Dublin as European Gateway

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 43

A buddy and I, he recently from Ireland, and I born there but living in Canada for many years, were contemplating the future of Aer Lingus.

Although we're not completely up-to-date on EI's public strategy for moving forward, we both thought it would be ideal for Aer Lingus, and the Irish tourism board, to try and pose Dublin as an alternative long-haul entry point to Europe (over say London, Paris, Frankfurt but similar to Glasgow, Manchester and Copenhagen). With Dublin and Ireland booming and with the continued Airport and city infrastructure improvements (new terminals, runway and subway from DUB to Dublin centre), we thought it would be great to start promoting Dublin/Ireland as the ideal point to start off one's European holiday (3-5 day vacation packages). Also, with the Celtic Tiger still so strong, surely there must be business clientelle who would give Aer Lingus and other carriers business on this route. There are ample connections onward from Dublin for passengers to continue their voyage in the UK or on the continent.

Perhaps we were being naive, but it seemed like a plausable idea. Or, is Ireland too seasonal weather wise to be a serious contender in this category?

Original post

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 43

I love the idea, but a drastic overhaul of the current infrastructure would be needed, which I don't see happening while the airport is still in the hands of the govt.
Yes the metro, new terminal and new runway are steps in the right direction but I think we need to look at the actual airlines operating to/from DUB.
Aer Lingus, yes, have an ever expanding short-haul network but the long-haul network, even with the abolishment of the stop-over will only expand to something like three more routes westwards. With EI pulling out of Oneworld, this also reduces the accesability of onward connections
Eastwards, we already have DXB along with BAH with GF and I'm not quite sure how many other routes would provide a sustainable load...maybe Bangkok?
RYR (forgetting temporarily about the takeover bid) will continue to offer point-to-point services and I don't know how many passengers would be willing to risk missing a connection flight with RYR with no allowances made for missed flights.
I do feel however, that DUB (although not being the best condition at the moment) could go on to become a major, regional european hub if its growth is planned carefully. However I can't see this being the case without a change in ownership/management which I don't see happening in the near future.

Member for

20 years 2 months

Posts: 2,495

This is well underway. The amount of connecting traffic flowing through DUB at the moment compared to 2-3 years ago is stagerring. EI have been known to have 90% of passengers on an inbound T/A flight connecting onwards.

The JFK flight is busiest due to EI operating an evening departure as well as having early arrivals. But even CO, AA and US are carrying alot of connecting traffic in.

Its a pretty exciting time to be working there as I am dealing with all the connecting bags and I cetainly hope it continues.

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 43

I suppose I'm also thinking beyond EI, though it would be great to see them ensure their longevity by feeding their European routes with long-haul traffic, but promoting Dublin to other airlines as well year-round. I think the plan would involve serious commitment on behalf of the Irish government and various jurisdictions in the country. This could also be an alternative for SNN in the absence of the SNN layover. Fly into DUB from abroad, tour the country on a set day package then fly out of Shannon to your next destination.

Agreed, the loss of Oneworld does present hurdles, though they still have codesharing agreements.

Are AA and BA still going to feed flights to EI through LHR? If not, I think it will hurt the airline.

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 43

I'm nearly sure BA will continue to feed PAX through LHR, not sure about AA.