I don't think I'll ever complain about Dublin Airport again after my awful experience travelling back from Manchester last weekend.
The capital's travel hub has come under fire after chaotic scenes that saw huge queues and passengers miss flights earlier this summer. But, credit where credit is due, airport bosses seem to have sorted out these issues as I breezed through security in minutes on the evening of Sunday, July 24 heading off for a week in Manchester - my first trip overseas since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
I wish I could say the same thing about my return journey last Saturday. But after spending three hours on the runway after my flight home had already been delayed by an hour, I'm afraid I don't have many good things to say about Manchester Airport.
In fact, it was an uncomfortable experience from the moment I entered Terminal 3 where there were throngs of people. Passengers even had to queue to get into restaurants and there were also huge lines for the bars while others sat on the floor due to a lack of seats.
I soon learned that the terminal was so packed because a host of journeys had been delayed - including my Ryanair flight back to Dublin, which was initially scheduled to take off at 7:05pm. The Departures board said the flight was expected to take off at 8:05pm but it would be almost midnight by the time I touched down in Dublin.
We finally boarded the plane at around 8pm but when we took our seats the captain announced that there would be a delay as the luggage from the previous flight still had not been removed. We were told this was because there was only one team of ground crew - who are operated by Swissport under contract to Ryanair - working between Terminals 1 and 3 and so there would be a bit of a delay.
The plane was hot and stuffy and stressed parents began walking up to the open door of the plane to keep their kids cool as we waited. And waited. And waited.
Some passengers worried they would miss connecting flights while others asked how much longer it would be before we took off and could they get off the plane. Unfortunately the Ryanair flight crew couldn't give us answers because they claimed Swissport staff weren't answering queries as to when to expect a ground team to arrive.
The crew passed around cups of water and the air conditioning was turned on to help keep us cool while the wait dragged on. The captain also kept us regularly updated although there wasn't much he could say other than to apologise for the delay.
Finally a huge cheer went up as one of the air stewards announced at around 10:30pm that a ground crew was on the way and we would soon be in the air. The plane finally took off at around 11:05pm - four hours after it was due to leave and we landed in Dublin shortly before midnight.
When contacted, a Swissport spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to hear about this and are looking into what happened here. Airlines, airports, and aviation services all work together to deliver different elements of a single passenger journey and at busy times, disruption from multiple sources – air traffic control, security queues, airport infrastructure – all combine to create delays.
"We understand this is a frustrating situation and we’re working closely with our airline and airport partners to reduce delays for passengers."
A Ryanair spokeswoman added: “This flight from Manchester to Dublin (30 July) was regrettably delayed due to a runway closure and airport staff shortages at Manchester Airport, which are completely beyond Ryanair’s control. Affected passengers were notified of the delay via email and the flight departed after a 4-hour delay.
"Ryanair sincerely apologises to passengers for this delay, which was completely beyond their control."
Manchester is such a great city to visit but I would be hesitant to return any time soon unless there is a huge improvement in the travel experience at the airport.
In relation to the crowds, a Manchester Airport spokesman said: "The summer season is the peak time for travel and naturally our terminals can get quite busy, particularly if there are a number of delays to flights, which is often due to circumstances out of our control as the airport operator.
"Passengers’ safety and comfort are very important to us – and we do have a quiet area with additional seating upstairs in Terminal Three, for those who are uncomfortable with busy spaces."
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