Dublin by plane · Dublin by plane
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Dublin by plane
Dublin by plane
Dublin is served by a two terminal airport approximately 10 km (6 mi) north of the city centre. A second terminal opened in November 2010.
A full list of airlines flying to Dublin, along with timetables, can be found on the Dublin Airport website .
Ireland's flag carrier airline, Aer Lingus , flies to Dublin from a large number of European cities. Aer Lingus fares are often lower than other flag carriers, but in part this has been achieved by matching the service levels of low-fare competitors. As a result, they now charge for checked-in bags and seat reservation at time of booking. Aer Lingus staff is always very friendly and helpful. The planes and flight attendance are decorated in bright green to get passengers ready to see all of the green in Ireland.
Europe's largest low fares airline, Ryanair has one of its main bases in Dublin from which it flies to a large number of European airports including Paris, London, Manchester, Liverpool, Madrid and Frankfurt as well as smaller regional airports such as Nantes or Kaunas. While famous for its low fares, Ryanair can be more expensive than other airlines for last minute bookings. Ireland's third airline Aer Arann links Dublin to many regional Irish airports and some smaller UK cities.
Low-fare airline Flybe links Dublin to Exeter, Norwich and Southampton in the United Kingdom, and also Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands.
There are three types of bus transport to Dublin city:
Aircoach express service (large blue bus) connects the airport and the city centre and many of Dublin's major hotels, most of which are on the south side of the city. Buses leave the airport every fifteen minutes and the journey time to the centre is approximately thirty minutes. The cost is €7 single or €12 return. Aircoach also offers services to other destinations within Ireland, including Cork and Belfast.
Beware of taxi drivers trying to pick up passengers at Aircoach bus stops. They are strictly forbidden from doing this, but almost everyone is accosted by at least one taxi before an Aircoach arrives. They often offer the same rate as catching the Aircoach so accept the lift at your own discretion.
Dublin Bus offers an express AirLink service (route 747 ) every 10 minutes at peak times to the city centre and bus station for €6 or €10 return. This service uses the Dublin Port Tunnel to avoid the city traffic and can reach the city centre in minutes.
Dublin bus also have a number of other local routes that serve the airport, and these offer substantially cheaper standard services to the centre and further afield in the southern suburbs: these are non-express and stop significantly more times going to and from the airport. Cost is €2 and buses run every 10-25 min depending on time of day. You can save 10 cents by purchasing a Travel 90 ticket for €1.90 in the ticket machines next to the airport bus stops, the ticket also allows you to transfer on to any other Dublin Bus services for up to 90 minutes, saving you another bus fare should you need to transfer.
- The goes right through the city, stops at O'Connell Street and continues up Georges Street and, finally, to southern areas of Dublin (indicative�: 40 minutes O'Connel Street to airport).
- The takes a slightly more direct route and finishes on Lower Abbey Street. It stops at O'Connell Street and close to Busáras (Dublin Bus Station).
Depending on traffic, journey times can vary from 25 min to over an hour. These buses are considerably cheaper than AirLink and Aircoach. Both of these local bus services stop across from Drumcondra train station which is on the Dublin-Maynooth commuter line. Some trains on this line continue past Maynooth and serve stations as far away as Longford. All Dublin Bus buses (except AirLink) do not give change and fares must be paid in coins. Ticket machines near a few outdoor bus stops, including the one at the airport, do not require exact change. Tickets can also be purchased at the newsagent inside the airport. Luggage racks are limited on the local buses, and it is not unknown for drivers to turn away travellers with packs that cannot be stored.
A taxi to the city centre should cost around €20 to €30: it can be comparable to or cheaper than the bus options if you are in a group of three or more (as well as a lot less hassle). Taxis are legally obliged to provide an electronic receipt detailing the fare, distance and other pertinent details. Make sure to ask for one as otherwise they often do not furnish such a receipt.
A metro connecting Dublin Airport to the city centre is planned, but no work has started on this yet.
Unless your destination is Dublin City, it is probably best to use one of the extensive range of other bus services that stop at Dublin Airport and so avoid the city centre traffic.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Dublin
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Dublin Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.