Airport Hotels Dublin
Dublin International Airport
Dublin is served by a single terminal airport approximately
10 km (6 mi) north of the city centre. A second terminal will
open 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 and from the
USA. 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
(note that this does not apply to United States flights).
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 so
do not get into any taxi no matter what they say.
* Dublin Bus offers an express AirLink service (routes
747 and 748) every 10 minutes at peak times to the city centre
and bus station for €6 or €10 return. Some of these services
now use 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 aiprort, 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.
*
o The 16A goes right through the city, stops at O'Connell
Street and continues up Georges Street and, finally, to southern
areas of Dublin.
*
o The 41 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 minutes
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 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/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.
However, 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 Aiport and so avoid the city centre traffic.
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