Airport chiefs have blamed the latest queue chaos at the country’s largest air terminals on passengers for turning up too early.
As the school Easter holidays got under way yesterday, thousands of distraught travellers were jammed into long delays at Dublin Airport.
Flyers have been terrified of missing flights due to never-before-seen levels of delays at the airport since the problems emerged before St Patrick’s Day.
Read more: Dublin Airport footage shows massive 3am queues resulting in passenger chaos
Dublin Airport Authority yesterday told confused passengers to arrive three-and-a-half hours early – but warned them earlier this week to arrive up to four hours early.
After the latest queue chaos unfolded in the early hours of the morning, DAA bosses told the Irish Mirror that “this was mainly the result of a large number of passengers arriving earlier than expected”.
Long queues snaked around the airport in the early hours with nervy passengers posting images and videos of the disorder on social media.
Amid claims that some passengers endured two-hour queue ordeals and consequently missed their flights, a spokesperson for DAA said: “There were significant queues in both terminals at Dublin Airport in the early hours, particularly between 2.30am and 4.30am.
“This was mainly the result of a large number of passengers arriving earlier than expected ahead of flights later in the morning. At the peak this morning, it took some passengers up to 70 minutes to pass through security.
“Queue times reduced considerably once additional security lanes
were opened, as scheduled, in both terminals.” Some passengers stuck in yesterday’s queues described the horror as “carnage” and like a “cattle mart”.
The spokesman added: “With Dublin Airport set to get busier over the coming weeks, passengers are being reminded to arrive at the airport a minimum of three-and-a-half hours prior to their departure time. As always, Dublin Airport’s customer service team will work closely with any passengers who are found to have missed a flight as a result of delays at security screening.”
The customer service crews will “determine whether they [passengers] are due a refund”.
Some 300 people have already issued formal complaints as a result of the delays and missed flight problems that are making headlines all over the world.
DAA has explained the problems at Dublin Airport as a “perfect storm” of Covid-19 restrictions being lifted, a surge in air travel, staff shortages due to job losses caused by the pandemic, recruitment training issues, and worker absences due to Covid.
The airport has around 600 security workers but they need another 300 new staff to solve the unprecedented problems. DAA has estimated that it will take “five or six weeks” to train the new workers and yesterday revealed that “this log jam is now easing” and job offers have been made to 100 candidates.
Workers at the airport last week revealed that angry passengers have spat at them, verbally abused them and physically assaulted them due to their frustrations at the long queues.
DAA bosses yesterday vowed that it “continues to refine and adapt its security screening operation with the aim of ensuring that we get all passengers through security in plenty of time to make their flight”.
A spokesman for Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan, told the Irish Mirror he is happy Dublin Airport chiefs are “doing all they can” to reduce queues.
And he confirmed that the Army will not be called in to take control of the situation.
The spokesman said: “The CEO of DAA and senior management are continuing to provide daily updates to the Department regarding the actions being taken by DAA to address security screening delays at Dublin airport.”
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
