What's it like airside at DUB at the moment?

Sheep Shagger

Obviously the volume of people and flights is still a lot lower than normal, has anyone passed through lately?

Are all the shops, bars and restaurants open, and what about duty free and all the Christmas stock they would normally be getting in.

Curious as miss the place, I know a real first world problem but used to do a bit of shopping there before flights as was travelling once or twice a month but not this year

JohnCleary

Friend went through last week, sent a WhatsApp saying "it's dead here" along with a picture of a pint.

Maybe the pint was flat!

bigar

It is very empty but not as bad as earlier this year (see my video on youtube from June).

Most shops are open but most drink/food outlets are closed. I really like travelling in these times. I am off again on Thursday.

JojoLoca

Most of shops open, but very quiet as no tourist coming through the airport. Bars closed and most of restaurants, including Burger King in both terminals are also closed. Can’t really get a pint or glass of wine, unless in the duty free or Wrights of Howth shop. The usual rush and buzz is gone, as less people and everyone are keeping distance from each other. I actually enjoyed this peacefulness.
I’m sure it will get busier around Christmas and they will decorate both terminals as usual.

Stihl waters

bigar wrote: »

It is very empty but not as bad as earlier this year (see my video on youtube from June).

Most shops are open but most drink/food outlets are closed. I really like travelling in these times. I am off again on Thursday.

Are you travelling for work or pleasure

Louche Lad

Flew from DUB four weeks ago, pretty quiet compared with normal times - very few passengers. Some shops open (I got bottle of gin from one).

SB71

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Obviously the volume of people and flights is still a lot lower than normal, has anyone passed through lately?

Are all the shops, bars and restaurants open, and what about duty free and all the Christmas stock they would normally be getting in.

Curious as miss the place, I know a real first world problem but used to do a bit of shopping there before flights as was travelling once or twice a month but not this year

you can still get pints anyway, not many shops open but more than the first lockdown

JustAThought

bigar wrote: »

It is very empty but not as bad as earlier this year (see my video on youtube from June).

Most shops are open but most drink/food outlets are closed. I really like travelling in these times. I am off again on Thursday.

metro-discrimintion!!! Never thought of that - so funny - its only in 40 years here but sure who measures feet in cm!! woildn’t have ever crossed
myind!!! wheres the accent - Swiss?

dartboardio

Travelled in July and it was very quiet but there was still a few.

In October there was way more people, queues etc and felt a bit more normal! One bar open downstairs in Dublin Airport and all the food and shop places were open.

ByTheSea2019

Travelled from Edinburgh a few months ago. Edinburgh was weirdly quiet. I was the only one in security as I went through. Three or four staff just to supervise me! Dublin had a few more people but still very quiet.

spurious

Partner went through last week. Duty free was open. Very few people about. Up at the gate it was possible to have a drink but you had to buy sandwiches with it.

Cerveza

Yea depressing really. And as said you need to have to buy over priced food to get a pint.

dartboardio

Has anyone flown in the last few days? Did you get public transport to the airport or drive? Were you stopped? Out of curiosity, as the last few times we travelled since July and October we weren't stopped or asked anything (public transport)

Caranica

Looks like they're cracking down on public transport to the airport as well as cars

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/garda%C3%AD-stop-cars-going-to-and-from-dublin-airport-in-new-travel-crackdown-1.4466772?mode=amp

neris

They should either let people travel, keep the airport open and take the Gards away or just ban travel altogether and cancel flights so no one gos to the airport. Its shooting fish in a barrel type thing if they are stopping every car going into the airport.

Cerveza

The guards are now claiming they have flu and cold from being out in the weather. Taking paid time off work and nothing wrong with them only a few sniffles.

Caranica

Cerveza wrote: »

The guards are now claiming they have flu and cold from being out in the weather. Taking paid time off work and nothing wrong with them only a few sniffles.

I have a severe chest infection from waiting outside the NCT centre and garage last week even though I was wrapped up. Don't be so fast to jump to conclusions.

And this has nothing to do with what it's like airside in Dublin airport. I presume the answer remains "depressing".

Cerveza

I’m jumping to no conclusions only telling a fact. I haven’t been airside in Dublin since my last reply so I can’t comment on that one.

average_runner

neris wrote: »

They should either let people travel, keep the airport open and take the Gards away or just ban travel altogether and cancel flights so no one gos to the airport. Its shooting fish in a barrel type thing if they are stopping every car going into the airport.

