Dublin Airport has been challenged on its poor service by Airlines for America (A4A), a lobbying group and the principal trade and service organisation representing major North American airlines.
Members of the association include Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and United Holdings.
The letter was addressed to Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, along with Eamon Ryan TD, the Minister for Climate, Environment, Communications and Transport.
The correspondence, which related to Ireland’s national Airport, asked the Ministers “for their assistance” in urgently addressing the now notorious passenger delays which have plagued international passengers coming in and out of Dublin in recent weeks. The two-page letter was written on 15 June.
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“Three of our member airlines – American, Delta and United – and one associate member – Air Canada – operate services to DUB and have a strong vested interest in providing their customers a safe, efficient and enjoyable travel experience”, the letter read.
A4A added that it had observed Ireland was one of the most popular destinations for North American travellers. Giving an indication of the severity of the situation, the organisation said it had a “strong interest in ensuring that Ireland continues to be an attractive and welcoming destination” to American tourists.
The letter, penned by Keith A. Glatz, (Vice President, International Affairs) pointed out that in addition to providing direct access to 13 cities in North America from Dublin, its four carriers, Air Canada, American, Delta and United, also provide Irish customers with connections to hundreds of other destinations across the Americas.
Airlines for America took the opportunity to signal the dangers for the Irish economy unless the Airport cleans up its act soon in the letter which was shared to social media over the weekend.
“America makes a significant contribution to the Irish economy,” Mr Glatz said. “Prior to COVID-19, the International Airport Transfer Association (IATA) estimates that air transport and foreign tourists arriving by air supported 143,000 jobs in Ireland and accounted for $20.6 billion in gross value-added contribution to GPD, or 6.8% of total GDP”.
The association also pointed to international media reports about the unfolding chaos, long wait times and disruption unfolding at Dublin Airport on a regular basis. A4A pointed out that the peak summer season has yet to arrive, while voicing apprehension about what the prime summer months of July and August hold for travellers coming through Dublin.
“As is well-documented in international media reports, A4A members and other airlines have been experiencing significant delays at DUB of late. We believe this issue will become even more urgent as passenger numbers increase during the peak summer season”.
In a blistering indictment of the running of Dublin Airport, the letter continued:
“In May, only 16.7% of Air Canada’s flights, 49.5% of America’s flights, 22.8% of Delta’s flights and 26.6% of United’s flights departed DUB on schedule. A significant number of our passengers misconnected in North America due to these delays in DUB.
“For example, in May alone, 270 United passengers misconnected in the United States as a direct result of DUB departure delays. These delays and missed connections inconvenience passengers and disrupt airport and airline operations. They also reflect poorly on the airlines, the airport and the overall travel experience for both leisure and business travellers between Ireland and North America”.
As it urged Dublin to turn the situation around fast, A4A said it was expecting a very busy 2022 summer season with higher traffic numbers than seen in 2019. It said that in July alone, Delta projects an average of approximately 1,472 daily arriving and departing passengers at Dublin Airport. United’s corresponding figure, it said, is 1,569 while American has 1,948 daily seats available in the marker and Air Canada has a daily average of 1,346 seats.
“Without immediate action to manage the increase in passenger volume, our passengers will continue to experience significant delayed and missed connections”, it warned.
In addition, Mr Glatz outlined three additional related concerns in a further indication of the international airlines’ complete lack of confidence in Dublin Airport.
“First, we are very concerned that, in some instances, passengers with reduced mobility (PRMs) are left stranded at the airport for long periods of time without wheelchair or other needed assistance.
“Second, we understand that the Irish Government will not allow DAA to issue temporary security passes to ground handling employees located abroad. We would like to understand the government’s position because the deployment of ground handling officials from abroad on a temporary basis would help relieve the current congestion.
“Third, we are concerned that our premium passengers are not given immediate access to Fast Track. Rather, they are forced to join the general queue until they reach upper level 30 which can take a lot of time particularly in peak periods. These customers should be given immediate access to Fast Track as they have paid significant sums for this convenience”.
The association reached out to Catherine Martin and Eamon Ryan, saying that it would appreciate a chance to meet with them and their teams to discuss “the reasons for the current delays and potential solutions”, adding that it looked forward to hearing back from the Ministers.
The email was also sent to Nicola Hayes, Principal Officer of Airports Division in the Department of Transport and Niamh O’Brien, the Principal Officer of Aviation services at the Department of Transport.
The correspondence comes after Transport Minister Eamon Ryan was accused of being ‘asleep at the wheel’ over the crisis at Dublin Airport, which has been labelled as a national ‘embarrassment’.
Mr Ryan faced the accusations from colleagues in the Dail earlier this month after more than 1,000 people missed their flights over the course of one weekend and images of long queues stretching outside the terminals made international headlines, dominating politics in recent weeks.
The Minister, who has admitted mistakes have been made by the Airport, has called the chaotic scenes at Dublin Airport “inexcusable” and said he believed too many staff were made redundant by the airport when Covid struck, adding that increasing staff levels was not something that could happen instantly. He has said that nothing will be avoided as part of efforts to ensure the smooth running of the Airport.