DAA apologies worthless as current service is unacceptable- Doherty

Apologies from the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) are useless if they cannot provide assurances to travellers, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Senator Regina Doherty, Leader of Seanad Éireann, said, “Telling passengers to arrive early to ensure access to their flights and then blaming them for turning up too early, thus causing long queues, is the most maddening thing I’ve heard from a State agency.

People are arriving hours beforehand and yet are still not making their flights, due to the length of the queues inside the terminal. Apologies are meaningless when people have to pay hundreds to rebook flights or else miss out on their long-planned holidays.

“DAA have been aware of the plans of Covid weary travellers for weeks, if not months, and are completely ill prepared. As the first full summer season of international travel in years begins again, DAA should have put every resource in place to ensure smooth travels for everyone.

“Instead, we are seeing hours long delays with people having to wait outside the terminal given the length of the queues. The latest statement from DAA is advising people to contact their airlines directly, passing on the baton of responsibility and stress.

“This ‘service’ falls well short of what a well-financed State agency should provide. I know that my colleague Minister Hildegarde Naughton is meeting with the DAA Chief Executive tomorrow, and I am calling on all parties involved to work together to find a speedy resolution to these issues.”