Dublin Airport plans new charge for drop-offs, pick-ups

Just use the red long term drop off point

road_high wrote: »

Airports in England been doing this for years, even smallish relatively rural ones. Surprised it didn't happen in Dublin a long time tbh especially with "security" concerns

Security concerns??
Having to put 2 euros into a toll booth will hardly discourage a terrorist.

Anyway back to this "charge" ..... its just a sly way to levy losses on to us passengers.

Public transport me arse. If they were honest then at least you could give them credit for that.

Eric Cartman wrote: »

greedy taxi drivers hand wringing again id say. This is a complete sham. One of the few saving graces of Dublin airport was being able to have somebody pick you up in the set-down area and not have to go through the shuttle bus torture to the carpark.

Isn't it a drop off only area and you aren't allowed to pick up there already?

mcgragger wrote: »

Does it make a difference really whether its drop off or pick up?

Its just a money grabbing stunt. THey should just be honest about it.

You should be paying for pick up anyway so what's changing in that respect is people will no longer be able to break the rules. The poster said about "being able to have somebody pick you up in the set-down area", you may have gotten away with it but you weren't supposed to do it. I don't think those breaking the rules have much right to complain, particularly as the rule isn't actually changing, they are just making it harder/impossible to break.

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Go through the barrier, take a time stamped ticket. Wait no more than fifteen minutes for the pick up (drop offs are easier), go out through barrier, if waiting more than 15 minutes guilty as charged. I think that is reasonable. Otherwise pay for the car park short stay and get on with it.

As others have said lots of busy airports use a similar system. So if you don't abuse it you won't be charged. So simple isn't it.

But we are not sure whether a free 15 minutes will be allowed or not for pick up are we? That's the rub.

That's the concern of locals though, a 15 minute free grace period will just lead to cars parking up or circling around near the airport waiting for the 'I'm outside now call' then diving in. So traffic congestion, and weird parking patterns in nearby businesses and housing estates as people wait on flights, some maybe delayed etc

Patser wrote: »

That's the concern of locals though, a 15 minute free grace period will just lead to cars parking up or circling around near the airport waiting for the 'I'm outside now call' then diving in. So traffic congestion, and weird parking patterns in nearby businesses and housing estates as people wait on flights, some maybe delayed etc

I know what you mean, but honestly if we didn't try to game the system for a few euro overstay we'd all be better off really.

If locals are less than half an hour away, the passenger should text when going through passport control, or out of it TBH. What kind of snowflakes can't wait for twenty minutes or so to be picked up?

Gas thing is there is no free parking within a few KMs of the airport anyway to wait for the text! All in cahoots, but that's ok, people need to just accept a few euro charge for the luxury of being collected outside the door. Sick of this dicking the system ****e.

Isambard wrote: »

we have this system in Cork. First 10 mins or so are free, charges thereafter on exit. All automatic and ticketless. Now you just park in the hotel or somewhere handy and wait for your pick up to call you. (or you could go in the car park....)

Not possible in Dublin AFAIK.

But cute Corkies have it sussed lol.

Eric Cartman wrote: »

greedy taxi drivers hand wringing again id say. This is a complete sham. One of the few saving graces of Dublin airport was being able to have somebody pick you up in the set-down area and not have to go through the shuttle bus torture to the carpark.

They interviewed a taxi driver on RTE six one, and he said the charges are a stupid idea, as they'd put people off from using taxes (because it would be more expensive).

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Probably hasnt received the memo from his union that theyll be exempt.

If its not for the taxis then this is just such a typical green party manoeuvre, introduce the tax before the alternative you want to encourage. Theres no rail link and the bus link is crap to the airport, theres genuinely no alternative

What does the Green Party or a rail link have to do with it? And under what definition can this be considered a tax, is paying for short term parking when picking someone up (as you are supposed to) also a tax?

It is standard practice in many airports regardless of parties in government or the presence of a rail line. Were you as outraged when such a system was introduced at Cork airport?

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Paid short term parking at airports and train stations is also a tax, yes I have an issue with it in cork airport, why should somebody have to oay a charge to drop their family off at the airport terminal, its insanity

Again, under what definition is it a tax? And before you go off about government bodies or the like, DAA are a commercial entity, they retain the revenue to provide their services, the money doesn't go directly to government.

Part of the reason you will have to pay to drop someone off is people abusing the drop off area to avoid paying to pick people up, as you yourself have admitted to in this thread. There will be a free drop off area in the Red car park. Like most things in life, you have to pay for things which are more desirable.

This is pretty common place in airports now, hardly too surprising. Especially as it's become more and more painful being dropped off there by all the people abusing the drop off area to sit for 30 minutes waiting to pick people up and causing congestion, this should put a stop to that.

Hopefully it's better sign posted than stansted though, they photograph your number plate on the way in, with no barrier or anything and no signage once you're within the pick up area, so you have no idea you're on the clock. They also charge a ridiculous rate per minute, with a barrier at the exit collecting before you can leave. I got done for £70 the first time after they introduced it because I had no idea there was any charge.

Deleted User wrote: »

DAA is owned by the State(Citizens) and its purpose is to further the interests of the Citizens, not to inconvenience them and extort money from them.
Each passenger using the airport is already paying a passenger charge for use of the airport.
The objective of reducing congestion at the terminal entrances has been solved more elegantly by time limited free entry in other airports. DAA have chosen to make passenger drop-off zones profit centres for the Airport.

They need revenue in order to achieve the goal of furthering the interests of the citizens which is likely to involve some inconvenience and getting money, extorted or otherwise, from citizens. It's not a tax though as the other poster stated.

Time limited free entry creates other problems too (vultures circling, waiting somewhere else they shouldn't be, etc.), offering free drop off at Red car park and reduced fee 30-minute parking in the short-term car parks seems like a reasonable compromise. You can drop off for free with some hassle, pay a little for less hassle, pay more for no hassle, its up to you.