The airline’s issue is with the advice to passengers to arrive 2.5 hours before short-haul flights and 3.5 hours before long-haul flights.
Aer Lingus has called Dublin Airport’s current advice for passengers to arrive early for their flights “problematic”.
The airline’s CEO Lynne Embleton made the comments on Tuesday (26 July) at an Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting where a number of issues with the aviation sector were discussed.
These included the delays at Dublin Airport and the cancellation of a number of Aer Lingus flights in recent weeks.
While appearing in front of the committee, Embleton apologised to Aer Lingus customers who were “caught up in disruption”, adding that the airline is doing everything it can to resolve the issues.
Speaking about Aer Lingus’ readiness for the summer, Embleton said that after the Omicron wave of Covid-19 at the beginning of 2022, the airline reiterated its intention to get to 90% of pre-Covid capacity by the summer peak.
“In Aer Lingus, we planned for this. We planned. We recruited. We adjusted contracts where necessary to ensure that we had the right resources going into the summer,” she told the committee.
“But our readiness was not matched by airports and was not matched by ground handling companies around the network.
“If every airport and every handling agent was as ready as Aer Lingus, we wouldn’t be facing the scale of disruption that passengers are seeing across the network.”
On Dublin Airport specifically, Embleton acknowledged improvements in the screening of passengers at the building as the summer has progressed, but added that more needs to be done.
“We need to see improvements in not only security screening but also in bussing services that move passengers and crew around the airport, in passenger mobility services that enable passengers to get on and off the aircraft in a timely manner… and indeed in the cleanliness around the airport as well,” she explained.
“And the advice from the airport for passengers to turn up 2.5 hours before departure for a short-haul flight and 3.5 hours before departure for a long-haul flight is remaining problematic for us.
“We have passengers checking in or dropping off a bag during the early morning peak and they are competing with passengers who are flying later in the day.
“That’s causing a level of congestion at check-in and bag drop that would be unnecessary if those recommendations weren’t in place.”
Embelton also said that she trusts that work is underway to permanently address these issues and that they are “absolutely not unique to Dublin”.
However, later during the committee meeting, Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison said that the advice to arrive 2.5 hours in advance of short-haul flights and 3.5 hours in advance of long-haul flights “remains prudent”.
“We are advising passengers that they should continue to allow up to one hour to clear security screenings,” he stated.
“In addition, they then need to walk to their gate and board the aircraft. The current advice allows sufficient time for this.”
Also on Tuesday, the daa (Dublin Airport Authority) issued a statement in which it continued to advise passengers to arrive 2.5 hours in advance of a short-haul flight and 3.5 hours for a long-haul flight, with an additional hour allowed if checking in a bag.
The daa added that this remains “under constant review” and that it looks forward to reducing the advised arrival times when “the time is right”.
It also said it was pleased to report a “significant improvement” in the amount of time it is taking passengers to get through security screening at Dublin Airport.
“The continued reduction in processing times, aided by the ongoing recruitment of new security staff and the availability of prudent contingency measures, can provide increased reassurance to those travelling over the coming weeks,” the daa said.
“During the month of July so far – Dublin Airport’s busiest month in three years which will see almost 3.1 million passengers pass through – more than 95% of all passengers have passed through security in under 45 minutes, while more than 85% of passengers have queued for 30 minutes or less.”
Meanwhile, Embelton also told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that though Aer Lingus customers have had their travel plans disrupted this summer, the vast majority of the airline’s passengers and their baggage were “successfully delivered”.
“Aer Lingus operated one of the most robust schedules of any of the European network carriers,” she said.
Main images via Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie
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