Cork Airport - *Read Mod Note in First Post Before Posting*

hans aus dtschl

I'm perhaps in an unusual situation because I am willing to pay to save myself time and discomfort, and Cork airport is worth paying extra for me.

If I get stranded in AMS or CDG for 4 hours I prefer it to the Dublin experience. I consider LHR or STN to be the similar awkwardness as Dublin tbh.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774291#Comment_121774291

Yes, you are right. I did this for my dad last year. It cost him something silly like 4 euro as a booking fee, but for that, he got a return ticket on the train from Cork to Dublin. And he is a man who could well afford the full price, so it was a bargain.

markodaly

I think the Cork vs Dublin airport is a personal thing.

Short haul flights, certainly Cork has the advantage for me, if the routes are available and the price difference isnt huge.

Long haul though, that is where it depends. I've often flown east towards the ME, Asia, Australia and beyond. Sometimes I did the Cork to London/Amsterdam route to Singapore or KL or Qatar or UAE and beyond, sometimes I did the Dublin to UAE route. And to be honest, I always preferred the Dublin route. Just more direct, less faffing about and because I'm usually in for a very long-haul flight, I don't want to spend unnecessary hours on a plane.

Going to the States, the same, always via Dublin.

In summary, I think it very much depends on personal circumstances.

the beer revolu

I've also calculated that, incredibly, the slowest Cork Dublin train is faster per km than the fastest train from Amsterdam to Brussels!

Cork Dublin 266 km

Amsterdam Brussels 176 km.

Slowest train Cork Dublin is 2.45 fastest is 2.15

Fastest train Amsterdam Brussels is 1.57 (eurostar premium price) . Slowest is 2.49.

Slow Cork train 266km/165 minutes = 1.61 km per minute.

Fast Brussels train 176km/117 minutes = 1.50 km per minute.

Thats a surprise!

Edit: the fastest train to Brussels is 1.47, not 1.57 which makes the fastest eurostar slightly faster than the slowest IE train at 1.64 km per minute.

snotboogie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774687#Comment_121774687

East depends where you are going, Dublin is better for Australia and New Zealand because you have multiple one stop options via the Middle East. The Middle East is also much better out of Dublin with so many direct flights. East Asia (Japan, China, Singapore, All SE Asia) is much better out of Cork. Cork-Lon/AMS/PAR-SIN is far preferable to going to Dublin then DUB-UAE-SIN. Im not sure how the second option via Dublin could be considered more direct? Cork to Singapore with KLM is about 15 hours travel time, Dublin to Singapore via the Middle East is about 17 hours travel time. Unless you love breaking the flight in two as opposed to one long and one short leg the Cork option is far better.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775063#Comment_121775063

It depends.

Flying from Dub -> ME and then to Asia, well you have waaaaay more options, that would not be available to you from London or Amsterdam, unless you are going to a big hub like Singapore.

Also, I've usually found it much cheaper via Dublin.

But of course, it depends on a few factors.

snotboogie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775129#Comment_121775129

To be fair its not like only one or two big hubs in Asia are available via one stop from Cork. I would say the top 15-20 destinations in Asia are covered between London and Amsterdam. It would be very much a Tier Two airport where you'd need a second stop.

notAMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774274#Comment_121774274

Because they didn't know it existed I guess, and 3-4 hours on a bus is too much for them. They need loos and to be able to get up and walk around every now and then like on a train. Of a certain age etc....

There is zero signage or information. I think that's what I mentioned. They couldn't find the way to use the public bus to heuston either (assuming it exists also?) The information is a bit thin on the ground there. They phoned me, asking if I knew where the bus went, or what it was, and sure how would I know?

Tbh, I told them I'd pay for the connecting flight directly to Cork, but they wanted to try their "new" OAP passes and experience how that process works. Lesson learned for them, it sucks and just doesn't work.

But I'm sure there are plenty of OAPs and tourists who don't speak english or irish who can't work it out. It's just one example.

notAMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774350#Comment_121774350

Have you used that bus? Because there is a bus going from kinsale or carrigaline (can't remember which) , via the airport , to the city. So no dedicated airport service as far as I know. Which means it suffers from delays and unreliability (ghost buses) I used to work up at the airport and gave up on that option after standing in the rain for up to an hour a few times.

