse it’s getting.”

They added: “Time through security display has been turned off ... sums it up really.”

Another traveller, John Duddy, added that, in addition to delays, there was “litter all over the terminal and filthy toilets this evening as well. Ground staff very patient and professional but management are a joke.”

Meanwhile, Dara Totterdell tweeted: “Incredulous at the scenes in front of and in departures this morning at 04.30!! Nobody deserves to be treated this way! Actually no living creature deserves to be treated this way!! Appalled! Disgusted and quite traumatised.”

However, queues seem to have since abated; as of 8am this morning, the airport website is showing security wait times of 45 and 30 minutes for Terminals 1 and 2 respectively.

Passenger Majella Dempsey said: “Through security in 35 mins this morning #DublinAirport staff all so nice and good humoured. No queue for checking in bags @Ryanair, joined security queue at 7. Was dreading it after yesterday’s news.”

An urgent meeting between Dublin Airport officials and junior minister Hildegarde Naughton is set to take place today after “significant queues” on Sunday forced the airport to admit that some passengers could miss their flights.

The airport’s Twitter account tweeted on 29 May: “Due to significant queues inside the terminal for check-in, bag drop and security, passengers queueing outside the terminal may not make their flight and may need to contact their airline to rebook. We sincerely apologise for the obvious frustration and inconvenience this may cause.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, speaking from Lebanon, said the situation was “not satisfactory”.

“The minister will be engaging with them and government will be discussing this and reviewing this in terms of the huge numbers and the delays and so on.

“It’s not satisfactory.”

A statement from the Department of Transport, on behalf of transport minister Eamon Ryan and Ms Naughton, said: “The passenger experience at Dublin Airport is falling far short of the service that our citizens and visitors should expect at our largest state airport.

“They said that it was not satisfactory that some people, who are following DAA guidelines, are turning up to the airport for check-in on time, but are still missing their flights.

“The situation is causing undue stress and potential cost to people, which is simply not good enough.”

The Independent has contacted Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) for comment on today’s queues.

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