Cheaper to Fly than get the Train

sdanseo

Out of pure curiosity after seeing an ad on Irish Rail for a return trip to Cork for €59, I had a look at Ryanair's website. Look at the result:

Ryanair.com wrote:

Total Cost of Flight
excluding handling fee (if applicable)
click here for new information
on handling fees
45.94 EUR

and remember:

Irish Rail wrote:

Dublin - Cork Return from €59.00

Just thought it was interesting and worth a thread.:rolleyes:

SteM

I'm sure this has been posted before. I've done both trips in the last 6 months and have found the train trip to be much less hassle and more comfortable to be honest. Worth the extra €13 - or €8 if you're booking your Ryainair flight with a Visa card. If you have the time to spare and book your seats ahead the train journey is a much more plesant trip imho.

Victor

All well and good, but there is more to the cost of travel than the price of the ticket. You have to take in door-to-door time and ancilliary costs .... and the ability to bring your own bottle of water.

So if I try to book aflight for today

If you need to book a flight that departs today, please call our reservation center.

Click OK to reset your date selection to the earliest date available online.

So I'll try tomorrow

Going Out

Reg fare Adult Reg Fare 9.99 EUR

Wed, 03 Jan 07 Flight 9843
08:55 Depart Dublin (DUB)
09:45 Arrive Cork (ORK)


Coming Back

Reg fare Adult Reg Fare 9.99 EUR


Wed, 03 Jan 07 Flight 9848
19:55 Depart Cork (ORK)
20:45 Arrive Dublin (DUB)

Going Out (Reg fare)
1 @ 9.99 EUR 9.99 EUR
Taxes, Fees & Charges
details 20.94 EUR

Coming Back (Reg fare)
1 @ 9.99 EUR 9.99 EUR
Taxes, Fees & Charges
details 23.02 EUR

Total Cost of Flight excluding handling fee (if applicable) click here for new information on handling fees 63.94 EUR

Oh wait whats that, a handling fee? And luggage charges?

BendiBus

Don't forget the credit card charge and the checked luggage charge.

But it's not bad all the same. Even a day return flight tomorrow would be under €70 all inclusive.

c - 13

Also you dont have to be there X hours beforehand to check you bags onto the train.

MrPudding

c - 13 wrote:

Also you dont have to be there X hours beforehand to check you bags onto the train.

If you checkin online you don't need to be there that far in advance. I have arrived at the airport at 1605Hrs for a 1620Hrs flight. Not intentionally, I might add. But I still made the flight.

Even given that, I would tend to agree the the train is probably less hassle and worth paying a few more quid.

MrP

Victor

MrPudding wrote:

If you checkin online you don't need to be there that far in advance. I have arrived at the airport at 1605Hrs for a 1620Hrs flight. Not intentionally, I might add. But I still made the flight.

But you have to pay your 6 euro to do that.

BendiBus

MrPudding wrote:

If you checkin online you don't need to be there that far in advance.

But you now have to pay extra for this too.

HelterSkelter

And what about getting to the airport? €12 return or for the aircoach, or €6 (or €8.50) per day for parking. Train is far less hassle in my opinion.

Ham'nd'egger

MrPudding wrote:

. I have arrived at the airport at 1605Hrs for a 1620Hrs flight. Not intentionally, I might add. But I still made the flight.

Mr. Pudding, if you had have missed your flight you would have lost your seat and had to pay a second trip or a fee to move flights. Miss a train and you get the next one a few hours later, again less hassle and another pro in favour of the train.

Ham'nd'egger

HelterSkelter wrote:

And what about getting to the airport? €12 return or for the aircoach, or €6 (or €8.50) per day for parking. Train is far less hassle in my opinion.

Not everybody can get a direct bus to the airport, some people have to get a taxi there (and usually at the other end), so you often have 4 fares on top of your flight ticket.

sdanseo

Victor wrote:

You have to take in door-to-door time and ancilliary costs ....

Depends where you are...if you live on any bus route that goes through Dublin airport those ancillary costs come to a sum total of (1.85x2)=€3.70

HelterSkelter wrote:

And what about getting to the airport? €12 return or for the aircoach

If you live on the aircoach route you can almost certainly get a normal bus for under €2.

or €6 (or €8.50) per day for parking.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't there a charge for the parking at Heuston also?

I hasten to add that this thread comes from an avid aviation fan, but for me you're looking at a half-hour bus journey, one hour in the airport, and you're in Cork in 40 minutes, give or take. It'd take me nearly that long to get into town on a bus and then accross to Heuston on a LUAS.

Victor wrote:

And luggage charges?]

It's not for everyone, but for the commuter with little baggage it means being in Cork in about an hour - include bus at the other end maybe two and a half. That includes door-to-door times and is less time than you'd spend on the train itself.

And, it seems, it's cheaper.

1huge1

Yes id rather go on a train but i still fell that im being ripped off
in my opinion the expenses for a train to get to cork and much smaller than a plane
plus with the amount of passengers a train can take the profits must be huge
and half the time they stick you on those crappy old trains

id much rather give my money to ryanair if it wasnt such a hassle to get a plane for such a short distance

BendiBus

You can work on your laptop, make phonecalls, or even have a business meeting on the train, which makes your time productive.

Getting through security, boarding, takeoff, landing etc. mean your travel time when flying is generally unproductive.

Businesses like productivity.

sdanseo

BendiBus wrote:

You can work on your laptop, make phonecalls, or even have a business meeting on the train, which makes your time productive.

Getting through security, boarding, takeoff, landing etc. mean your travel time when flying is generally unproductive.

Businesses like productivity.

...and in Business, time is money. And the plane is quicker , even with check-in. And if it's business, taxi fares go out the window as ''expenses''.
Airports are as slow as you make them, and with online checking (which is what business-people use), you only really need to turn up in time to clear security and get to the gate. The flight is so fast (40min max, as little as 25mins with favourable winds), that phone calls can wait for either end.

And you can use laptops on planes again now. And even a cr*p latop battery lasts long enough for the flight to Cork, so most of the time can be used prouctively. Including waiting time, if any, at the airport with the additional benefit of WiFi.

rushbrook

It is how they CIE get away with charging a 1 way ticket for 54 euro that really
gets to me

1huge1

^^ exactly
thats why id much rather give my money to ryanair than cie who must be making huge profits