I was using the swiss federal statistics rather than wiki, but whatevs, not really the point. Dublin doesn't have a train connection either, same same.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775556#Comment_121775556

Because they didn't know it existed I guess, and 3-4 hours on a bus is too much for them. They need loos and to be able to get up and walk around every now and then like on a train. Of a certain age etc....

There are loos on all these buses and you can get up and walk up and down the aisle. The GoBus is very modern and spacious.

But I get that people from a 'certain age' have a thing against buses. Maybe it's snobbery? The train is perhaps a tad nicer, but tbh, if one has a preference to travel a certain way, then perhaps they need to be more organised.

I'd wager if they got the GoBus just once, they would find it a revelation and it would be their preference from here on in.

There is zero signage or information. I think that's what I mentioned. They couldn't find the way to use the public bus to heuston either (assuming it exists also?) The information is a bit thin on the ground there. They phoned me, asking if I knew where the bus went, or what it was, and sure how would I know?

Hmmm, there are signs in the airport where the buses are and what door to go out to find them.

I'd put it down more so to people of a certain age being overwhelmed.

Tbh, I told them I'd pay for the connecting flight directly to Cork, but they wanted to try their "new" OAP passes and experience how that process works. Lesson learned for them, it sucks and just doesn't work.

It does work, but they went about it arse-ways tbh.

Just because you get an OAP pass, doesn't mean you get a white glove first-class service that requires no pre-booking and no due diligence. It's a lesson learned for them to be more organised, or for you to tell them to get their ball in order.

Perhaps that is an issue in itself with the Travel Pass. People, with means, money and wealth expect services of a certain nature but are not willing to pay for them. That is a bigger debate on the Travel Pass, which tbh is ridiculous. (How on earth is it fair that a well-to-do 66-year-old gets free travel all across Ireland, yet the struggling single parent, on a low wage, has to pay?) Id believes that everyone pays something towards PT.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775615#Comment_121775615

Tbh, no I have not used that bus so that is a fair point.

BusConnects will have a dedicated every 30-minute service from Kent station, however. I think BusConnects Cork is to be rolled out this year. Hopefully, that will improve things.

The 214 also suffers from Ghost buses as the route is too long and it's stuck in traffic around Wilton and the city.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775634#Comment_121775634

I do use the bus pretty much every time I use the (Cork) airport. It's not a bad service, really, and very cheap.

Could it be a better service, yes, of course.

notAMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774544#Comment_121774544

It says more about the people? Hello, my parents like? You think this is an acceptable thing to say? I understand you have your communication boundary problems, but insulting my elderly parents is really low.

the beer revolu

@notAMember The facts of the story as told by you speak for themselves. Your parents were naive and unprepared and had unreasonable expectations. Sorry this hurts your feelings.

Also curious to know if you think all elderly people and all parents are beyond criticism? That would be a bit odd, wouldn't it - not being able to criticise anyone over 65 or anyone who has children? Donald Trump? Stop saying bad things about him, he's an elderly parent! Or perhaps you feel that it's just your parents that are beyond criticism?

Also, I don't believe I insulted anyone. I leave that kind of behaviour to you. You have a long history of name calling on here.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775681#Comment_121775681

I look at it a different way.

Older people, even though they have travel passes and the like, will not use public transport as much as they should. (My parents are an example of that)

I think there is a bit of snobbery around it, where the car is/was king, Public Transport was for 'poorer' people. Not a uniquely Irish thing but it's certainly a thing. I know some people who would never get a bus, or be seen dead on one.

This feeds into the funding of PS and it's a kind of vicious circle.

You don't have that attitude on the continent.

We have an example here from what looks to be a recently retired couple with their shiny new travel passes with minimal experience of public transport and basically being a bit clueless as to how it actually works.*

*I am not saying in Ireland is great, far far from it, but you have to help yourself as well.

hans aus dtschl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775619#Comment_121775619

I have had bad experience with the buses myself recently to be honest, even though I'm reasonably young and able: toilets "out of service", heating turned up full blast, reasonably cramped space. Some of the drivers are a bit mad with driving near the cities, so you can end up bounced around a bit. It's difficult to work on those buses. I can understand why people would prefer the train: I do.

I can get whatever mode I want, because it's all expenses anyway, and I could drive my own car or get a hire car, but I'd prefer the train if possible.