I think they made it pretty clear, essential travel only.


Not sure what is confusing about that

goingnowhere

If people want to leave they should be welcome to leave. Fewer people on the island, fewer cases, more vaccines to go around

air

With less than 1% of cases from travel, restricting it is more about politics than public health, the same as masks which had proven to be totally ineffective in other countries prior to their introduction here.

The government are delighted to deflect some of the heat onto foreigners and dish out fines to people to give the impression they are doing something useful or have some control over the situation.

Gael23

Caranica wrote: »

Looks like they're cracking down on public transport to the airport as well as cars

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/garda%C3%AD-stop-cars-going-to-and-from-dublin-airport-in-new-travel-crackdown-1.4466772?mode=amp

That’s behind a paywall

air

Does anyone know if they actually prevent you from travelling if stopped en route or just fine you and let you on your way?

Caranica

air wrote: »

Does anyone know if they actually prevent you from travelling if stopped en route or just fine you and let you on your way?

Confirmed at press conference this evening that they can't stop you but can fine you on return so that's €500 per person each way

air

Well so long as the fines are paid in full that'll ensure that the virus is kept at bay anyway.

DessieJames

Does anyone know if you fly from England to Belfast you still dnt need to take a test or has that changed, i cant seem tofind a defiunitive answer oin the NI government website?

DessieJames

actually scrath that i found something you still dont need to take a test if coming from common travel area


https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-taking-coronavirus-test-travelling-northern-ireland

Scotty #

air wrote: »

With less than 1% of cases from travel, restricting it is more about politics than public health, the same as masks which had proven to be totally ineffective in other countries prior to their introduction here.

100% of cases are from travel. It's the only way it got here.

And if/when a new variant arrives here that's more contagious and/or lethal it will also have arrived here through travel (unless it mutates here to begin with).

air

Scotty # wrote: »

100% of cases are from travel. It's the only way it got here.

And if/when a new variant arrives here that's more contagious and/or lethal it will also have arrived here through travel (unless it mutates here to begin with).

Of course, but that horse bolted nearly a year ago now.

If we're forever going to live in fear of the next variant, we may as well close the airports for good.
What exactly is the exit plan? This virus and millions of others will continue to mutate forever.

Thankfully Covid has not proven to be a very dangerous virus and we (along with most European countries) have seen a minimal number of excess deaths over and above any normal year.

Scotty #

If we are to stop new variants being introduced then our only option is to stop all unnecessary travel with very strict restrictions on essential travel. There's no other way to stop them. If a variant comes in that the vaccines don't work on then we're all back to square one. So, wouldn't it be better to close the door now? Before the horse bolts a second time.

It's quite possible (maybe even likely) we'll be dealing with this for the rest of our lives. I think eventually we're going to have to attempt zero-covid. It's possibly the only way we will ever return to some sort of normality, and that starts with mandatory supervised quarantine on entry, like other countries have done successfully. Then, once that's implemented, you can enforce a very strict domestic lockdown. In theory, we could be down to zero new infections within a few weeks.

air wrote: »

Thankfully Covid has not proven to be a very dangerous virus...

Because we've had lockdowns! Try it without lockdowns for a while, pubs open, no restrictions at all. Then watch our health service become overwhelmed and collapse. Then see how dangerous you think it is!

air

All lockdowns have achieved is creating dramatic peaks and troughs in our hospital occupancy.
It was near 100% for as long as I can remember pre Covid and there was no fuss other than the odd story about people on trolleys.
The overall bed occupancy was down in 2020 I have no doubt.

They have had zero overall impact in terms of halting the spread of the disease.

Zero Covid is a pipe dream, even Australia and New Zealand are going to have to face this at some point unless they are willing to force their population to live in isolation forever more.

Scotty #

air wrote: »

All lockdowns have achieved is creating dramatic peaks and troughs in our hospital occupancy.
They have had zero overall impact in terms of halting the spread of the disease.

Oh jeez, are you anti-vax too!?

Lockdown are not to 'halt' the spread. They are to slow it down so our hospitals do not become too overwhelmed.

When lockdowns are active the numbers go down and pressure on the health service eases. When lockdowns are lifted, pressure builds back up again. It's not rocket science. Look at the stats. Lockdowns work. In previous lifts they've gone too far. They won't be making that mistake again.

