Galway City to Shannon Airport for 6.30am flight?

joeKel73

I'm flying out of Shannon on 12th Feb at 6.30am and just looking now to book a bus. But I'm now realising that City Link no longer service Shannon airport and Bus Eireann's first bus doesn't get there until 8.50am .

Are there any other private buses going that way?

Mrs OBumble

From http://www.galwaytransport.info/2008/12/airport-services-from-galway-city.html

Public transport options for travelling from Galway to Shannon for early morning flights include:

• Travelling to the Shannon area by bus the evening before, spending the night in a local B&B and using a local taxi to get to the airport
• A local hackney company (approx cost €90)
• Travelling to Dublin the evening before (see Regional Buses), and catching JJ Kavanagh bus (leaves Dublin airport 12:30am, arrives at Shannon airport 4:30am)

Sorry ... tis the best I can suggest.

philbo

I got caught out with this recently too. I looked at the various options, and ended up going to Dublin and coming down on the JJ Kavanagh service. It wasn't as bad as I arrived to Dublin early in the day and met with friends/watched the Ireland match that was on that day to break up the journey.

It is a bit more expensive though, and if you were doing it all in one journey it'd be a nightmare. By the time I arrived at the airport I was a bit sick of all the travel!

The other option isn't the best, Bus Eireann are just horrible, and it's quite a few hours sitting around in Shannon from 10 at night. I've given up traveling from Shannon since then.

happyoutscan

Is Shannon 'open' overnight? Could you arrive late that evening and find a corner for yourself and have a snooze? Know it doesn't sound ideal but I've done it a few times (never in Shannon, always Dublin airport) and it's always been grand. Hopefully someone on boards will be heading out the same morning and can help you with a lift.

KevR

Don't want do de-rail this thread but there was a huge discussion in another thread recently about airports in the West of Ireland. I argued that there are too many airports in the West, all of them having very poor flight timetables (because there is too much competition and too low a population density to sustain so many airports). I think one medium sized airport in either Galway or Limerick with much improved road and public transport links would have been a lot better for everyone in the West.

Quite a few people were defending the decisions to build multiple airports in the West and build them in locations like Knock and Shannon which are away from the main population centres.
It's amazing that you can't use public transport to get to Shannon for early morning flights, but you can get to Dublin for flights at any stage of the day.

OP - I'm sure you thought Shannon would be handy to get to when you were booking your flight. In reality, it's not easy to get to a lot of the time which is a real shame. I find Dublin a lot handier these days from Galway. Great road the whole way and an insane amount of buses. It's crazy that there are 3 airports in the West that are within an hour of my house but I almost always use Dublin (2+ hrs away) because of the better flight timetable and better transport to/from the airport.

poisonated

If I was to choose, this is what I would do:

1)Get a bus that leaves Galway at 5 or 6
2) Get some dinner at the airport
3)Go to the pub in the airport and grab a few pints
4)Get the bus to shannon and try to find a window seat to sleep on it.
5)Arrive in Shannon not overly tired.

It is really horrible trying to sleep in the airport. I believe that it is easier to sleep on the bus.


I agree with you Kev. Knock is also a very difficult airport to get to. If they were to close Shannon, Knock, Kerry, Cork and Galway and just open one airport, it would make more sense. Of course, we don't have the money though.

ErnieBert

There is a hotel a few hundred meters from the main terminal. I think it's Park Plaza

happyoutscan

If you're happy to drive and park at these airports then there's no problem. Each are only an hour and a bit from Galway and both cover the wider regions of the west which is of immense importance. The new motorway makes Dublin even easier to get too which is also fantastic.

If you're in a position to drive, all these airports are great but if you're not driving then Dublin airport is the only one properly accessible to those traveling from Galway. Either way I'd hate to lose our main airports in the west.

Wompa1

happyoutscan wrote: »

If you're happy to drive and park at these airports then there's no problem. Each are only an hour and a bit from Galway and both cover the wider regions of the west which is of immense importance. The new motorway makes Dublin even easier to get too which is also fantastic.

If you're in a position to drive, all these airports are great but if you're not driving then Dublin airport is the only one properly accessible to those traveling from Galway. Either way I'd hate to lose our main airports in the west.

Yeah Shannon has a cool history

happyoutscan

Wompa1 wrote: »

Yeah Shannon has a cool history

Which I don't think has anything to do with this thread.

yeehaw

happyoutscan wrote: »

Which I don't think has anything to do with this thread.

