Thousands of travelers wait outside the terminal. Hours of queues to go through security. Frustrated airlines call on the military to intervene.
Such were the chaotic scenes on Sunday as staff shortages resulted in more than 1,000 passengers missing their flights at Dublin Airport, the latest European airport experiencing logistical pains amid a wave of travel following the lifting of pandemic restrictions.
The government met with airport representatives on Monday to try to understand why the airport, the largest in the country and a hub for many airlines traveling between North America and Europe, was unable to handle passenger volume.
Kevin Cullinane, head of communications for DAA, the company that runs Dublin Airport, told national broadcaster RTÉ Radio on Monday that “more than” 1,000 passengers had missed their flight, “for which we obviously apologize unconditionally.”
“We are currently operating on very tight margins – working to the maximum of our available staffing levels,” said Mr Cullinane, adding that the airport “had aggressively attempted to recruit an additional 300 security officers.”
But as of 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, it was clear there would be a problem, he said, and “eventually, the situation was just overwhelmed by the sheer presentation of passengers,” adding: “We’ve let ourselves and the nation down. left yesterday.”
Many airlines are rebooking passengers who missed their flights due to the security delays, and Mr Cullinane said DAA would reimburse those passengers who had to pay out of pocket.
On Monday, things ran smoothly at the airport, but government ministers met with airport officials to demand a plan to deal with future problems.
Some airlines called for the military to assist with security checks, but Ireland’s transport minister Eamon Ryan said he did not believe this would solve the immediate problem.
At a press conference on Monday after meeting airport officials, Mr Ryan called the delays “completely unacceptable.”
“You can’t have 1,000 people missing flights, you can’t have thousands of people outside — standing in line, not even outside the terminal building,” he said, adding that the airport had “accepted that it was a terrible failure.”
The airport still advises people to get to the airport for two and a half hours for a short flight and up to three and a half hours for a long flight. But for many of those planning to fly from the airport this past weekend, that wouldn’t have been enough time.
Rebecca Maher, 34, had planned to travel to her partner’s childhood home in Italy on Sunday, but they ended up missing their flight despite arriving at the airport hours in advance. The two women had to queue outside for nearly an hour, and by the time they got inside, the atmosphere among the travelers was tense.
“Thousands of people were crammed into the building; nobody knew what was going on,” she said. “And the staff, my heart broke for them, they didn’t know what to do either. People were very agitated and angry.”
She described how a number of people, including employees, burst into tears.
“It was just awful,” she said.
Other anxious travelers said they planned to be at the airport much earlier for arriving flights.
Mark Walsh, a student in Dublin, said he planned to arrive at the airport seven hours early on Sunday for a scheduled flight to Los Angeles.
“It’s a necessary precaution,” he said. “Certainly with the costs at the moment, I’m a student and I can’t afford to just change my flight.”
Other European airports have also suffered from excessive queues and delays during a busy travel period when almost all pandemic-related restrictions have been lifted and people are eager to leave.
Over the Easter break, a lack of staff led to long lines at London’s Heathrow Airport and other major transport hubs across the country. Last week, travelers at Gatwick Airport near London and Manchester Airport in the north of England also experienced major delays, with some airlines canceling flights to ease crowds.
Travelers at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam have recently had to wait for hours in lines that flowed outside the terminal, partly due to a shortage of security and other personnel.
Last week, Dutch airline KLM said it would stop selling tickets for its flights departing from Amsterdam airport for a few days to reduce crowds.
“Well, we made it,” one passenger wrote on Twitter a few hours after posting a video of people waiting outside Schiphol in the rain† “A tip for people who go to Schiphol: make sure you are present four hours in advance. Then you’re still running to catch your flight after security.”
Claire Moses reporting contributed.