Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2022
72. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport if he will report on his engagements with Dublin Airport Authority in relation to the plan that has been put in place for travellers using Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29369/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra81. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Transport if he will detail his engagement with Dublin Airport Authority officials; the steps that have been taken to avoid delays at Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30548/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra127. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport if he will report his engagements with the Dublin Airport Authority in relation to ensuring that passengers are compensated in good time for missed flights at Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29370/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 81 and 127 together.
As the Deputy will be aware daa has the statutory responsibility to operate and manage Dublin Airport including all the operations associated with security screening at the Airport.
Following the unacceptable level of service experienced by passengers on Sunday, 29 May, I re-established daily meetings with the CEO and senior management in the daa. I conveyed to the daa my disappointment and frustration at the unacceptable scenes at the airport that weekend and emphasised the importance of daa restoring passenger confidence in Dublin airport.
I have also had a number of meetings with the chair of daa to convey the importance of this matter being resolved and the need for daa to reassure passengers that the daa is doing everything it can to deliver an acceptable passenger experience at Dublin Airport.
daa outlined their detailed plan and operational changes last week which includes maximising the availability of staff resources; increasing the number of security lanes open at peak times; and improving queue management. While the bank holiday weekend was extremely busy, queues moved smoothly. On Sunday, for example, while passenger numbers were 9,000 higher than Sunday 29 May, the security operation ran well with 99% of passengers queuing for less than 45 mins in T1 and T2 and there were no reports of flights missed.
In relation to compensation arrangements for passengers, daa has advised that passengers who may have missed a flight due to recent delays should contact the daa directly by email at customerexperience@dublinairport.com and the customer experience team will endeavour to process any claims as quickly as possible.