Es tut uns leid, mein Fuhrer.

joeKel73

Options not looking too good... would be cheaper to rebook the flight from Dublin than stay somewhere near the airport.

KevR wrote: »

OP - I'm sure you thought Shannon would be handy to get to when you were booking your flight.

Yeah we took the same trip last year and got down with City Link, was very handy. Would have flown from Dublin if I'd realised they'd ended their Shannon service.

amiable

Don't lose the faith yet. If anybody on Boards is travelling from Galway to Shannon on February 12th for a really early flight maybe they could give you a lift providing you are not an axe murderer?
I regularly travel down there for early flights but not that day. sorry

Battleflag

happyoutscan wrote: »

Is Shannon 'open' overnight? Could you arrive late that evening and find a corner for yourself and have a snooze? Know it doesn't sound ideal but I've done it a few times (never in Shannon, always Dublin airport) and it's always been grand. Hopefully someone on boards will be heading out the same morning and can help you with a lift.

You could easily do this, Shannon is nearly deserted these days so you will most likely have the airport to yourself for most of the night!

Fionn MacCool

Crazy how Bus Éireann don't plan their buses around the arrival times.

foto joe

foto joe wrote: »

Options not looking too good... would be cheaper to rebook the flight from Dublin than stay somewhere near the airport.



Yeah we took the same trip last year and got down with City Link, was very handy. Would have flown from Dublin if I'd realised they'd ended their Shannon service.

Just go down on the last bus the evening before, get food, have a few pints and find a nice corner in the airport to get some sleep, its not ideal but its the least hassle and you know you will make the flights.

shaggykev

it really is ridiculous. How many tourists arrive in Shannon looknig to go onto the West in Ireland and they can't get a bus to the city etc.

I looked a flight landing from Glasgow and it came in at 10:55 pm and there was no bus left to get to galway from there.

Surely Bus Eireann and Shannon Airport should be communicating to draw up the best possible timetable to maximise revenue for both parties

No wonder Shannon is always deserted recently. How much would a taxi set you back?

amiable

OP are you travelling on your own?

bodhrandude

Sorry for bumping this, but would prefer to do this than start a new thread.
I have a flight to Edinburgh at 10.45 am on the 23rd December and will be travelling from Galway city. Bus Eireann give me two choices, I can either get the 7.05 which gets me in for 8.50 or the 8.05 which gets me in for 9.50 Is it a 40 minute check in time limit before the actual take off. I dont want to risk the later time in case there is roadworks in between and delays, should I just go for the early one to be in the safe side?

biko

Yes, take the earlier one. If there is any problems you could miss the flight but mostly just for peace of mind.
Have a nice fry for breakfast, read a bit and take your time to get to the gate.
m2c

apoeiguq3094y

bodhrandude wrote: »

Sorry for bumping this, but would prefer to do this than start a new thread.
I have a flight to Edinburgh at 10.45 am on the 23rd December and will be travelling from Galway city. Bus Eireann give me two choices, I can either get the 7.05 which gets me in for 8.50 or the 8.05 which gets me in for 9.50 Is it a 40 minute check in time limit before the actual take off. I dont want to risk the later time in case there is roadworks in between and delays, should I just go for the early one to be in the safe side?

On sunday morning just gone, the bus to Galway-shannon-Limerick was running over an hour late - due to the bad weather.

I wouldn't risk it. you're only going to be there 2 hrs before the flight (realistically it will be late - so probably only an hour and a half or so) Easily kill that time going through security, getting a cup o tea, etc. The flgiht will board around 10.15-10.20 i'd say.

beardybrewer

Just a heads up to anyone driving in the early morning to Shannon or otherwise:

My brother-in-law was recently returning to the states on an early flight which has his lift starting from Killarney at half 4. Apparently the roads were very bad with ice and much of the journey they had to go 30mph. So if you are travelling in the early hours and there are icy conditions be aware the roads may not be salted until later in the morning.

Drive safe!

chuky_r_law

if you can drive you could possibly rent a car in galway and drop if off in shannon. cost about €50. is good value, even when the buses were running, if there is a few of you

amiable

newkie wrote: »

Just a heads up to anyone driving in the early morning to Shannon or otherwise:

My brother-in-law was recently returning to the states on an early flight which has his lift starting from Killarney at half 4. Apparently the roads were very bad with ice and much of the journey they had to go 30mph. So if you are travelling in the early hours and there are icy conditions be aware the roads may not be salted until later in the morning.

Drive safe!

In fairness there's no ice expected in the next few nights.

In fact Met Eireann are forecasting temperatures to be +10 degrees C at night