Pen Rua

I'm not sure what I inadvertently started... :'D

hans aus dtschl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121776613#Comment_121776613

I think it's all one topic anyway: how people get to the airport and why people appreciate and prefer Cork airport even if it requires a trip to AMS/LHR/CDG/etc.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121776569#Comment_121776569

I absolutely hate those busses but if I'm at the airport, I'll suck it up for the quicker journey time compared to getting to Heuston and then the train.

Chris_5339762

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774730#Comment_121774730

Much more fun to fly KLM from Amsterdam to Brussels! A 21 minute flight on a 737 isn't to be sniffed at. With a full crisps and drinks service (it was pandemonium)

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121777691#Comment_121777691

Ah, but that doesn't allow for a half a day wandering around Amsterdam!

Acosta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121776569#Comment_121776569

Nothing worse than being on a bus with the heating on. I had to get off a bus a stop early a couple of weeks ago because I thought I was going to throw up due to the heat. I wouldn't last in that situation on a bus to Dublin. I'd have to say it to the driver.

I've never got the GoBus. Is it better than Aircoach? The latters fleet is a bit tired and could do with an upgrade. Also, I have bad luck in that anytime I use it, there's always a bunch of gowls that are either going to or coming from some awful gig, making a load of noise.

PreCocious

I'm at the stage of life where I'll pay the extra to go from Cork. I've taken the bus over the years and on the outward journey you've the extra tiredness of having no sleep but definitely the worst part is arriving in Dublin and having to face the long journey home. Especially when you're trying to hedge bets against late flights and you end up moping around waiting for the bus.

I've a journey next month and it turns out my flight from Cork has effectively been cancelled so I now have to go to Dublin by bus as cancelling the trip itself isn't a viable option).

airy fairy

I got the Aircoach from Cork to Dublin last year. It was a 1am departure. Worst experience ever.

Leather seats that I kept sliding forward on, and a driver who loved the accelerate and brake suddenly movements. I ended up holding onto the seatbelt to keep me on the seat. Other half had a similar experience. Thankfully I came home via Cork.

This year, my odd weekend flight away is limited only to either going from Cork or Kerry. Unless absolutely necessary I'll go from Dublin.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121780010#Comment_121780010

You shouldn't have worn your spandex body suit, silly!

DylanQuestion

I get the Aircoach twice a week going to Dublin and I think it’s great. Super comfortable, chargers, bathroom, usually quiet, not too hot or cold. So much cheaper than the train, and because it doesn’t stop, you forget about time and it’s fast. Also, I feel there’s never any traffic until you hit the M50, and even then the times I get it at it’s never that busy on the roads (usually after dinner)

airy fairy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121780504#Comment_121780504

Ok, lesson learned so!

I swear, it was like they'd put furniture polish on the seats, they were leather/or similar material. Never came across the likes of it before.

The queue waiting for the GoBus were full of drunks on the 1am bus so not sure which would've been worse.

hans aus dtschl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121779345#Comment_121779345

I'm afraid I've only used the aircoach myself because of their longer operating hours. But I have struggled and felt sick on it, with the heat and the driver accelerate/brake thing.

Obviously that's not happening on every journey, but my god what a start to your day of travel. The contrast with the very easy experience of getting to and through Cork airport just makes it worth paying more.

Fabio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775663#Comment_121775663

Some very strange people on this thread who seemed to be OK with basically calling your folks forgettable geriatrics.

I say, fair dues to your parents for giving it a go. Mine wouldn't, they'd be nervy about it.

Then again, maybe they'd bump into some of the posters from this thread who I'm sure would be so happy to help them in real life.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121787252#Comment_121787252

Except that didn't happen. They were called naive and unprepared which they demonstrably were.

The poster tried to lay the blame for a 9 hour trip on poor services when the causes of the long travel time were, in fact, poor planning and unreasonable expectations.

Again I ask are people above all criticism just because they have children and are +66 (not very old, at all, imo)?

And I would say to any poster, don't tell stories about your parents if you are going to be over sensitive to comments about that story that may not laud your parents. Just don't bother.

I will admit to being upset with some arsehole poster making comment about my parents and my upbringing but the big difference was that I didn't bring my parents into the conversation - they did.