Not allowing clowns travel to Lanzarote to sit baking in the sun for a week prevents new variants coming in. It's that simple.

air

I've looked at the stats, we locked down too long and too hard before Christmas so our hospitals were empty.
We paid the price for this when some semblance of normality was restored in the lead up to Christmas, after which mortality was restored to normal levels.
We just squeezed the normal 3 month flu cycle into 1 month more or less.

So you're happy to restrict foreign travel forever more so then because more variants are always going to be possible.
That's fine and you're entitled to that position, I just don't see what you're doing in a travel forum then, you're clearly happy not to travel.

I'm not anti vax by any stretch, but I have my doubts around the likely efficacy of the Covid ones. They are after all the most rushed ones in history.

Beda Stadler stated back in April that they would be ineffective for those that need them and relatively pointless for those that don't.

At the moment it looks like we're moving into a variant panic mode, and the panic will go on each time a new variant is identified until confirmation can be gotten that they will be covered by the vaccine.

In any case, if you're under 85 you're at least 10x more likely to die driving a car than from Covid. I think we need to accept that and move on with our lives.

Caranica

So...airside in Dublin must be pretty grim at the moment? Think that's the thread I'm in??

Scotty #

air wrote: »

So you're happy to restrict foreign travel forever more so then because more variants are always going to be possible.

If it means hotels, pubs, sport, live entertainment can function as normal then yes, I'm happy to restrict international travel. I think most people would be.

air wrote: »

I just don't see what you're doing in a travel forum then...

It was on the home page and caught my eye. I didn't know it was the travel forum.

air wrote: »

I'm not anti vax by any stretch, but I have my doubts around the likely efficacy of the Covid ones...

I'd feel the same to be honest. I'd be first in line to take it but I've little faith that they're going to make a huge amount of difference. I hope we're wrong!!

air wrote: »

If you're under 85 you're at least 10x more likely to die driving a car than from Covid. I think we need to accept that and move on with our lives.

I'd say it 1000's times more likely, UNLESS, you're symptomatic and all the hospitals are full. Then what? It already happened in Italy. Portugal currently are shipping out their sick.

That's the crux of the issue. It's all about hospital capacity. Masks, travel, lockdowns, vaccines, social distancing.... it's all about keeping the health service functioning. Yes, zero covid may be a pipe dream but it may also be our only hope of returning to normal, albeit, without international holidays.

DessieJames

Scotty # wrote: »

Oh jeez, are you anti-vax too!?

Lockdown are not to 'halt' the spread. They are to slow it down so our hospitals do not become too overwhelmed.

When lockdowns are active the numbers go down and pressure on the health service eases. When lockdowns are lifted, pressure builds back up again. It's not rocket science. Look at the stats. Lockdowns work. In previous lifts they've gone too far. They won't be making that mistake again.

Not allowing clowns travel to Lanzarote to sit baking in the sun for a week prevents new variants coming in. It's that simple.

christ you sound just like Tony Holohan :eek:

Seen as your an advocate of lockdowns, i have some questions - what about the long term impact which will be felt for many years to come because of these yo yo lock downs, thoundands of people have already lost their jobs for good, and if you keep with lock downs thousands more will lose their jobs, the travel industry has , more than any other industry taken a severe hit and if this continues there wont be any travel industry left and you'll have thousands upon thousands of people on the dole, depressed out of their minds and struggling badly, and many may not recover from something like this,some people have never been on the dole in their entire life find themselves out of work, broke and struggling to pay rent and buy food.

The ecomony has already taken a huge hit but the longer this goes on it'll just get worse, peoples mental health and well being is often mentioned, however i feel it's a hell of a lot worse than what is spoke about in the media, people have become a shell of the person they previously were , some people are that racked with anxiety they are afraid to actually even leave the house the scaremomgeriong and fear on a daily basis from Holohan and NPHET is that intense.

So you might want to bear all this in mind before you go on about lockdowns, banning travel indefinitely and shutting down airports and give it a bit more thought, the PCR test is there for a reason, you take the test, if your negtive you fly, upon arrival into Ireland you isolate for 14 days or take another test after 5 days and if that's negative you can stop isolating, so where is the problem here,it's minimising the risk hugely.

