Dublin routes news and general chat

Wife returned on the plane today. Says there was around 50 people.

Enjoyed both flights.

The Signature flight support boys must stay very tight lipped about who’s coming in and going out via Dublin.

I’m more curious as to who is flying what. For instance tonight 50 Cent is in town and so is Duran Duran. Would love to know what type of aircraft they have at their disposal if that’s a thing?

Surely they would need to announce routes shortly for the winter USA flights?

Anybody reckon that Flybe would return to providing flights between DUB and a London airport, especially LHR? Would be lovely to feed into non-oneworld long haul flights!

Heathrow slots are basically impossible to get, except by buying for millions. Aeroflots were reallocated recently but that's the only movement in years.

To Flybe 2.0, in a complex mess - they were BA/IAG slots so went back to BA but BA must offer them to anyone who offers to do certain routes.

Wild to me people would travel to Cancun from Dublin on a package holiday when you'll get more or less the same thing in Spain/Portugal, and pretty much at the same price these days too. Cancun is priced for US tourists.

The beaches and water in Cancun are very different to Spain/Portugal, the food is different, and there are huge amounts of day trips around the area to places like the Chichen Itza that are completely unique. If you're younger the partying is also completely and utterly different, with massive nightclubs that have open bars and are full of Irish-loving Americans.

In saying that I don't know why it'd be a summer route though, the summer is their cloudy season when weather is at its worst. Its also 25C+ year round there so it makes a lot more sense as a winter holiday destination when Europe is cold and the sun options are limited here.

I think you overestimate how much US tourists like Irish people.

Frankly, you'd be insane to commit to an 8hr flight for the same **** you can do in Europe for half the price and a quarter the flight time. So many better Carribean destinations, Cancun is effectively Magaluf by a different name. Fair enough there are some decent AIs further down in Playa/Tulum but you may as well go to one of Carribean islands if you're going that far, way better beaches and atmosphere.

Been to both, live in the US. Think I'm pretty well placed to have a take on it.

Anybody out around DUB today? United flight this morning. Pilot heard a loud bang at 16,000 feet while climbing after take off.

Said nothing until he landed in Dublin. Didn’t even have emergency services on stand by. Just off the plane while doing the walk around and was like. Oh that’s what the loud noise was 🤣

What can only be described as a large chunk near the tail end.

UA have to send over a team of engineers and sheet metal workers to inspect it and report. Before it can be touched. then repairs work can start.

Why would they have emergency services on standby if they didn't know what happened? A bang with no parameter shifts etc could be anything,that's not near tail end,thats the pack bay access door missing

Emirates returns to a double daily service to Dubai starting tomorrow Sept 1st for the first time in 2.5 years.

Thats pretty frustrating for such a short flight (or any flight, I guess). What was the hold up on the LGW end?

IIRC NATS lost the LGW terminal contract to DFS a few years ago. The Ts&Cs in this new operation were vastly inferior to NATS, so all the folks with decent experience left. Even before COVID there was a critical global shortage of ATCOs (as Karlsruhe, Marseille and others amply demonstrated). NATS I believe got the contract back but it likely explains why LGW is particularly badly affected.

Out of interest, How's the Kerry <-> Dublin Ryanair route performing? I see the Max8 assigned to it tonight (Probs for the Gareth brooks concerts) but just on average!

Other than for travel within the next couple of days, the fares between DUB and KIR and vv over the next couple of weeks seem to be €20 each way at the moment. What does that suggest?

I've done it twice. Over 150 on it both times. So that's two ATR's when you work it out! I'd say it is quiet on some of the midweek days, but gets very strong weekend traffic in both directions. The MAX seems to feature regularly on a Sunday as that's the planned schedule for that aircraft that day (it goes to Girona after). The fact that they book end the flight with a longer one, seems to work well for them.

There can't be a PSO when there is an existing commercial operator

Ryanair famously only a point to point airline , no connections and no hubs .... try and book a connecting flight on the same ticket... cant be done on Ryanair

They offer very limited connections in specific airports now. However they're never going to offer feed to EI.

Fully understand but if it went to PSO could a condition be that it must offer full connections (not sure if there is a technical term - "interline" maybe).

Not entirely true.

I flew this route in July, arriving back at the 200 gates and walking up the corridor before passport check a guy standing next to an opened door shouted out ‘anyone for connections?’.

Someone from our flight walked over and said he was going to Newcastle, was asked to present boarding pass and allow exit for connections.

I think they have a deal with Kerry flights from Ryanair, and Kerry flights only. Can use connections.

Kerry airport are on the ball so maybe they pushed this during the security fiascos, I don't know.