Favourite Irish Airport?

WexCan

Just wondering what everyone's favourite Irish airport is.

Obviously location plays a part, but which airports do you think have the best facilities/friendliest staff etc?



I'm a fan of Belfast International. Despite being a Dublin/Wexford man I often travel through Belfast to see friends and because it works out cheaper for me a lot of the time. The transport links to and from the city aren't fantastic but all the staff are very friendly - from the shop staff to the airline and security people. Never had problems with security queues and good airside facilities.

The Real B-man

Cork

Dublin, facilitys and convience

ImDave

Shannon

I travel through Cork a good bit, and I love the new terminal and layout. Fairly quite and relaxed atmosphere in comparison to other airports.

ian_m

Cork

I've only passed through Dublin so it will have to be that. And it's a good place to spot. I can't see another airport topping Dublin seen as how its the busiest airport in a relatively tiny country. I've collected passengers in Shannon. It was a ghost airport.

WexCan

Belfast City

Dublin's a good airport at certain times of day. At others it can be absolute hell. Snaking queues for security, barely any room to breathe, especially between the check-in zones, airside very busy, and god help you if you need to use the Ryanair hut.

highlydebased

Knock

Shannon.........Cos its only 10 mins away
Could do with a bit of updating tho.

WexCan

Belfast City

My airline used to fly into Shannon, some updating definitely needed. Lots of lovely people working there though.

highlydebased

Knock

WexCan wrote: »

My airline used to fly into Shannon, some updating definitely needed. Lots of lovely people working there though.

A319 operator?

Run_to_da_hills

Knock

Only thing bad about Shannon is that there is no proper compound for locking a motorbike, Last year my bike was almost removed by security over a long weekend because I had it chained between two signposts. Only that my bike was known to some of the lads working in catering and ground crew I would have had to replace several expensive locks. Dublin is not too bad because one can use the short term compound, there is an ideal place on the upper floor for locking a bike that is in direct view of a security camera. Bikes are exempt from parking charges

WexCan

Belfast City

Neon-Circles wrote: »

A319 operator?

And 73Gs, and A320/321 coming soon

Davidth88

Dublin when I am coming home

We all complain about Dublin , and it is bad in many ways, but if you compare it some others ( LHR springs to mind ) it's wonderful !

The biggest complaint I have is why do EI/BMI always use belts 2/3 when half the baggage hall is empty you have huge crowds around 2/3. I have actually feared that someone would get hurt at times .

Cork ( old terminal ) I loved the fish !.... have not been thru the new one

Kerry , liked it , but I hated the way they demanded 5 euro off you as you came through with an implied threat that you wouldn't get your bags or something ( or it seemed to me ).

Shannon , only been thru it on that the silly ' stopover ' thing where I was fuming that 5 hrs after I left home I was still only in Clare , I could have driven it for gods sake . I however enjoyed the views over the apron, and likes the ' different ' aircraft you see there.

Favourite airport at the moment is CAG, it's about the same size, as busy , as Cork, but it has 7 airbridges , nice design, and you can watch them unloading your bags.

I hate LHR with a passion ( which considering I am from London ) is saying something, FCO is also pretty horrible , the Italians need to learn to queue !
T1 at CDG is just shocking, but what a fantastic LOOKING building. All American airports I have been through are horrible around the security , they seem to equate shouting as being efficient, and boy do they love to shout !

bill_ashmount

Galway for me. Usually in and out in about 2 minutes, no queues, delays, very little security, one line for the bags, couldn't be easier.

eidub

Cork

Dublin is my favourite for the variety of air traffic you see there and also the list of destinations, however sayin that I have arived into Cork a few times, and both times I have gotten from my seat on the plane to outside the termianl in 5 minutes(no bags to collect obv), which you would have to like in an airport!

robinph

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Dublin is not too bad because one can use the short term compound, there is an ideal place on the upper floor for locking a bike that is in direct view of a security camera. Bikes are exempt from parking charges

I was wondering where all the bikes had dissapeard to the last time I parked there. I have always parked on the bottom level beside the ramp in what I think has now become the disabled parking area but last time I was the only one there so wasn't sure if it would still be there on my return or not. Will be parking there for free over christmas again though.

Run_to_da_hills

Knock

robinph wrote: »

I was wondering where all the bikes had dissapeard to the last time I parked there. I have always parked on the bottom level beside the ramp in what I think has now become the disabled parking area but last time I was the only one there so wasn't sure if it would still be there on my return or not. Will be parking there for free over christmas again though.