Rapid antigen tests though which give results within an hour would be a much better long term solution for the forseeable future until a large percentage are vaccinated and travel is opoened up fully, indeed many scientists and medical professionals have recommended this, but NPHET are so stuck in their ways they wouldnt recommend this.

So you need to take a step back and think of the overall bigger picture instead of knee jerk reactory comments.

air

Scotty # wrote: »

UNLESS, you're symptomatic and all the hospitals are full. Then what? It already happened in Italy. Portugal currently are shipping out their sick.

The hospitals were never full in "Italy", they were full in Bergamo for a brief period, largely due to medical misadventure as I understand it.
They admitted a large number of mild cases and packed them in close to one another.

The neighbouring region of Piedmont had a similar number of cases at the same time with a fraction of the mortality at the same time, due to adopting a different strategy.

Mistakes were made and lessons learned, similar with early intervention ventilation.
None the less those images from the hospital in Bergamo were a key factor in driving lockdowns across Europe I believe.

Scotty # wrote: »

That's the crux of the issue. It's all about hospital capacity. Masks, travel, lockdowns, vaccines, social distancing.... it's all about keeping the health service functioning. Yes, zero covid may be a pipe dream but it may also be our only hope of returning to normal, albeit, without international holidays.

Herd immunity is the only credible approach at this point I believe.
I was under the impression we had paid hundreds of millions to set up a new hospital in CityWest and acquire space in private hospitals.
We should be keeping case numbers up to 3-4000 a day until this thing has run it's course. Manage restrictions to maintain hospitals near full capacity.
Relax restrictions for the young and tighten them for the old until herd immunity has been achieved.

The alternative is the status quo for an indefinite further period with regular fear mongering about the latest variant.

Scotty #

DessieJames wrote: »

Seen as your an advocate of lockdowns, i have some questions...

Do you honestly believe that someone who's gone against public health advise in the first place and gone on a foreign holiday is going to then isolate for another two weeks after returning?? I don't.

Yes, all those negatives you mention are terrible. Lots of businesses will never recover. But if the hospital numbers are swarming, as they do when restrictions are eased, what alternative is there other than to impose stronger restrictions? Wouldn't a short severe lockdown to attempt zero covid be better than what we have now?

Scotty #

air wrote: »

Herd immunity is the only credible approach at this point I believe.
We should be keeping case numbers up to 3-4000 a day until this thing has run it's course.

At 4000/day our hospitals would be overrun in a few weeks.
At 4000/day it would take 3 years for 75% coverage and it would only work if having had it once you were then immune. Unfortunately the data is showing this not to be the case.

DessieJames

Scotty # wrote: »

Do you honestly believe that someone who's gone against public health advise in the first place and gone on a foreign holiday is going to then isolate for another two weeks after returning?? I don't.

Yes, all those negatives you mention are terrible. Lots of businesses will never recover. But if the hospital numbers are swarming, as they do when restrictions are eased, what alternative is there other than to impose stronger restrictions? Wouldn't a short severe lockdown to attempt zero covid be better than what we have now?

sorry thats a shockingly bad response,i outlined clearly a number of issues relating to lock down and travel and you have failed to properly answer any of them, 2 months isnt a short severe lockdown either, again ill say to you - the long term impact from lock downs will be far far more severe and damaging than this virus will ever be, anyone who says otherwise is away with the fairies.


Good afternoon....

air

Scotty # wrote: »

At 4000/day our hospitals would be overrun in a few weeks.
At 4000/day it would take 3 years for 75% coverage and it would only work if having had it once you were then immune. Unfortunately the data is showing this not to be the case.

At 4000/day detected the true number of cases would be at least double that, pretty well assured that you'd have herd immunity within 18 months I think.

I don't believe that it's likely that the hospitals would be overrun, the spikes since the initial one have mainly been due to yoyo lockdowns, artificially restricting and then promoting the spread of illnesses.

The current approach is costing us 10Bn+ per annum and is going to cost multiples of the lives that Covid has taken in missed cancer diagnoses, heart attacks, suicides and everything else besides.
It's the very definition of unsustainable.

Riesen_Meal

What has any of this got to do with airside?

My friend works airside doing security and it's been made clean the place half the time due to the lack of passengers through the airport...

dory

Thread gone very off topic and I think the original question has been answered. Thread closed.