I have left bikes in both Dublin and Shannon for up to a fortnight without probs, make sure you have several decent locks as it is renouned for thieves. Top of ramp 2nd floor in short term to the left chained to the hand rail is my favourite, theres a security camera looking down on it.

ch252

Has to be Galway!

WexCan

Belfast City

bill_ashmount wrote: »

Galway for me. Usually in and out in about 2 minutes, no queues, delays, very little security, one line for the bags, couldn't be easier.

You lot are spoiled - the rest of us need to experience large airport hell.

Oilrig

Have ever only used Dublin, Shannon and Belfast Int.

Shannon is hassle free, parking is easy. Belfast was similar, Dublin I avoid if at all possible. Some day it may resemble civilisation, when it does, I will use it by choice, until then its a stress zone better avoided. Can't see the DAA ever getting ahead on this one.

We need a second Dublin airport, nowhere on the periphery of Dublin is far from a road, possible rail link, give it multiple runways, space - ie modern airport. Looking forward its a no brainer. When will they take their heads out of the sand?

An end to political appointees to the boards that run these entities would be a good starting place... Vision would be a good second move... :mad:

WexCan

Belfast City

The Dublin situation is quite similar to the BAA London situation, where BAA controls the three bigggest London airports (out of five). Standards are horrific.

There's no competition for Dublin airport so not a huge amount of motivation there, a lot of the improvements happening now have been the result of a swift kick from the airport users.

Dublin Airport needs a new runway, a new terminal and some sort of rail link ASAP. Facilities-wise they seem to be doing fine, piers B and C are ok to use. Pier A can be a bit of nightmare, not to mention the portacabins. Expansion of the central search area wouldn't go amiss but in saying that, while security is extremely busy in the morning, it's dead in the evening and all the surplus staff seem to spend their time smoking in front of the terminal. Area 14 also a great addition, though possibly a bit of a headache as passengers enter departures to check the boards, go down two floors, check in, then go back up two floors for security.

Biro

Knock

I'd probably vote for Shannon, as it gets a nice diversity of aircraft, there still is a viewing gallery, and it's quiet and easy to get through, quite the opposite of Dublin, which I now hate.
I like Galway too, and Sligo, and Knock! Basically anything nice and easy with places to view aircraft from. Cork is cool too.
Birmingham is well cool, even has an aviation section.

WexCan

Belfast City

Biro wrote: »

Birmingham is well cool, even has an aviation section.

Manchester has a whole park with Concorde G-BOAC, an RJX100 and a refurbished Trident

Biro

Knock

WexCan wrote: »

Manchester has a whole park with Concorde G-BOAC, an RJX100 and a refurbished Trident

Cool! Next 1 cent flights with Ryanair and I might just go there for the day!

WexCan

Belfast City

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mus/uk/l-m/man_airport.htm

It's walkable from Terminal 2 (long walk), or just get a cab.

Has some mounds right beside Taxiway Alpha so you get aircraft passing very close by. Also has a shop and some foodie bits. Only £1 in for pedestrians last I checked too.

Mweelrea

Shannon

Gotta be Cork airport although Knock has charm
the new terminal makes it a much better than the old one.

Avns1s

Belfast International (Aldergrove)

Knock, it's all about accessability, practicality and location for me.

fricatus

Waterford. You can't beat a time of 28 minutes from locking front door to coffee in the departure lounge! The view of the coast near Dunmore East and the Hook in Wexford is another plus.

Some friends of mine flew to Faro from there this summer and they were on the ground in Portugal three hours after leaving home. They would normally be somewhere between the M50 toll bridge and zone Z of the Dublin Airport car park in that time!

galwayrush

Flown form most of them but Galway is my Favourite, co fast to get through, and improving all the time.

spurious

I like Sligo - something very 'Biggles' about it.

Fabio

Shannon

Cork is my favourite cos I live only twenty minutes (by car) from there so it's very handy and on top of that the staff are friendly and it's quite relaxed too.

However I have been through Keflavik International (Iceland) and it's a gem of an airport...really modern, stylish, roomy and not overly relaxed though the staff seemed friendly enough.

Vasteras near Stockholm is another nice airport, about the same size as Kerry Airport and normally very quiet so it's great for just kicking back and waiting on the plane with no hassle!

staby

Knock

Shannon for me.

Relaxing, always something new flying in and out off there.


As for foreign airports.


I really like Barajas new T4.

ian_m

Cork

It's really heating up between Dublin and Cork, that's good to see.